So You Think You Can Be an Eagle Scout

(An open letter to parents of future Eagle Scouts)

When President John F. Kennedy said "... we do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard." he was referring to our plan, as a nation, to have a man walk on the moon. But he might as well have been referrring to working toward the rank of Eagle scout.

When a scout reaches the point where he sets his mind to starting his Eagle project, he must face challenges and difficulties of undertaking a project involving planning, time and people management and, most likely, skills that he had never before faced. In my experience, this learning curve is adapted to very quickly by the boy, but his parents are often confused and uninformed about the process. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Should the parent be in the loop at all? That depends on the parent. It is important for both the scout and his parent to understand that achieving Eagle is all about the boy. A supporting parent is all important, but there needs to be a clear understanding what "support" means. If the boy does not drive, obviously getting him to and from meetings, to the place(s) for project supplies, helping to bake brownies for his bake sale and urging him to continue when he gets frustrated are the right kinds of support. It's OK to help out with the physical labor of the project as long as you don't take the reigns of leadership form the boy. After all, the point of Eagle project is Leadership. Take that away, and you've taken away the most important lesson he will learn from his project. Offer advice, but don't solve his problems. Guide him through, if needed, by asking questions that will lead him to figure it out. Most importantly, do not try to find ways to make it easier or to do things the way you, as an adult, might do things. The Eagle project is a gateway to a future of solving problems and learning that most projects, of any kind, generally cost twice as much and take four times as long as we expect. If you own a home, you probably have learned that. Your son has not, but now he has a chance. Let him struggle through and learn the joys of working through a tough problem and emerging victorious. At his Eagle Court of Honor, when he says" I couldn't have done it without the help of my parents", that should mean you gave him the love and support he needed and not that you built his project for him. Achieving the rank of Eagle is hard. it's supposed to be!

Troop of the Week

As far as I could see, everyone who spent the week at Yawgoog came back smiling - dirty, tired and covered with itchy mosquito bites, but smiling. Why? Because summer camp is fun! Also, because the Troop was awarded Sandy Beach Champs - Troop of the Week. Winning Sandy Beach champs was a goal from the start, but it's not easy to achieve. It takes good leadership, teamwork, discipline and focus. It gets harder as the week goes on - there are more ways to fall behind other Troops. Everyone gets homesick and tired and the heat and humidity and mosquitoes begin to wear everyone down. But the Troop and it's young but competent leaders stayed on track and kept their eye on the prize. The prize in question demands a lot from a bunch of young boys. They must get up at the crack of day and immediately clean up the mess from the night before, get a series of morning jobs done, get to meals on time, behave like civilized people at meals, show lots of spirit all week long, attend ALL camp activities, offer themselves to the staff for a service project and compete in a number of athletic events, all the while behaving the way we all expect Scouts to behave. It's a LOT of work. So to see the smiles on Day 7 because they had fun and achieved special recognition as a unit is a very special thing indeed. My time away from home, work and family and all the hours of paperwork and preparation is paid for by those 36 smiling faces.

Recognition

Most of us call it "advancement". But it is really recognition. Boy Scouts is a program that allows a boy to grow and learn by experiencing, by doing. Our jobs as adult leaders is to provide the opportunities and make sure the boy stays safe. But what we really want is a boy-led Troop and if that is true, we should have boys doing the teaching of new skills. Sometimes we adults need to step in and give some guidance, when the skills level of the boys are lower than they need to be to provide the proper information. But that is temporary. Once the leaders are back on track and there memory of skills they learned and forgot is refreshed, we adults must again back off. It's a little dance. One that takes some time to learn.

But back to the recognition. the awards we give out at our Court of Honor represent recognition of experiences and learn that the boys have passed through. A scout does not become a master of knot-tying by passing a few requirements on the path to First Class. He masters them (assuming he does that) by actually practicing what he has learned. The good news is, the skills they are taught have practical use for camping and hiking and often other life activities. A tautline hitch, for example, is one I use on EVERY single campout, and sometimes at home. This goes for just about very skill the Boy Scout Handbook teaches.

But for a boy, knowing is not enough. It's important for him to stand in front of his peers and his friends and family and have someone say, "this boy did this. And he did it well." It's important. And so we recognize him, knowing that someday he will pass on what he has learned by teaching another Scout. And that's when he will truly KNOW what he has LEARNED.

Klondike vs Polar Bear

Some of us might be wondering why this years' winter District even is being called a Polar Bear and not a Klondike. I thought it was an arbitrary choice at first, but after some research learned the difference. First let me define "District Event".

Boy Scouts of America at it's highest level is called National. Each region of the U.S. has Councils and districts and then individual Units. Long Island is divided into two Councils: Nassau (Theodore Roosevelt Council) and Suffolk County Council. Within Suffolk County Council there are 6 Districts. Ours is called Matinecock. When some of us attend Roundtable meetings once a month, that is at the District level. Our Spring Camporee, Webelos Woods and Klondike (or Polar Bear) are District events.

I know, it can be confusing.

So how is a Klondike different from a Polar Bear? Both are winter events. A Klondike, or Klondike Derby, or Klondike Camporee, is a competative event, held in winter based on the Alaskan Ididerrod. The Scouts use dog sled style sleds to carry all their gear from station to station. Each station is a single activity, usually based on scout skills and/or team work. Points are given for performance and Scout Spirit. A Klondike Derby is a one-day event and can be held for Boy Scouts, Webelos Scouts or both. A Klondike Camporee is the same, but overnight camping is involved and is just for Boy Scouts. For the past few years, our Klondike has been called a Camporee, meaning multiple Troops.

