97th. Anniversary of BSA - February 8, 2007

Next week on February 8, 2007, ninety seven years will have past since William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. This happened after an especially foggy day in London Town gave an unknown Boy Scout reason to "Do A Good Turn" and lead Mr. Boyce to his destination. Our world has changed much since 1910. We now have "things" and done things that could not even be imagined in 1910. Hey, we even put an Eagle Scout on the moon, Neil Armstrong! It would be intriguing to do a comparison of 1910 and 2010 to emphasize how much "things" have changed in 100 years. Very quickly we can make a comparison of the fundamental ideals behind Scouting in 1910 and today, the Scout Oath and Scout Law, for they have not changed. The first edition of the "Handbook For Boys" published in 1911 has the same Scout Oath and the same Scout Law our Boy Scouts recite today.

In a few more years we will celebrate the centennial of the BSA, 2010. Right here, right now in Scouting 2007 is a centennial celebration of a very important event in the World Scouting Movement, the first Scouting camp. This took place on a little island off the coast of England, Brown Sea Island. It was on this island that Lord Baden-Powell camped with his brothers as a boy and then many years later he returned to conduct his first experimental Scouting camp. Although the boys who camped with Lord Baden-Powell at Brown Sea Island that week were not officially "Boy Scouts" for the officially Boy Scout organization had not yet been created, these boys were in fact the real beginning of "Scouting for Boys."

Some years ago (mid-1980's) a documentary film was produced in Canada titled, "Scouts: Rise of the World Scout Movement." The "Scouts!" graphic above is from that film. I bought the VHS tape of the documentary film and found some great stories of the early days of the Scouting movement. The film is no longer available and this I find a great frustration as we approach these centennial celebrations for you should all be able to watch this film. For many years I showed this film during the opening periods of training events, during meal times, district dinners or just about any opportunity I could. There was always great interest in the film for the material is very entertaining for those involved in Scouting. Being able to see video of Lord Baden-Powell reciting the Scout Oath to a crowd of Scouts during a jamboree changes your feeling about the Scout Oath. In the film Baden-Powell is standing on an elevated platform, so all could see him, in his quintessential British voice Baden-Powell said, "On my honor, (Your honor mind you.) I will do my best . . ." As I listened to the words, "Your honor mind you." that little personal comment by B-P struck me as true evidence of his deep personal belief in the truth of the Scout Oath. That comment changed my understanding of the Scout Oath. The Scouts in the audience erupted into grand and jubilant applause when he finished the Oath, with Scout hats flying and Scout staves being thrust into the air.

During the film they also interview boys who attended the very first week of Scout camping on Brown Sea Island in August of 1907. By the time the interview were made these boys were now men in there 70 or 80's. Their stories with clarity and conviction with a dose of humor often folded in. One story is told of how this boy was given the task of making biscuits "Scout style" for his patrol, I still do not know what this “Scout style” method of making biscuits is. He describes mixing the dough for the biscuits on the back of his coat, which was laid on the sand. (being on an island, sand was abundant.) The man explains that as he tried to mix the dough sand fleas kept jumping into the mixture. Not knowing what to do about the fleas, he continued mixing them into the dough for the biscuits. Then he states that the boys in the patrol thought the biscuit were very good. After which he ads, “I didn't eat any, would you?” I still laugh when I think about this clip of video.

Time has a way of continuing to move forward and all those who lived the experiences of those very early days of Scouting are gone now. But there are a few left who still have very real personal memories of days gone by in Scouting, that link today with the past. Here in Santa Maria, CA lives such a man, David Godrich. As a boy living in England, David had the honor of meeting Lord Baden-Powell. This took place a short time before Baden-Powell retired and moved to Kenya, Africa where he lived out his remaining days. When I asked David about shaking the hand of the Father of Scouting his reply was, “He was a little man and very old.” An amusing response from a man fast approaching 80 himself. As we parted company we shook hands.

So, I can say that I have shaken the hand of a man who shook the hand of Lord Baden-Powell! Not many these days would care about such an event, but I do. It helps me remember our past. Only by looking back at what has changed over the past 100 years can we really appreciate the true value of what has endured within Scouting. Lord Baden-Powell was the architect of that which has endured, he is worth remembering. —Rick

Letters from the Field**

Hi Everybody,

This is a story that must be told. I am so proud that if I don't share it, I am going to bust a seam.

My step-son, Jeremy*, is an Eagle Scout, a Brotherhood member of the OA, a Sergeant in the Army Reserves and serving on his second tour of duty in Iraq. A few days ago, the compound where he works came under attack from mortar fire. A round landed in the compound and a soldier was severely injured by flying shrapnel. Jeremy saw what had happened, ran to his duty section, grabbed his combat first responder bag and went to the soldier's side to render first aid. By the time the medics arrived on the scene to take over, Jeremy had stopped the bleeding, started an IV and was treating the soldier for shock. The medics were amazed, as was his First Sergeant. Jeremy told his mom and I on the phone this evening, that he has never in his life been so happy to have had Boy Scout First Aid training. He says the BSA training gave him the impetus to do something and the Army First Responder Training gave him the tools to do something with.

