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Almost missed it:Boy Scouts march to celebrate 100 years of service
As a retired Scoutmaster who never earned any rank as a boy, I offer my congratulations to all who wore the uniform, from Tenderfoot to Eagle!
I loved the pinewood derby cars. Had lots of fun designing mine. Went to Scoutorama Jamboree at Washington D.C. when I was a kid, that was really cool.
I didn't stay in long enough to do the pinewood derby contest, but I recall going to one that my older brother participated in. It was a lot of fun. I remember it to this day. I must have been 5 or 6 at the time.
The sad thing though was that by the time I reached my early teens, I realized that most of the guys in my troop were not really dedicated to the organization (and the leadership too). I lost interest after that. I still respect the organization, but it's very difficult to keep it together on the local level as recruitment is practically nonexistent.Â
It really all comes down to the adult leadership – and the tough part there is to make sure that the Troop is truly “boy led”. Our troop has / had several former Marines and several other Dads from other services. We all agreed to the same philosophy and did bona-fide leadership training for the boys – we let them make decisions (hell, MADE them make decisions), let them struggle, and mentor, guide, and encourage them. That's the real challenge – too many adult leaders want to do it all themselves or want to step in and take over when a boy struggles….The result of our method is that the boys grow and learn and become leaders - and thus really want to be part of the troop.
It really all comes down to the adult leadership - and the tough part there is to make sure that the Troop is truly "boy led". Our troop has / had several former Marines and several other Dads from other services. We all agreed to the same philosophy and did bona-fide leadership training for the boys - we let them make decisions (hell, MADE them make decisions), let them struggle, and mentor, guide, and encourage them. That's the real challenge - too many adult leaders want to do it all themselves or want to step in and take over when a boy struggles....The result of our method is that the boys grow and learn and become leaders - and thus really want to be part of the troop.
Had I been in your troop back then, I probably would have stayed until I reached Eagle. My life might have gone in a different direction who knows.
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