March 2008 Cub Scout Roundtable Issue
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Volume 14, Issue 8
April 2008 Theme |
Theme: Abracadabra
Webelos:
Sportsman & Family Member
Tiger Cub Activities
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THOUGHTFUL ITEMS FOR SCOUTERS
Thanks to Scouter Jim from Bountiful, Utah, who prepares this section of Baloo for us each month. You can reach him at bobwhitejonz@juno.com or through the link to write Baloo on www.usscouts.org. CD
Roundtable Prayer
CS Roundtable Planning Guide
We ask that you help us appreciate the magic creature known as a boy. Guide our hearts and hands as we work with him on his journey though Scouting so that he may have a magical experience. AMEN
The Magic of Making Men from Boys
Scouter Jim, Bountiful, Utah
The 2008 Rose Bowl Parade featured Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts carrying the first banner and 103 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts leading the parade just behind the Marine mounted Color Guard carrying the flags of all fifty United States and 53 other countries.
When we celebrated Cub Scouting’s 75th Birthday, we saw a list of famous Scouts. We looked at them again last August, and will visit them again in February 2010, when BSA celebrates 100 years. What we forget is that these great men did not just happen, they had help to become great men.
In an article published in the August 29, 2004, in the Parade magazine, by Jeffrey Marx, titled, He Turns Boys Into Men ,Marx writes about Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL football star who was then working with boys. Quoting from the article:
“What is our job as coaches?” Ehrmann asks.
“To love us!” the Gilman boys yell back in unison.
“What is your job?” Ehrmann shouts back.
“To love each other!” the boys respond.
The words are spoken with the commitment of an oath, the enthusiasm of a pep rally.
We can easily substitute Scout Leaders for coaches in the above statement.
The Boy Scouts of America has both a Mission and a Vision Statement. They are as follows:
Mission Statement: The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Vision Statement: The Boy Scouts of America will prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law.
The following is also from the BSA Website:
Delivering the Promise:
The Boy Scouts of America and America's Promise
"The Little Red Wagon. A symbol of childhood. It could be filled with a child's hopes and dreams or weighed down with their burdens. Millions of American children need our help to pull that wagon along. Let's all pull together."
—General Colin L. Powell, U.S. Army (Ret.), Chairman, America's Promise
America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth, led by General Colin Powell, is dedicated to mobilizing the nation's groups and organizations and building and strengthening the character and competence of our youth.
At the heart of America's Promise is a set of five basic promises made to every child in America. To point them in the right direction and to help them grow up strong and ready to take their place as successful adults, these five promises must be fulfilled:
- An ongoing relationship with a caring adult—parent, mentor, tutor, or coach
- A safe place to be with structured activities during non-school hours
- A healthy start
- A marketable skill through effective education
- An opportunity to give back through community service
Cub Scouting has a purpose statement. For those who have not read or heard it, it is as follows:
The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. It is a year-round family program designed for boys who are in the first grade through fifth grade (or 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting.
The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:
- Character Development
- Spiritual Growth
- Good Citizenship
- Sportsmanship and Fitness
- Family Understanding
- Respectful Relationships
- Personal Achievement
- Friendly Service
- Fun and Adventure
- Preparation for Boy Scouts
With these ideas in mind, as leaders, as Joe Ehrmann said, our job is to “Love our boys!” If we have the training, testimony of the program and allow ourselves the time to gain the tenure, we can fulfill the mission and vision of the Boy Scouts of America, and the purposes of Cub Scouting. Sometimes we might find it difficult to love our young charges when they do things, we know, that they know are wrong. There-in lies the magic of the program we are involved in. With the training and tools of Cub Scouting and with enough love in our hears, we will be part of a list of great men, who had Scout leaders that loved them in the future. As Joe Ehrman said, our job is to “Love our boys!”
What the vast majority of American children need is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.
Ann Landers
Quotations
Quotations contain the wisdom of the ages, and are a great source of inspiration for Cubmaster’s minutes, material for an advancement ceremony or an insightful addition to a Pack Meeting program cover
“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. Roald Dahl
Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business. Tom Robbins
“Using words to describe magic is like using a screwdriver to cut roast beef.” – Tom Robbins
There’s a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out. Lou Reed
There is a lot of comedy in magic, and magic going wrong, and also it is a dramatic subject. J K Rowling
Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.
W Clement Stone
My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most – driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician’s kit. Fernando Alons
If we are to have magical bodies, we must have magical minds. Dr Wayne Dyer
It’s only in innocence you find any kind of magic, any kind of courage. Sean Penn
Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C Clarke
The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. Eden Phillpotts
The real secret of magic lies in the performance. David Copperfield
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