Color me with a wide, proud crayon. Wow! Talk about a mom's, a dad's and a Scoutmaster's paycheck!

Paul Edwards
Chapter Adviser
District Trainer
Retired Scoutmaster

*Jeremy Carlile is a former member of Troop 453 in Kent and a former member of the Sea Scout Ship Challenger in Bellevue in the Chief Seattle Council.

** This story came from the TOTEM E-Newsletter February 2007 Chief Seattle Council, Boy Scouts of America www.seattlebsa.org. Reminds me of how proud I felt when my son, Peyton went to Afghanistan and fought the Taliban after 9/11. Go Army!—Rick

Leadership Skill — SMART Goals

Everyone wants to be smart - so why not start with SMART Goals? This skill of leadership is enhanced by the Five-Letter-Acronym (F.L.A.) of SMART which helps us keep our goal setting efforts in focus.

Specific — A goal needs to be sufficiently specific, clear and understandable so everyone involved can understand.
Measurable — You need a way to measure your goal so that you know when you have completed it.
Attainable — Everyone involved in completing a goal must accept the goal as something he wants to do.
Relevant — Goals must be realistic and attainable.
Timely — Completing goals needs to happen within a certain amount of time.

SMART is just a mnemonic device or code to help us remember the important elements included in good goals. Goals are the small steps we take to make our vision a success. When we include all the SMART components into a goal it increases our chances of actually being able to complete the goal. Some goals are short in duration and easy so they can be accomplished without a huge amount of organization and formal planning. Other goals are much bigger and take a lot of time thus they benefit from a more deliberate and formal structure to ensure successful completion.

If we looked at the vision of sending a man to the moon and bringing him back safely that President Kennedy developed for our nation back in the 1960's, we see three major goals developed in that vision. The Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions were each SMART goals that were instrumental in leading us to success. Each mission had specific goals that were necessary to complete and provided the groundwork for the next mission or goal. We did not just put a man into a rocket and shoot him to the moon. There was much to be learned about space travel in order to send a man on the moon and bring him home safely. Mercury, Gemini and Apollo were the SMART goals that gave us the knowledge we needed. Goals break the BIG vision down into smaller more manageable steps that let us climb the ladder of success.

But some times as you climb your ladders of success you slip and fall. Having SMART Goals does not guarantee success unfortunately. However they do increase the probability that success will be found. Goals can also evolve or change as you journey towards completion. Giving our leaders effective tools to increase their developing a habit of success, is a big part of what Tres Robles, N.Y.L.T. hopes to accomplish. But no matter what tools we use it is very possible that you just cannot successfully complete the goal as you had hoped. The goal may need to evolve and be modified along the journey based on new facts that you learn on the journey.

The story "The Three Princes of Serendip" which is derived, I am told, from an ancient fairy tale offers another way goals can change. There a number of translations of this fairy tale but they all include the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. What if you are attempting to complete a goal and in the process you become aware of something of greater value than your original goal. Could the serendipity of discovery alter or change your original goal? I hope so.

Goals are easier for our culture to warm up to than visions of success. From childhood we are taught about the importance of setting goals. Having the guidance of making our goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely is another more detailed way of emphasizing their importance as we complete our vision of success. But in many ways vision and goals are very closely related and intertwined as we journey towards our ultimate success as leaders. From our vision of success we develop our SMART Goals. To complete our goals we need some serious effective planning, that will be the topic for next week- Planning Tools. —Rick

BE - KNOW - DO of leadership

"If you can see it, you can be it!"

Access additional information about the 2007 Tres Robles, NYLT - [ HERE ]

"To stop gangs, call the Scouts"

Heather McDonald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, recently published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times challenging the city's anti-gang program. Her solution:

The understandable desire to eliminate the root causes of gang violence will remain, however, no matter how unpromising the record of government-led social uplift. The police cannot do it alone. If there is to be a bureaucratic effort to bring about social change, at least aim it at the right goal: changing the values that give rise to gang violence. An all-out campaign to restore the norm of marriage to inner-city communities, if successful, would be the most powerful antidote to gang culture. (A healthy realism must acknowledge, however, that such a goal may prove as elusive to policymakers as ending underclass poverty.)

The city should encourage philanthropic institutions that make the cultivation of positive values their core mission. A brigade of Boy Scout troops throughout Boyle Heights and Watts would do more to teach boys the importance of persistence, hard work and respect for authority than 1,000 social service and gang-intervention workers ever could. By giving youth a positive moral code, the Scouts and similar civic groups can reclaim lives and replace gang culture with true achievement.

