Scout’s Scrapbook (9-21-12): The Importance of Preparedness

“Be Prepared!” is an excellent motto for Scouts. Unfortunately, as a motto, it is used over and over again to the extent that many people take what it means for granted. This quote from William Hillcourt provides a reminder of the weight and importance of this motto that we need to hear once in a while.

High Standards

As Scouts, we bear the name and are responsible for the reputation of  millions of Scouts and what they have stood for since the beginning of the Scouting Movement. As Hillcourt reminds us, Scouts have proven themselves over time. The name of a Scout means something, and it is up to us to make sure that reputation is not lost.

Early Scouts held themselves to a very high standard, and it showed. They were trusted by and assisted law enforcement officers, disaster relief workers, and many other institutions. The military gives special privileges to Eagle Scouts if they enlist. Many times, in reading through Scouting History, I have been surprised by instances of Scouts being entrusted with tasks just as much as adults, if not more so in some cases.

A Warning

Be warned, however, that this reputation isn’t invincible. It can be lost completely if just one generation of Scouts fail in upholding it. But the danger doesn’t lie in some single generation that destroys the reputation of Scouting.  The danger lies in a slow and gradual lowering of standards. I have observed this happening through my experience in Scouting.

If Scouting is to survive and thrive in the next century as it has in this one, standards need to be raised, not lowered. And it is ultimately up to us, the Scouts, to make sure this happens. We need to raise the standards of what we expect of our fellow Scouts, but most importantly, of what we expect of ourselves. Technology changes, the culture around us changes and modernizes, but the principles that we stand for as Scouts are timeless. Let’s give the Scouts a hundred years from now the same high standards to try to live up to as the first Scouts left for us.

So, let us take this reminder of William Hillcourt, and let it inspire us to renew our commitment to Be Prepared! Next time you say the motto, do not say it out of memorization, say it and mean it as if you were saying it for the very first time. Challenge yourself to live up to it more and more everyday!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook, but most importantly, I hope that these wise words of William Hillcourt were as inspiring to you as they were to me when I read them. Please help me to spread this to as many Scouts as possible by sharing this post with your friends. Thanks for reading!

Scout On!

Scout’s Scrapbook (9-12-12): The Spirit of Adventure

 

 

Here is yet another excellent quote from John Thurman, who was an influential British Scouter. I am just blown away by this quote as John Thurman is able to put in one paragraph what I’ve been trying to put into words for years. Sometimes simpler is better.

This is what Scouting is all about. We are Scouts; we are Pioneers; we are Explorers. Sure, lashing together small bridges and practicing First Aid doesn’t seem like much, but all great journeys start by taking the first step. As Scouts, we are committed to taking that first step when oftentimes no one else is willing to risk the commitment.

Yet sometimes we forget. Sometimes we don’t remember the big picture of why we do what we do. Sometimes, when we recite the words of the Scout Oath, they are only words.

No more! Let’s Rediscover Scouting for what it has always stood for! Take this quote from John Thurman and read it aloud at your next Troop Meeting. Post it on Facebook, Tweet it to your friends, share it with every Scout you know. Sometimes, it’s up to us to make sure that True Scouting isn’t forgotten. Sometimes, Scouting needs to be Rediscovered!

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-20-12): Success

Today’s edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook is a quotation from Sir Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting) on how a Scout looks on Success:

This quote excellently captures the spirit in which a Scout takes on life and looks on success. Scouts know that nothing worth having in the world comes for free. As I once heard a wise man put it: “Anything worth anything, costs you something.”

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-15-12): The Life of the Patrol

Today’s edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook is a quotation from John Thurman on the relationship between the Patrol and the Troop:

The picture that John Thurman gives here is quite different from the one that I have seen in many Troops. He paints the Patrols as small, almost independent units. Scouting, he says, is not Troop centered, but Patrol centered. This doesn’t mean that the Troop isn’t important, far from it! But nevertheless, this is a different paradigm than many of us may be used to.  

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-7-12): The Secret of Patrol Leaders

Today’s edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook is a quotation from the founder of Scouting, Baden-Powell, which I found particularly powerful:

In this quote, Baden-Powell is very clear on the importance in which he holds the Patrol Leaders. Since Patrols are real units with real responsibility, the Leaders that they elect are equally real and should be given true responsibility. There are many Troops that have Patrol Leaders who have responsibility in name only. The Troop might be constantly lauded for being a “Boy-led Troop”, but that doesn’t mean anything if the boys are simply leaning on the Scoutmaster for every decision.

In my experience, most Patrol Leaders fall into two categories: those who try to claim as much independence for themselves as they can, and those who prefer to lean on the Scoutmaster or an older Scout to make most of the important decisions. Although both extremes are to be avoided, I have seen Patrol Leaders leaning on the Scoutmaster to be much more common. The Scoutmaster has an extremely important role in Scouting, but so often Patrol Leaders, nervous about their new positions, will instinctively try to lean on the Scoutmaster for everything, without standing on their own two feet. The Scoutmaster, who naturally wants to help the Patrol and Patrol Leader, often lets this happen and ends up making most of the decisions through the Patrol Leader.

I know from personal experience how hard it can be to implement this in a real Troop rather than just on paper. And I recognize that it, like most things, is a process. As Patrol Leaders get elected, serve, and then move on, it will be a lot of constant work for the Scoutmaster to help teach the Patrol Leaders their role and how to handle their responsibility. Following this advice of Baden-Powell is difficult, no doubt, but seeing as how he constantly emphasized the importance of the Patrol System in Scouting, it is worth it to do our best.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook and that it gave you something to think about. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them! If you like this post, please pass it along!

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-5-12): Scouting will die without this!

