From: stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: Re: Definition of "Scouting Spirit"
Keywords: Scouting Spirit Scoutmaster Conference
Date: 29 Aug 92 17:00:17 GMT
Organization: Summit NJ

>During our troop adult leader meeting, we reviewed this issue and 
>established some concrete criteria. We set:

>1) Attend at least 50% of the regular meetings
>2) Attend at least 50% of the troop outings
>3) Display a positive attitude toward others
>4) Boys holding leadership positions should be fulfilling their duties
>5) Participate in a t lest one service project per year
>6) Pay their dues

>1-3 are expected from all, 2 or more from 4-6 are expected.

>There is some flex in this list, but I am expected to not drift far from 
>this list when I approve "Scouting Spirit".

>I wonder what other units are doing on this? I want to make Scout rank a
>credible achievement. At the same time, I dont want my unit to be 
>significantly harder than other BSA units.

We don't have ours codified as much as this, but it's basically the
same.  As far as #4 in your list, there is a separate leadership
requirement for Star, Life, and Eagle, so it's outside of the
Scout Spirit requirement.  In place of your #5, our Troop works
at a local recycling center 3 or 4 Saturday's a year (and it's our
big fundraiser), and 75% attendance is required.

One thing we have extra on our list is that boys accept responsibility
for and carry out one-shot type assignments (which are as varied as
organizing or participating in the opening flag ceremony to being
in charge of our work at the recycling center).

Where we have major problems with 1, 2, or our 5 equivalent (and the
original Scoutmaster from 30 to 7 years ago had it as 75% attendance)
is that the boys do have other activities, and the issue really is
whether they should be required to choose between them and Scouting,
which is what the 75% rule effectively did.  Let's face it, a boy
on the high school football team is going to miss our September,
October, and November campouts, and probably many of our weekly
meetings (the team practices until 5:45pm 5 days a week); if we
tell him he's not showing Scout Spirit because we never see him,
you know what the parent's answer is, "Does that mean that boys in
the Troop are penalized for being on the football team?:  

It gets worse with leadership positions.  There are some boys who do
not have a four or six month period where there are no other other
activities.   We can't make such a boy a Patrol Leader, Troop Guide,
or Quartermaster because he may be able to come to only one or two
campouts before the next season.  He also wouldn't be able to serve
as a Den Chief because he wouldn't be able to attend all the Cub
Scout meetings for any length of time.  Yet on the other hand,
Sports is a positive experience for the boys, so we can't penalize
them or bury our heads in the sand (i.e., copping out with a "but
you're never around; how do you expect to advance if we don't see
you?").

I have no answers, only more questions.
-- 
Stan Krieger                     All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even
AT&T UNIX System Laboratories    if related to my employment, are my own.
Summit, NJ
smk@usl.com
Newsgroups: rec.scouting,soc.motss