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Scouting is unlike anything your son has ever experienced before.
Unlike school, organized sports, or perhaps even in the home setting, in
a Boy Scout troop the youth are the ones who are in charge. THEIR
desires become our agenda. THEIR ideas for adventure, fun, and
excitement are what the adults guide them to bring into reality. In
Scouting, THEY speak and the adults listen.
By practicing representative democracy, they pick their own leaders who
form the "Patrol Leader Council" that creates the yearly agenda. Scouts
work together on every issue, from what to eat at camp, deciding who
will wash dishes and shop for food, they learn and PUT INTO PRACTICE
communication, public speaking, teamwork, conflict resolution, and
leadership.
By taking advantage of any of the 130 possible merit badges, they gain
exposure to areas of interest ranging from Rifle Shooting to Chemistry,
from Small Boat Sailing to Aviation, and from Reading to Nuclear
Science. Statistically, the Merit Badge program often leads to
life-long hobbies and even career choices. At a minimum, Merit Badges
help a young man try things he may never have had a chance to do if not
for the Scouting experience, such as rifle shooting, archery, sailing,
or camping.
While boys are busy "being Scouts" and having fun, they start to embody
the virtues of Scouting defined in the Scout Oath and Law.
What is Scouting? It's "fun with a purpose".
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The Boy Scout Of America Program is a 100 year old, professionally
crafted, program of education and character development. By using the
"Outdoor Method" (camping, fishing, rock climbing, etc) boys work
together to do "the things boys like to do". In the process, they learn
the value of teamwork, honesty, communication, mutual respect, and more
as they work towards their goal and overcome any obstacles they
encounter.
By employing the Methods of Scouting, we reinforce the AIMS of Scouting,
which are reflected in our Oath and Law. The goal is to see that they
become permanent fixtures in the character of each Boy Scout as we teach
them to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind,
Obedient, Cheerful, Thrift, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
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Becoming an Eagle Scout is no small achievement. In fact, among adults
who have gone on to become astronauts, doctors, politicians, or business
leaders, most of them will say that earning their Eagle is clearly
among the most important achievements in their lives.
Back to the question... WHY?
Look
at it from this angle.... ADVANCEMENT is completely up to the
individual Scout. If he has no desire or sense of commitment to
advance in rank, that is his choice. IT IS POSSIBLE for a boy
to attend EVERY meeting and EVERY camping trip, and never make it
through 1/2 of the available ranks if he isn't motivated enough to take
the extra step of demonstrating skills or earning merit badges.
Statistically speaking, only 2 out of 100 boys in Scouting will push
themselves to become Eagle Scouts.
The "Trail to Eagle" is one of persistence, dedication, well-rounded learning experiences by earning
21+ merit badges, strong attendance at meetings and camping trips, and
hundreds of hours of community service.... all culminating with the
planning and complete execution of his "Eagle Project" before his 18th
birthday.
The "Eagle Project" is SO MUCH MORE than "giving
something back to the community" (which it is, and let's not minimize
the importance of community and charity). It is actually his "final
exam" in Scouting.
HE manages his Eagle Project. He
will put to use all of the lessons he learned as a Boy Scout;
communicating, organizing, recruiting, conceiving an idea, selling the
idea, planning the work, assigning work details to those helping him,
being the "accountant" that tracks the hours worked and the money spent,
etc. In every conceivable way, HE is the "project leader".
THESE
are the highly desirable skills and traits that makes "Eagle Scout"
stand out on a job resume or college application, and the fact that such
skills and moral foundations are learned/mastered before "society"
recognizes him as an "adult"... simply amazing!
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We certainly won't send the "Scout Police" out to find you if you
don't show up, but you miss out on a big part of the BSA Program if you
don't attend regularly. Your son will get out of scouting what he puts into it.
Scouting is NOT just playtime, or
"Billy's weekend fun" away from his kid sister. Scouting is a
carefully crafted character-development program. Each boy is a member
of a PATROL, and as such, is part of a smaller group (as compared to the
whole Troop of boys) where he is given AMPLE opportunity to play an
active and valuable "hands on" role in the patrol's success.
A boy who shows up sporadically DEPRIVES himself of the chance to
make key decisions within his patrol; choose trip ideas and
destinations, make menu selections, divvy out workload, and build close
friendships. Every meeting includes a period of valuable skill
instruction and fun interpatrol competitions that relate to the upcoming
camping trip. If a boys misses a meeting, he will find himself less
prepared for the upcoming weekend in the outdoors. The troop meetings
are where we "learn", but the camping trip is where we reinforce the
skills by putting them into practical use.
Scouts should make every effort to attend meetings on a regular basis.
Those who don't are missing out on the full experience of their limited
Scouting years, and are causing their patrol members to do the same.
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