Second, thank you for sharing that (pathetic) story about the "security" personnel trying to take the Philmont buckles away from your Scouts. (I've been to Philmont and still remember the experience, 49 years later. And I am an Eagle, though I never had an opportunity to do what your group did in their trip to Japan.) I'm glad that a saner head prevailed in that confrontation.
Odds are, that taught your young men something about the institutional stupidity of bureaucrats, and the take-charge common sense that Scouts, and especially Eagles, should display when confronted with a challenge.
Cordially,
Congressman Billybob
Odds are, that taught your young men something about the institutional stupidity of bureaucrats, and the take-charge common sense that Scouts, and especially Eagles, should display when confronted with a challenge.
The Scouts took the airport security situation in stride; after all, they are Eagle Scouts. What they really learned from the trip is that Scouting is a Movement, just like Lord Baden-Powell said.
I firmly believe that ALL Scout leaders should strive to get their Scouts to focus on the Movement beyond their Troop. Have joint campouts with other Troops. Share a summer camp experience with a Troop from another state as part of a joint Troop. Most of all -- take advantage of ANY opportunity for contact with the Scouting programs in the other 140+ countries in the World Organization of Scouting. Host foreign Scouts. Encourage your local Scout Camp to develop a program where a couple of international Scouts serve as staffers each year. Put together exchange trips.
One of my favorite memories of Japan was a scene that could have been written as part of a Hallmark-sponsored TV show. The Scouts spent two and 1/2 days in a youth forum, meeting with Japanese Scouts (male and female) and discussing through interpreters how Scouting could address the problems facing our world in the next century. After about a day and a half, I saw an Eagle Scout from Dallas and a young woman Scout from Japan laughing during a break. She was telling a story using a few English words she knew, along with noises and hand motions. The two of them were obviously bonding. Those of you in Scouting know that U.S. Scout uniforms have Council Shoulder patches that say where a Scout is from, as well as a U.S. flag, on the shoulder of the uniform. Japanese uniforms have the red and white rockers, like the old U.S. community strips, that say the name of the city where the Scout's Troop is located. The Eagle Scout and the Japanese Scout were seated in such a way that, just as I turned to leave, I noticed that I could see the flag on his shoulder and the R/W community strip on her uniform, as the two laughed and smiled. Hers said simply: Hiroshima.
Scouting is a Movement. Scouting is a guide for living life. You deprive young men if you lead them to believe that Scouting is only what happens in their home Troop.
Well, that's my soapbox.