Scout Parents (especially from Canada, but even if not) - a question.

[scoutingmom]

Well this is part question, part vent I guess.

 

My kids have been involved in scouting for a number of years now. They work on and earn a lot more badges than the other kids in the group. I have 2 scouts, 1 cub, and 1 beaver. My husband and I have a lot of years in scouting as leaders. He has had health issues that prevents him from participating. I have some health issues too, but I do work with cubs. I have years of experience with scouts too. Their group is considered one of the best in the city, and I am mostly happy, but it does lack in some things. Changing groups is not happening.

 

My oldest is in his 3rd year of scouts, and is still working on his Pathfinder Award with the 'old program'. Sometimes I think the main leader thinks he is a year younger and has been in scouts one year less than is the case. Very generally, a scout would earn Pathfinder at about the end of his second year. It could take longer, of course, but I would consider that normal for a youth that is attending most meetings and working hard. All along the stuff holding him back has been stuff that would be done at camp or very hard to do on their own. I have found that frustrating. His Voyageur level Outdoor Skills badge was the last earned for that level. My son attends every camp.

 

The old program, they earn Pioneer Scout (basically requirements to be a scout), then Voyageur, Pathfinder, then they can earn the Chief Scout award. The Chief Scout award is a big deal, and is generally presented by the lieutenant-governor. They could be a scout until age 14, but could also move up to Venturers at age 14.

 

Well, there is a new program that started this year. With the new program, you can't be a venturer until you are 15. The kids were told that they can finish their Chief Scout Award on the old program this year only, and if that wasn't likely, they were on the new program. My opinion is the requirements of the new program is so watered down. There are some good things in it, but my 1st year scout has done all the 'real' requirements already, and she just basically needs to be active in the group for the next 4 years. We discussed that my son would like to finish the Chief Scout award on the old program. It would be a bit of a stretch, but possible, especially if they let him have 1.5 years. Not sure if the leader agrees to this or not.

 

The other thing though has recently been badges. In Canada, the leaders do all the 'testing'. As mentioned, my kids work hard to earn badges. Last spring, he earned a badge near the end of the year that is a part of the Pathfinder Award. He was tested and found to have completed it (and it was married as such online), but he didn't have the badge box with him. A week or two later at the cub meeting the scout leader was there with the badge box. My son asked if he could get that badge and the leader schools him and told him not to buy about it. (I was there, so I did hear it). The rest of the year was in various activities and he didn't get the badge given to him. The kids did summer camp and got a couple more badges marked as complete.

 

2 weeks ago was a meeting at the regular meeting place and my daughter took her stamp collection to try for her collectors badge. I started at the meeting because of the collection. I mentioned the badge that my son has earned 6 months earlier and never received. He checked the online record, saw it marked as earned but not awarded, and so it was presented that night. (Along with another scout that also had it marked as earned). I didn't mention the badges earned over summer, as I assumed they hadn't given them out to anyone yet.

 

So forward to this last week. It was on the schedule as a planning and reviewing meeting. I assumed it would be a good night for badge testing (review what was done over the last 3 months) and thought there was a chance they might pass out the equivalent badges for the new program for those supposedly on it... but wasn't worried it they didn't as I know they bought the start-up badge kit for groups, but may not have enough for everyone. The kids went with a couple of things to test.... My son says he went to ask about badge testing and was told to stop bugging him!?!

 

There have been a few times that I think they dismiss my son. For instance, my son suggested doing "pumpkin chunking" at the camp last weekend and was dismissed by the leaders over cost. (Caterpulting pumpkins) I'm thinking what cost? They have the ropes and spars. Pumpkins are cheap right after Halloween, or ask people to bring their jack-o'-lanterns. If they did it as patrols, they could have made do with 1 per patrol... So 3 total. Most of the camp time was to be determined by the youth. I just don't get it.

 

So, what do I do?

 

(This group has a policy that everyone can participate no matter the financial position of the family. Scouts Canada registration is $200, and none of that goes to the group. Camp fees and activity fees... Families that need help are helped without being made to feel bad about it. And it is one of the highly regarded groups in the city in the scouting community. Changing groups is not an option)

[scoutingmom]

Lone scouts would still cost $200 a year for nothing but the ability to use the program. My db and I can no longer physically camp, so there is no way for him to work on the badges. And 15 years ago when my step-daughter was a lone scout, getting her registered was very difficult as they had no clue how to do it as she was the only one in the province.

 

Badges are tested and signed off by the leaders. There are no badge councillors like in BSA. And yes, the patrol system is not working like it should in this group, as is the case of 99% of the groups in Canada from my experience. That is something the new program is supposed to be fixing but I have my doubts that it will. Scouts Canada has not had a Senior Patrol Leader position in scouting for ages. In the new program there is one (called the Troop Leader) so the Troop Leader is new and everyone is still working out his role. Unfortunately my son has also been traded and exclude at times by the youth. Something we informed the leaders of and they have seemed to dealt with that. But even if that were not the case, I have a hard time seeing a scout deal with this with the main leader that most of the scouts pretty much idolize including my son.

 

I am thinking that I may have to simply attend meetings for at least a while to see what is up. It just seems like the fact that my kids work on scouts on their own time has become an annoyance of something.

 

 

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