The above article was acquired from the [ http://www.bsalegal.org/ ] web site. An interesting article for a major metropolitan newspaper. —Rick

Quality Unit Award Changes

New awards can bring new confusions about earning them. Here are some resources to help you understand the new plan. Just remember, the new Centennial Quality Awards program is designed to recognize units, districts, councils, areas, and regions in achieving excellence in providing a quality program to a growing youth population in America at all levels of the Boy Scouts of America. The focus on a quality program is there for a reason, the Boy Scouts of America clearly understands the importance of a quality Scouting program to the long term growth and success of the organization. —Rick

National Commissioner's Podcast on Centennial Quality Awards
Winter, 2006

Don Belcher introduces the concept for this new award program as a part of the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Boy Scouts of America—the perfect scorecard for tracking unit, district, and council delivery of a quality program.

• Download [ comm-0604B.mp3 MP3 - 14.3 MB ]

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The National Web Site now has a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the new awards at:
[ http://www.scouting.org/awards/centennial/faq.html ]

Here are a few key points from the document:

3. When will units be able to qualify to earn the award?

When all requirements are completed beginning no earlier than October 31st, but no later than the end of the year (example, for 2007, you would begin to qualify after October 31st, but no later than December 31, 2007).

7. Does a council/district/unit have to meet all of the new award requirements to earn the new Centennial Quality award?

YES, they do have to qualify for all requirements in order to achieve the award.

11. Have the criteria for Learning for Life districts, councils, Explorer posts and Learning for Life groups changed?

No. They will continue to qualify for the National Distinguished Learning for Life Award for districts and councils. Explorer posts will qualify for the "Exploring Excellence Award" and school-based groups will qualify for the "Learning for Life National Accreditation Award". (22.5% of the time!)

14. How is recruitment of new adults defined?

Commitment and involvement by more registered adults is the overall goal. The training provided to them is critical in engaging them in better support of the program. Each unit should provide an annual orientation for all parents. As a part of the National Parent Initiative, suggested "specific tasks" will be developed to involve more parents and adults in the program. [ http://scoutparents.org/ ]

15. How do units rechartering in December 2006 receive recognition for their accomplishments during their previous recharter year (for example, December 2005 through December 2006)?

Units rechartering in December 2006 may be recognized for what they accomplished the previous twelve months with a special "2007 Quality Unit" recognition emblem. The unit will complete the "Past Charter Year" column only of the "2006 Quality Unit" form and turn in at the time of rechartering. Units may purchase emblems only from the Supply Group beginning in December 2006. There will be no pins, plaques, or unit ribbons. The new emblems can be ordered by using catalog numbers: No. 18014 for "2007 Quality Unit" Emblem and No. 18015 for "2007 100% Boys' Life Quality Unit" Emblem - Both Retail price @ $ .79 each.

In 2007, the new Centennial Quality Unit Award emblems, pins, plaques, and ribbons will be available for all qualifying units.

Special Note: Councils needing additional forms can order them from BIN Resources at the Supply Group or download from BSA Info under the Program Group, then under Leadership Support Service.

The new Centennial Quality Unit Award information can be found at: [ http://www.scouting.org/awards/centennial/index.html ]

Calendar Items

South Coast District's Spring Adult Leader Training Dates - [ flyer ]
South Coast District's New Leader Essentials Training Invitation - [ flyer ]

Weekly Scouting Term

This feature of Rick's News! presents a new Scouting term taken directly from the Language of Scouting web page each week. This information may help upgrade your understanding of Scouting terminology and the Scouting program. If you have a term you would like listed let me know.  [http://www.scouting.org/identity/los/]

ProSpeak
This newsletter for all career men and women in the BSA is distributed monthly from the national office.

Weekly Web Site

Welcome to Parent Hacks

We parents rely on each other for quick, practical advice. Books and magazines are fine, but the real-world perspective of one’s friend, sister, neighbor, or the friend of one’s sister’s neighbor, is often the most helpful.

Parent Hacks is a collaborative weblog that collects parents’ tips, recommendations, workarounds, and bits of wisdom – their hacks – in a single pot so we can all partake. Here’s the stuff that would have been left out of the instruction manual...if there were one. We're not experts in the pediatrician-, psychologist-, or teacher- sense. We’re just out there, raising our kids, finding the little tweaks that make this crazy adventure go a little more smoothly.

Much of what you’ll find here will be of the “it worked for me” variety. Every kid’s different in temperament and constitution; apply the gut test to determine if a hack might work for your family.

[ http://www.parenthacks.com/ ]

Quotable Quotes

Wit — Wordplay — Wisecracks

An elderly man limped into the doctor's office and said, "Doctor, my knee hurts so bad, I can hardly walk!"

The doctor slowly eyed him from head to toe, paused and then said, "Sir, how old are you?" the man proudly admitted, "I'm 98" .

The doctor just sighed, looked at him again and said, "Sir, I'm sorry you're in pain, but let's just look at the facts. You are almost 100 years old, and you're complaining that your knee hurts? Well, really, what did you expect?"

The old man retorted, "Well, my other knee is 98 years old too, and it doesn't hurt!"