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At 100, Boy Scouts try to adapt to a new world By Scott K. Parks
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Times were simpler when the As the The challenge is how to reach out to families and convince them that Scouting is worth their time. "I couldn't spell 'blog' two years ago," said Today, a tradition-bound organization must change without abandoning its devotion to God, the outdoors and straight living, Mazzuca said during an interview with He talked about three specific areas targeted for change: —Integration of new technology into Scouting programs. This includes small things, such as a new uniform pocket for a smart phone, and large ones, such as a partnership with —Focus on bringing more Hispanic boys into Scouting. The Boy Scout Handbook has been translated into Spanish. But Mazzuca said it will take more than translating Anglo concepts into Spanish. "It means understanding what resonates in a community," he said. —Becoming advocates for children's health. "We are now talking about the first generation in history that is likely to be less healthy than the previous generation," he said. In 2011, Scouting will launch an initiative to improve child health. "We have not positioned ourselves as advocates for children," Mazzuca said. Another challenge — no one is quite sure how serious it will become — is how to handle court cases in which former Scouts say the organization did not do enough to keep pedophile adults from sexually abusing them. If past years are any indication, the Scouts will begin the next 100 years with millions of dollars at their disposal to handle that problem and any others that crop up. It's a big, rich organization. Mazzuca earned The Boy Scout museum, which sits in a building adjacent to the national office in Essentially, Mazzuca and the BSA national council set policy for thousands of Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops across the nation. So, no matter where you live, processes such as earning merit badges and advancing to Eagle Scout are uniform. Part of the national council's revenue comes from a The national council also operates and maintains vast wilderness areas for camping, hiking, canoeing and environmental-conservation programs. By the time of the next National Scout Jamboree in 2013, a recently acquired 10,600-acre site in The jamboree, which normally is staged every four years, has been held in recent decades at Fort A.P. Hill, a U.S. military installation in The "Scouting made a tremendous impact on my life," said Fourth-generation Eagle Scout Jeremy Wildenborg of Asked what Scouting means to his life, the 16-year-old uttered one sentence that communicated the gritty essence of today's Scouting as clearly as the Rockwell paintings captured yesterday's bucolic truth: "It's an excuse to do something right." As members of Troop 300 in Troop 300 is a modest operation. It is neither large nor small within the context of the Circle 10 Council, which covers 10 The troop has been meeting at It's not always easy. "One of our challenges is that we have to compete for the boys' time with all this technology stuff," he said. "We have to figure out more ways to make Scouting cool." Jeremy and his fellow Scouts acknowledge that Scouting is not considered cool at school. They don't wear their uniforms to classes or talk about Scouting much on campus. Recently, a meeting focused on Jeremy's Eagle Scout service project. Referring to a notebook stuffed with photos and papers, he explained to fellow Scouts (ages 11 to 17) how he built a reading loft for an elementary school. "I went to No one from Troop 300 is attending the jamboree in "The whole point is that the boys learn to take initiative and develop leadership skills," said "Our troop is boy-led all the way. Adults provide a safe environment and do the driving." Incoming Troop 300 Scoutmaster Jim Brunner thinks for a minute, then talks about what he likes most about Scouting. "You can get a boy who's 11 and cannot roll up a sleeping bag," he said. "And three years later, he has become a leader who knows how to do everything to prepare for and execute a camping trip." ——— TIMELINE 1910: 1911: BSA publishes first edition of 1918: Scout troops help public-health officials fight Spanish influenza epidemic. 1920: First World Scout Jamboree is held. 1930: BSA launches Cub Scout program for younger children. 1941-45: BSA aids the U.S. effort in World War II by distributing war bonds, salvaging and recycling critical materials such as rubber and assisting firefighting brigades. 1950: 1960: BSA membership soars as more baby-boom children become Scout age. 1967: BSA changes Cub Scout "den mother" position to "den leader" to make room for men. 1979: 1980: Fashion designer 1982: Number of Eagle Scouts hits 1 million. 2000: 2010: BSA celebrates 100th anniversary. Source: ——— SCOUTING BY THE BOOK SCOUT OATH On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country And to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, Mentally awake, and morally straight. SCOUT LAW A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. As an American, I will do my best to Be clean in my outdoor manners, Be careful with fire, Be considerate in the outdoors, and Be conservation-minded. Source: The Boy Scout Handbook Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
