Category: the right way to do it
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Dear NEB: up up down down left right left right B A B A (it’s time to unlock superpowers!)
Hey, National Executive Board (NEB)! It’s time to use the Konami code: unlock your superpowers! Your composition has changed: You’re smaller, and some of the old guard departed. You can be quite effective! You’ve got to save Scouting from its #1 existential threat: A culturally rotted, poorly performing national organization, that sees itself as its…
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Departed Scouts: letting them go usually is best
I was Cubmaster of a large pack for 5 years. The biggest waste of my time, in terms of return on value, was re-recruiting departed Scouts. What I learned: On poor den program, not supporting my Den Leaders enough may have been the #1 thing I would have changed if I had a do-over. The…
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The case for equity and inclusion: Ending BSA’s specious coed ban
In 2018 and 2019, BSA allowed girls into its boys-only programs. This inclusion was accompanied by a ban on coed Cub Scout dens or coed Scouts BSA troops. The coed ban is specious: It rests on misinformation and on sexist, racist, and harmful folklore. Its pile-on effects reduce youth safety, harm members, and harm the…
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Scout units should never have bylaws
(Editorial comment: Sacred cows are tasty. Apparently bylaws are some people’s sacred cows. Many comments are reacting to sentiments not expressed in this article. To be clear: it is good to document practices. It’s not good to turn them into formal bylaws.) While formal policy’s certainty may be appealing, it is a bad idea for…
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Scouting must be fun, adventure, and meaning
I’ve talked to many who were in Scouting decades ago. Their best memories: fun, adventure, and meaning. Not badges. Do a two-point test on everything your Scout unit does: Is it fun or adventure, or does it get you there? Is it something meaningful that the Scout or family don’t get otherwise? (e.g., challenging family…