So what is a Polar Bear? Well, that is a winter camping event involving a campout of at least 24 hours of camping.

Winter camping over a period of 96 hours between the months of November and March can earn a Scout the Polar Bear Award.

Why camp in winter? Seems crazy right? If properly outfitted and prepared, it's not a lot different than camping any other time. As Scouts, we learn to be ready for rain and hot weather. Why not cold. As leaders, safety is always first. For that reason we always come prepared with extra blankets and we spend a lot of time preparing Scouts for cold conditions. A parents, you can help by reminding your boys to pack what we have taught them to pack in our winter camping training. They can always call a Patrol Leader or adult Scouter if they have questions. We can provide printed information to support what they have been taught. We properly dressed and outfitted, Scouts find winter camping quite exhilerating.

A Case for Backpacking

Car Camping and Backpacking - two completely different animals! Since our Troop does a lot more of the former, it is a big deal for us to get prepared for a backpacking trip. On regular camping trips, where we get to bring just about anything we want, there are many opportunities to explore cooking and pioneering and a few other outdoor skills that benefit from the lack of gear restrictions. But other than a cold weather overnighter or a long rainy weekend, I don't think there is a whole lot of character-building. And there's always the cars parked nearby, that allow us as leaders to sleep a little easier knowing we could easily handle any little emergency that might crop up.

Backpacking is a whole different ball game. EVERYTHING you choose to have along with you on your venture must be carried on your back and then back home again. Even lots of very heavy water, which we always assume will be unavailable on the trail. I think this teaches so much to us all, especially the young boys involved. They understand to a limited extent what we mean when we say how important it is to bring the right equipment and the right amount of it. Too much weight on your back is a killer, but not having something you really need is an unhappy situation to be in. Before heading out, make sure you understand what your true needs are for a backpacking trip or ask someone for help. We have a lot of experienced backpackers in the Troop. Take advantage of their knowledge. It'll make you trip a lot more pleasant.

A few words on the Merit Badge

Those of us who make a week at summer camp part of our activities for the year know that a large part of the experience is about earning a lot of merit badges. It has for some, become the way to acquire merit badges. I guess that's okay, but I have had personal reservations about that approach all along. I guess it would be more accurate to say I have mixed feelings.

I should preface my comments with a mention that it was much harder to get a merit badge when I was in Boy Scouts. First, we had to wait until we were First Class and second, we were subject to a standard Board of Review before the badge was considered earned. I am not about to suggest that this is how a merit badge should be earned, but it is hard for me to see them given out so easily at summer camp.

My comments are only relevant to what I have seen at Camp Yawgoog, where my Troop goes every summer. The counselors there are sometimes as young as 15 years old. Hardly what I consider mature enough or learned enough to be qualified for the job, but Yawgoog does have a very comprehensive training program, so I'm sure these boys have been tested. By week 7, they seem a little tired and worn down, so I fear they skim over things a bit from time to time.

Another merit badge issue I have is with counselors who sigh up only for the Troop they have a son in. Why do I have a problem with this? On one hand, it is a good way to have parents share their skills with their home Troop and get involved in the mentoring aspect of Scouting. If not for their own son, they probably would not consider signing up at all. But one very important aspect of earning a merit badge can be potentially lost on this approach. When a boy has to seek out and contact a total stranger, then make an appointment to see them, dressed in full uniform, prepared to discuss the merit badge, something very important is learned. It has to do with learning how to present yourself to a new person, an adult. It is about doing a little research and making a series of phone calls to sort out who might be the best choice of counselor. All that reinforces what Scouting is essentially about, building self-reliance, character and confidence.

Earning a merit badge is really about exploring a new skill. maybe one that a boy is already interested in or something he thinks he might want to know more about. When he does it with a friend from the Troop and with a person not previously known to him, the benefits are many.

Go Ahead and Ask

When a new Scout joins our Troop, we go out of our way to make it clear how Boy Scouts will be different from Cub Scouts. I think we sometimes throw the baby out with the bath water to some extent. In our effort to make it perfectly clear that Boy Scouts is boy run, we give the parents the permission to but out all together. Please don't! It's a tricky thing for us leaders to learn to balance on the fine line of letting them do for themselves (read: develop a sense of independence) and helping when needed. We learn, through both BSA Training and experience how to master this. There is a very effective model called E.D.G.E., which we teach to our youth leaders and adult leaders alike. E=explain, D=demonstrate, G=guide, E=enable.

As parents, we can EXPLAIN the importance of being on time to meetings (and demonstrate this by leaving home in plenty of time) and EXPLAIN that it is important to remember to bring home any information that you need.
You can DEMONSTRATE your support of Scouting by coming to an occasional Committee meeting or campout. Scouts with involved parents are most likely to stay with the program and even reach Eagle.
You can GUIDE them (especially for the first few years) by asking them if they have remembered to bring their handbooks to meetings and by making sure they get weekly calls.
Most important, you can ENABLE them by supplying them with proper uniform and equipment, by helping them prioritize their busy lives to include campouts. ENABLE in this case, means supply with the tools they need to be successful, whether that be gear or encouragement.