Last night, my Family was invited to serve the Boy Scouts of America as members on a team to follow-up on scouts who for whatever reason had dropped out of scouting. The BSA has know that the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts represents a steep drop in membership "cross-overs" Those long time readers will know.. My son Josh (GMA#3911) and myself joined BSA while serving as Sr.Cdr. and Sr.Guide of an alive and kicking Royal Ranger Outpost 207 to discover the 'secrets of building patrol's..<G> As such.. We found Royal Rangers did prepare us better for the trail to Tenderfoot Scout than most.. That led to having a unique seat in observing the workings of a effective Scoutmaster as a "Leader" and integrating the positives into our RR outpost. In both programs.. There exist "Lost Boys" who for whatever reason do not continue or care to join in the activities.. BSA has hired paid professionals called "Dist. executives" to work in effect as RR "sectional Commanders" but they must rely and depend on volunteers to run the many activities boards and committees that deliver *Organization into the hands of boys! We met the Scouter Exec. at the offices of Columbia Pacific Council BSA in down town Portland,Oregon and were guided to an area of cubicles with phones and a desk.. (*Telemarketing) They gave us a code to access the interstate phone system and a stack of names on a 'action sheet of questions to jog the memory<G> My job was to just call to ask if our records were accurate, and if there was any further information needed to allow a decision to return to Scouting if that was desired.. (*Wow! Right out of RR Leader service award!) The offices were full of positive posters, art and awards to remind those that work there of the reason for their best ethics and integrity, *I was in Scouter HEAVEN!<G> I began to call... Here's why boys drop out of the Boy Scouts! 1. Disorganization of the unit 2. No effective leadership or vision. 3. No activities 4. broken promises, failed expectations 5. lost interest in scouting 6. personnel conflicts or disputes 7. the futility of trying to belong 8. some.. act of wrongness.. unresolved.. 9. Re-located and never acted to re-join 10.Burn-out Of the 100 calls I made<G> *I discovered many kindred "believers" in the overall usefulness of membership in scouting.. Many "Dad's" were willing to actively participate, but said their Teen sons had "given up"... (*Dreamlike shift to a -=A=- memory of NTC) *Let me tell you.. A "fire" will dim as it consumes the fuel.. To keep a fire going you must "FEED THE FIRE!" (i.e. Cdr.Rich Marriot) Often.. we do have better ways to spend out time on self, social gatherings that require less than what we must give to remain in good faith with Rangers or Scouts.. *But we chose by an act of our will too: FEED THE FIRE! we find some thing.. some intrest or activity to feed fuel to our passion! We do that, and discover a freedom that leads us to a "knowing" that We ourselves need to be close to the fire in others! We embrace each other as friends, with a common link.. and as we give, we grow in wisdom and prosper.. *Are you "LOST?" Have you given up..? Lost the spark? Got a great excuse to quit? Been.. stomped out and dunked in cold water? I'll bet yah.. if we stirred the ash... You'd begin to remember why to came to Royal Rangers<G> I'll bet that once a Ranger *allways an ember remains! -=A=- FCF July 1966 _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
