SM Tip - Let's Hear It for Columbusing
Let's Hear It for ColumbusingNPR’s Code Switch blog ran an interesting article recently on a phenomenon called columbusing, which it defines as “discovering something that’s existed forever.” Often, these discoveries happen across cultural or ethnic lines, and some meaning gets lost along the way. For example, the popular Color Run 5K races draw their inspiration from the Hindu festival of Holi.Not surprisingly, the people whose traditions are borrowed (stolen?) in columbusing tend to get offended.... [More]
By: Insane Scouter On: 2015-07-16SM Tip - How to Make Your SPL Quit
How to Make Your SPL QuitI've been doing interviews recently with Scouters for a forthcoming Scouting magazine article on the boy-led troop (or boy-run or Scout-run or Scout-led--you pick the term). The most remarkable quote I've heard didn't come from a Scouter, however, but from a senior patrol leader. He said, "Honestly, I think I would quit Scouting if my Scoutmasters cooked me every single meal. There’s just no fun in that."This quote struck me... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-07-09SM Tip - Transformational Service
Transformational ServiceI spent last week on a week long choir/mission trip with 40 or so high-school and college students from my church, something I’ve been doing since 2000. During the week, our kids served in a homeless feeding program, built steps and porches for homes in an incredibly rundown trailer park, ran two vacation Bible school programs, and did a variety of landscaping and painting projects in a small Ohio community whose best days lie... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-07-02SM Tip - Scouting in the Video Age
Scouting in the Video AgeWhile you and I may still be living in the 20th century, our Scouts all live in the Internet Age. They’re born with cell phones in their hands. They devote untold hours to instant messaging, texting, and social media networks like Facebook. And they often learn better from videos than lectures.Yet most of us probably don’t take advantage of modern technology. Let’s say you wanted to get your Scouts excited about... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-06-25SM Tip - Requiem for the Preopening
Requiem for the PreopeningOne of my current projects is working on the BSA’s new Program Planning Features, which will replace the old Troop Program Features and will offer 48 updated themes to Boy Scout troops, Varsity Scout teams, and Venturing crews. In spending a lot of time looking at meeting outlines, I’ve been thinking about an old friend: the preopening.Now, I haven’t done a comprehensive survey, but I have a feeling that the preopening—that 15... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-06-18SM Tip - A Scout Is ... Tech-Savvy
A Scout Is ... Tech-SavvyEarlier this month, Deputy Chief Scout Executive Gary Butler wrote a guest blog at Scouting magazine in which he compared cellphones to utility knives. His bottom line: “I guess if we can control the proper use of a pocketknife, it should be possible to do the same with a smartphone.” (I reblogged Butler’s comments here.)About 14 months ago, the leaders of Troop 96 in Grayslake, Ill., hit upon that same comparison,... [More]
By: aaron patton On: 2015-06-11SM Tip - Don't Forget to Play the Game
Don't Forget to Play the GameScouters often complain about youth sports. They say that sports are all consuming, that coaches only care about building character when they’re winning, and that sports just teach kids to win at games while Scouting teaches kids to win at life.Be that as it may, there’s one thing coaches do better than Scouting. They remember to play the game.What do I mean by that? After months of conditioning and drills... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-06-04SM Tip - Conquering Context Collapse
Conquering Context CollapseOn my blog recently, I wrote about It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Danah Boyd’s landmark study on kids’ use of social media. The upshot of Boyd’s work is that the kids are (generally) alright, although they need caring adults to keep an eye on them in the online world.Of course, most adults spend a lot of time online as well, and many Scout leaders are connected to their Scouts and... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-05-28SM Tip - Secrets to Successful Scout Fundraising
Secrets to Successful Scout FundraisingNow that most of the country is on daylight savings time and daffodils are starting to sprout in my yard, it's getting easier to believe that spring will really arrive this year. (I had my doubts during this long, cold winter.)One sure sign of spring is that my troop has started selling mulch and bedding plants. In fact, I found an order form in my newspaper box just the other day.I... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-05-21SM Tip - Twelve Questions for Patrol Leaders
Twelve Questions for Patrol LeadersHere's an interesting self-test to give to the patrol leaders at your next patrol leaders' council meeting. It comes straight out of the 1939 edition of the Handbook for Patrol Leaders but is as relevant today as it was then.1. Do I know about every Scout in my patrol—each fellow’s strong and weak points; ambitions; home life; special needs? 2. Can I plan and conduct patrol meetings worthwhile enough to insure the bunch... [More]
By: Scott Robertson On: 2015-05-14