Topic
What it takes to lead a troop week after week. Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters wrote openly about vision, patience, mentoring youth leaders and the occasional rainy campout.
200 posts · 2007–2020
12 posts
I often have discussions with Scoutmasters about what constitutes a "Boy Led Troop". There seems to be a misunderstanding as to what that means and it is executed in different ways depending on the unit. But there is a right way to have youth lead and a wrong way.
A Scoutmaster is not… … the boss of a company and youth leadership are not employees we discipline or hire and fire. A Scoutmaster is not a commanding officer and Scouts are not soldiers who can be disciplined for "conduct unbecoming" a Scout, so let's get that foolish idea out of our heads as well.
Jim announced at the May court of honor that he would be stepping down as the scoutmaster of Troop 68 at the end of August. His son had already turned 18 years old months before and he felt it was time for someone else to take over.
I once had an Assistant Scoutmaster in our unit that came to me one night and announced the he was "Burned Out" and that he was leaving Scouting because "Enough was Enough". He felt that he no longer had something to give the program.
Chuck Eaton grew up in a single-parent home. His mom enrolled him in Cub Scouting because "she wanted neighborhood dads to teach me things she didn't know about," he says. "How to change the oil, simple home repairs, how to camp, how to fish, probably even how to talk sports.
When a Scoutmaster suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on a nearby trail, Scouts Drew N. and Jacob E. ran to his aid. The Scouts, who are from the Boy Scouts of America Mount Baker Council , were working as lifeguards at their local Scout camp and had to run barefoot along a gravel trail to reach…
Wow. I just realized I missed the anniversary of this blog. It is hard to believe all the years that I have been sharing my thoughts, activities, and special events with you through this site known as A Scoutmaster's Blog .
Scoutmaster Bud Boyer of the North Florida Council (Photo credit: Ocala.com) Committed adult volunteers are paramount to the success of delivering the values-based programs the Boy Scouts of America aims to provide youth. Volunteers like Bud Boyer of the North Florida Council are a prime example of what it looks like to generously serve the…
On its surface, Norman Rockwell's The Scoutmaster painting depicts a satisfied and pensive adult leader peering into a fading campfire. The sun has set. The Scouts are asleep. All is quiet. But go a layer deeper, and there's more to The Scoutmaster than meets the eye.
Are Scoutmaster's Conferences a retest? Can assistant Scoutmasters do them? This week we'll catch up on listener email by answering these questions and more. When it comes to Scoutmaster conferences they are explained unambiguously in teh Guide to Advancement, so n one of this is a matter of opinion or a difference in style, it…
Yes, your official title - the position indicated on your BSA registration - says you're an assistant Scoutmaster. But now a Scouting colleague has asked you to sit on the troop committee as well. You agree (just an hour a week, right?), but when you try to register your second position, it turns out the BSA's registration…
For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has enriched the lives of countless youth across the country – all thanks to the passionate leaders and volunteers who strive to make Scouting a meaningful program. But what many may forget is that Scouting isn’t just benefiting youth, Scouting is making a positive impact on…
