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

“God, guide us during this meeting to see things with the eyes of a child.  Grant that we may use our newfound knowledge to help our children grow and become the best they can be. Amen

Scouter Jim

 “God lead us forward into the future, as we lead our boys and build the foundations of Character in their lives., Help us help you build  the men and women of tomorrow from the youth of today.  Let us be an example and a light to these youth in our deeds, our works, and our lives. Amen”

Sam Houston Area Council

Please watch over us and give us Your wisdom. Help us to grow into the best adults we can be. Amen.

Oregon Trail Council

Dear God, help us to learn how to develop our skills and abilities to make our world a better place for everyone. Thank you for the blessings of freedom to choose our own path that you have bestowed upon us. Amen.

The Greatest Generation
Scouter Jim, Bountiful UT

I asked a Scout Leader Friend of mine, what she wanted to be when she grew up.  (She is getting a lot of experience at being nine-years-old, more than forty years worth).

“Do I have to?” was her reply. 

When we were young there were things we wanted to become and many people have reached their goals, but some have not.  Many have ended up someplace else just a wonderful they could only dream of as youth. 

Today we have President, Barack Obama, who is breaking new ground and showing young men and young women as whole new vision of what is possible when they “grow up.”  Much will be written on the subject, I will not do that here.

Tom Brokoff has written about the men and women who lived through the depression and fought World War II as “the greatest generation.”  I think the boys and girls living through these times and learning to meet the challenges of a new century may turn out to be the next Greatest Generation.  I read the other day of a girl who set a goal to raise enough money needed to build a school in an underprivileged country.  It took her two years, but she raised twenty-five thousand dollars, and I believe she was twelve when she finished.  Where do children like that come from, and how as Cub Scout leaders do we build men of boys that will do the great things that will be needed  in Scouting’s Second Century. 

During my youth, I watched my father build houses.  I knew what footings and foundations were.  I learned the importance of a good solid foundation.  Quoting from the Bible:

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (New Testament | Matthew 7:24 – 27, King James Version)

What is the solid foundation that the Boy Scouts of American and Cub Scout Leaders offer Cub Scouts?  What foundation can we give our Cub Scouts to weather the 9-11s that will come in their time?  How do we make out of them, “the Greatest Generation.”

What will prepare Cub Scouts for the storms of life that will come as they “grow up” is “Character.”    Cub Scouting teaches Character Connections; the 12 Core Values of Cub Scouting.  Through the use of these Core principals, Cub Scouts will become the men of the future that future generation will thank us for the effort we gave to help make boys better men, “When they grow up.” 

Every Activity we have as packs and dens, we need to ask ourselves, “Which of the 12 Core Values does this activity teach or support.  I not suggesting that we take all the fun out of Scouting, just remember that “Scouting is fun with a purpose.”  We also need to live those core values in our own lives as we work, teach and play. 

Let us go and “Rock” our Cub Scout’s Future with the 12 Core Values of Cub Scouting!

Cub Scouts 12 Core Values

Since its origin, the Scouting program has been an educational experience concerned with values. In 1910, the first activities for Scouts were designed to build character, physical fitness, practical skills, and service. These elements were part of the original Cub Scout program and continue to be part of Cub Scouting today

Character development should extend into every aspect of a boy's life. Character development should also extend into every aspect of Cub Scouting. Cub Scout leaders should strive to use Cub Scouting's 12 core values throughout all elements of the program—service projects, ceremonies, games, skits, songs, crafts, and all the other activities enjoyed at den and pack meetings

1.     Citizenship: Contributing service and showing responsibility to local, state, and national communities.

2.     Compassion: Being kind and considerate, and showing concern for the well-being of others.

3.     Cooperation: Being helpful and working together with others toward a common goal

4.     Courage: Being brave and doing what is right regardless of our fears, the difficulties, or the consequences.

5.     Faith: Having inner strength and confidence based on our trust in God.

6.     Health and Fitness: Being personally committed to keeping our minds and bodies clean and fit.

7.     Honesty: Telling the truth and being worthy of trust.

8.     Perseverance: Sticking with something and not giving up, even if it is difficult.

9.     Positive Attitude: Being cheerful and setting our minds to look for and find the best in all situations.

10.   Resourcefulness: Using human and other resources to their fullest.

11.   Respect: Showing regard for the worth of something or someone.

12.   Responsibility: Fulfilling our duty to God, country, other people, and ourselves.

Character can be defined as the collection of core values possessed by an individual that leads to moral commitment and action.

Character development should challenge Cub Scouts to experience core values in six general areas: God, world, country, community, family, and self.

Character is "values in action."

http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/resources/Character%20Development.aspx

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

An individual step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.  Robert Baden-Powell

Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment. Robert Baden-Powell

Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.
Confucius

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Forming characters! Whose? Our own or others? Both. And in that momentous fact lies the peril and responsibility of our existence. Elihu Burritt

Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open. Elmer G. Letterman

In attempts to improve your character, know what is in your power and what is beyond it. Francis Thompson

Our character...is an omen of our destiny, and the more integrity we have and keep, the simpler and nobler that destiny is likely to be. George Santayana

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.  Helen Keller

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.  James A. Froude 

Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self respect springs.
Joan Didion  

Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sam Houston Area Council

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. Abraham Lincoln

When you refuse to set boundaries to what is achievable, you can inspire others to believe that they, too, can make things happen. Innerspace

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. Og Mandino

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. Alexander Graham Bell

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in our sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

Stay the course, light a star.
Change the world where'er you are. Richard Le Gallienne

If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. Abigail Van Buren

Unless you try to do something beyond what you’ve already mastered, you will never grow. Ronald E. Osborn