BSA News {News for Scouts}

I've been highlighting some of the changes that the Scouting has gone through in it's 97 years in the United States. There are some things that were so fundamental about Baden Powell's vision that they exists today with only minor adjustements made to accomodate Scouting's growth. The Scout Oath was a promise that a young man would need to make before becoming a Scout. He made a promise to serve his country and religion, to serve the people around him, and to serve Scouting by following the Scout Law. In short, the Scout is making a promise to be a better person and to make a positive impact on those around him.

When we first join Scouting (at age 11 or 12), it can be difficult to imagine the importance of the promise that we are making. We commit the words to memory in order to earn our first rank without fully understanding the commitment. It is up to our leaders to guide us as we progress and mature into a life focused on the Scout Oath and to instill in us the ideals and values necessary to uphold our commitment.

As leaders, it is our responsibilty to realize that we make the same commitment each week when we recite the Scout Oath. We should fully understand the meaning of the words that we are reciting and we should understand that we are making a promise and how important it is to keep a promise. Scouts are constantly monitoring our actions to serve as an example for their development, we must ensure that we are observing our actions as closely as they are. When you react with anger, lie, or take advantage of someone, are you living up to the Scout Oath? As leaders we need to take careful consideration of every action we make and ensure that it is inline with the Scout Oath. For every lesson that we share with our Scouts, we must ensure that we relate it back to the Scout Oath so that they can fully understand their commitment. It is up to us as leaders to make Scouts understand the importance of that promise.

There is a fantastic piece of writing called On my honor by Dan Sernoffsky that is a must read for anyone involved in Scouting. Too many times we take for granted and don't understand the true meaning of the words we speak. Take a moment to read Dan's piece and reflect on what the Scout Oath means to you.

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty To God and my country
To obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.