Today’s edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook comes from The Patrol Leaders’ Handbook by John Thurman, a very influential British Scout Leader:

I know that myself and many others habitually take Scouting as a movement and institution for granted. It was there before we were born, and we assume it will just continue on strong after we are gone. But after digging into Scouting a little deeper and reading from its past, I’ve come to know that this is not true. The truth is, Scouting as we know it could completely disappear in 7 years: one generation of Scouts.

Throughout the last 100 years, Scouting has been responsible for an inestimable amount of good in America. Generations after generations of leaders have been trained through Scouting. Scouts have accomplish an uncountable number of community service hours. Through wars and through peace times Scouts have supported their nation and did all in their power to help it continue strong.

How did Scouting last for so long? How did it continue generation after generation? The culture in America has changed drastically since 1910, how is it that Scouts still pledge themselves to the same Oath that they did one hundred years ago? The answer is simple: the Scouts themselves have passed on the Spirit of Scouting to those who came after them. From the Patrol Leader welcoming the new Tenderfoot into the Troop to the Scoutmaster who teaches the Scouts in his Troop what he learned as a Scout, the torch of Scouting has been passed along one Scout at a time.

This is why I say that Scouting could disappear in 7 years. All it takes is one generation of Scouts who fail to pass on what they’ve learned to wipe away all that Scouting has stood for since its founding. I believe that this is what John Thurman was trying to communicate in this quote. And that is why I believe we should never forget this or take Scouting for granted.

Let’s not be that generation! Every Scout, every Scouter, makes a difference, a huge difference. If you value what Scouting is, you will pass on what you have learned so that the next generation will value it as well. It is only through this way that Scouting survived in the past, and it is only through this way that Scouting will live on in the future!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook and that it gave you something to think about. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them! If you like this post, please pass it along!

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-4-12): I couldn’t care less!

In today’s edition of the Scout’s Scrapbook, John Thurman, a distinguished historical British Scouter, gives what I believe is the best advice ever given to a Patrol Leader:

There is something very important that we can learn from this quote. This advice is applicable for not only Patrol Leaders, but also for anyone in a position with leadership and responsibility.

To start off, John Thurman points out a saying that had just started coming into widespread use when he wrote this, and is still heard much today. He believed this saying illustrated a very dangerous attitude that makes Patrol Leaders unworthy to hold their position if they say it and mean it. The saying is: “I couldn’t care less”, why is this such a big deal? Well, it is impossible to be a good leader unless one has himself personally invested in the group that he is leading.

What do I mean by “personally invested”? Well, when people ask me for advice on how to be a good leader, I tell them that the absolutely most important thing is for them to truly care about those who are following them. They’ve got to want what’s best for their group so bad that they can taste it! All other little aspects of leadership; such as motivation, communication, and etc.; will fall into place if the leader cares about his group this much.

I see a lot of young men that I believe could be excellent and effective leaders… if only they would care about it. If one cares about his group so much that he tries to do everything that he can to help them be better, even if it costs him much, then that person is truly a leader.

If you’re disappointed with how the group you are involved with is doing, and how they are responding to your leadership, the first thing you need to do is examine yourself and your attitude. Being a good leader will take everything that you’ve got, that is why good leaders are so scarce. You’ve got to have genuine passion; when that happens, everything else will start to click into place.

So far, I’ve never heard anything that says this better or more succinctly than John Thurman’s quote, and that is why I have included it in today’s Scout Scrapbook. If you take this advice to heart and put it into practice, than you will go places you’ve never dreamed of!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook. If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them!

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-3-12): An ‘Old’ Scout in Camp

In today’s edition, of the Scout’s Scrapbook, we see a little bit about how Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, envisioned the experienced Scout or Scouter on a Camping trip:

There are a couple of things we can learn from this and put into practice on our own trips:

First, the experienced camper doesn’t avoid trips or camps where there is a chance of discomfort or hardship. It doesn’t matter if it’s snowing, raining, dry, or wet. An experienced Scout knows how to work around these things in comfort.

Secondly, a comfortable camper is one who knows his stuff; he doesn’t need a lot of fancy gear or equipment. Baden-Powell wrote this before there were ultralight backpacking stoves or synthetic-down sleeping bags. Baden-Powell had camped all over the world: in India, in South Africa, and in England. Yet he says that it isn’t fancy gear that makes a Scout a comfortable camper, it is what the Scout knows. It is his skills and experience that allows the Scout to be comfortable in camp.

Thirdly, an experienced Scout is proactive. Instead of whining or complaining about adverse weather or some such inconvenience, an experienced Scout immediately sets about to improve and remedy his situation.
If you think about it, all of these principles not only are great advice in camp; they are also excellent advice in making your way through life. Let me recap:

1. An experienced Scout doesn’t avoid tough or uncomfortable situations; he faces them and makes the best of them.

2. An experienced Scout realizes that it isn’t cool tools or gimmicks that turn uncomfortable situations around; it is knowledge, hard work, and experience.

3. An experienced Scout doesn’t sit back and wait for things to get better; he “seizes the day” and sets about working to improve himself and his situation.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of “Scout’s Scrapbook”! If you think I’m right on or off-base, please leave a comment and let me know!

Scout’s Scrapbook (8-2-12): Patrol’s ‘Gang’ Spirit

Today I’m going to start a new series of blog posts that I will continue on and off. This series is called the Scout’s Scrapbook, and it will contain little snapshots of great quotes and/or photos from Scouting’s past. These will either be informative, inspiring, or just plain awesome!

Feel free to leave any comments/suggestions in the comment box below. If you have some quotes/pictures that you would like to suggest for the Scout’s Scrapbook, please let me know.

Enjoy!