Issue 609 – July 23, 2019

Dear Andy,

Our troop is having a recurring problem resulting from “poor language choices.” Last week, the dad of a family new to our community contacted me about getting his boys involved in Scouting. I let him know when and where for our troop’s next meeting. I was out of town that day, but both of my assistants and several parents were attending. The Scouts had set up a meeting at a local park to do a map and compass activity by patrols.

My ASMs reported that the turnout was good and that a number of parents had attended as well, staying to pick up their sons after the meeting. This new dad and his sons were there, so thing were looking good for their joining up. But when I sent this father a quick email asking how things went, his immediate reply was that his sons wouldn’t be joining our troop because of the Scouts’ foul language and teasing, with none of the older Scouts or even the adults in charge intervening to put a stop to this. Luckily, he did ask me to meet with him and his sons, to see if perhaps there’s a way for his boys to feel comfortable about joining. I agreed to this instantly, of course.

But there may be a pattern here. Several months ago, we held an overnighter for the Webelos II Scouts from our Cub pack, and had a similar problem with a boy who chose to join a different troop because of bad language and what could be seen as hazing, by the same Scouts as this most recent dust-up.

As a leader, I know that the first place to look for the source of a problem is in the mirror. I addressed the earlier incident with the Patrol Leaders Council and with the Scouts involved, and I’m typically the first to step in when I hear swearing or see even the slightest form of bullying. But it seems that these particular Scouts look for opportunities outside of adults’ sight or earshot to turn sour at others—especially new boys.

I’d appreciate your perspective on this as I prepare to address this issue—again!—with these Scouts. (Scoutmaster, Trapper Trails Council, WY)

Yes, definitely meet with this father (his sons needn’t be present unless he’d like them there). Begin by apologizing for not setting up a “protective environment” for his sons. Tell him that a Scout troop is youth-run and adults remain in the background for safety and to prevent the sort of thing that happened, and that the ASMs failed in their responsibility to do this. But also tell him that the fundamental problem was caused by not following The Buddy System, which is fundamental to Scouting (you can apologize for this, too).

With The Buddy System in place, no youth is ever “unprotected” and his buddy can stand beside him—bullies (who are natural cowards anyway) invariably cower in the face two and not just one. So when a visiting boy comes to a troop meeting or other event, he’s buddied-up with an older Scout, who acts as the new boy’s “guide” throughout the meeting. As his buddy, this Scout shows the new boy “the ropes” and makes sure the boy has safe fun. This Scout is effectively the boy’s mentor and protector, and keeps the other Scouts from acting like jerks.

At the same time, if you’ve identified particular “culprits,” it’s time for a Scoutmaster conference with each of them independently, so that they know their nonsense needs to stop on a dime and not be repeated. (No “punishment”…just a friendly and 100 percent uncompromising alert that this is over for good.)

As for “two-deep leadership,” this doesn’t mean your ASMs are sitting in lawn chairs shooting the breeze; they have jobs to do and that means keeping an eye on the Scouts and supporting your Senior Patrol Leader.

Finally—and maybe you noticed this—every time you used “boy” or “boys” or “kid” or “kids” in your letter to me, I changed it to Scout or Scouts. Do the same thing in your troop: There are no “boys” in your troop; there are only Scouts. I can’t tell you how this happens, but I do know from experience that when you refer to all troop members as Scouts, they’ll rise to this and their behavior will change accordingly. It’s aspirational and makes them special.
==========
Hi Andy,

I’m working on a proposal to have the county’s parks and recreation department’s several nature centers partner with our council to facilitate the BSA’s nature and environmental/sustainability merit badges. The idea is to have an accessible corps of merit badge counselors who are affiliated with these centers that can work with Scouts interested in these types of merit badges.

In addition to assuring that they’re registered as merit badge counselors and complete Youth Protection Training, I’d also provide a short seminar on merit badges and the merit badge process.

When I was a Scout, I earned 36 merit badges. Early on, as a Scout, I discovered the book on merit badges and their requirements. I’d then review the requirements and, on my own, complete them. Once I had everything done, I’d call a counselor and made an appointment to meet with him or her. At that meeting, I presented my work for each requirement, and then I’d ask for a sign-off on my “blue card.”

I’ve just reviewed the current BSA publications for merit badges and counselors. These suggest a more complicated process. Now, that first meeting with the counselor is more of a planning session, to sort out how things will be done, and then there are subsequent meetings where the Scout demonstrates that he’s met each requirement. I think my approach was more efficient: I did my homework and then met with the counselor to demonstrate it and get signed off.

I don’t want my proposed process to be too onerous for nature center volunteers, but I also don’t want to operate in conflict with BSA policy. My thought is that, in the initial call to the counselor, he or she can determine how far along the Scout is toward meeting all requirements and if the Scout is prepared to be tested on all requirements at the initial meeting, or does the Scout need to confer with the counselor about how to meet some of the requirements. I could use your thoughts on this. (John, National Capital Area Council, MD)

First, about you… I’m sorry your merit badge experiences weren’t richer than simply plodding through the requirements. That book you found—and I’m guessing it’s much like the present-day BOY SCOUT REQUIREMENTS book, which is updated and printed every year—should also have said that you’ll begin your journeys by first choosing a topic you’re interested in and talking with your Scoutmaster, who will give you the name and contact information for a qualified Merit Badge Counselor, and then, when you first meet (at the very beginning; not at the end), that counselor will sit down with you to talk over what you may have already accomplished and then guide you as you two make your plans for the remainder.

Along your journey—and this is most important, because a fundamental of the merit badge program is Scouts learning directly from a knowledgeable adult—your counselor will impart wisdom and insights that go beyond the mere requirements and go beyond what’s in the merit badge pamphlets also. In short, this becomes a bonding experience between the Scout and the counselor. That’s why these folks are called counselors and not “examiners” or “instructors” (as in classroom-style) or even “teachers,” and certainly not “testers”! In fact, the whole process is designed to connect Scouts with kindly adults who can serve as “life” role models; something way more important than merely checking “completion boxes.”

More about counselors… Yes, subject matter knowledge through vocation or avocation is important; but not as important as the desire to help young men and women gain insights more than knowledge or skills, to form a bond with young people that can sometimes last a lifetime, to nurture interest in the subject that will take young people on personal journeys that go further than merely “bagging a badge.”

Which leads us to your mission to find people who would not find working with young people burdensome, who are willing the impart insights “beyond the book,” who would enjoy giving a part of their personal time to helping young people grow in knowledge and skills and–this is the crux–comfort in interacting with adults and confidence in themselves. Find these kinds of people and life will be golden!

In the “mechanics”… Yes, you’re right that these new counselors will register with the BSA and your local council as members, and they’ll take Youth Protection Training (which can be completed online and which is equally about protecting themselves!), but there are no annual membership fees and uniforms aren’t required. Merit Badge Counselor training is often available through your local council and, if not, you might want to propose yourself as a possible trainer. Online resources are also available through BSA websites.

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 609 – 7/23/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]