How can we make people of all faiths comfortable in Scouting?

At my first Cub Scout roundup for Pack 704, there was one father and son who waited until the end, and wanted to know if it was OK to join the pack, because they were Muslim. I hate to think that people of other faiths felt so out of place they felt the need to ask permission before joining us. 

I know, and you know that the BSA welcomes all faiths, but how good of a job are we doing as scouters displaying that message? Let's face it, the Scouting community is largely populated by Christians, probably more heavily than the general US population. 

If you look at the list of Chartered Organizations for the BSA, You will see a trend... From Largest to Smallest, it goes LDS (Mormon), Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal.... You have to get down to # 16 on the list before you see a non-Christian faith.

The problem isn't that so many Christians are involved in Scouting. That's a great thing, and I wish there were more churches involved in Scouting. The problem is that to many non-Christians, they do not feel comfortable in Scouting.

 

What are some ways that we can reach out and demonstrate to the community that we are open to all faiths?  

Jewish Religious Emblems

The National Jewish Committee on Scouting sponsors 4 youth awards, and 1 adult award. More information on each of these can be found at their website.

Maccabee Award - Tiger Cubs

Aleph Award - For Cub Scouts and Webelos

Ner Tamid for Boy Scouts and Venturers

Etz Chaim - For Older Boy Scouts and Venturers (14+)

Shofar - For Adult Leaders

If you have been around Scouting very long, you have probably heard the term: "Chartered Org Rep" or "COR". This person is supposed to be the main contact person for scouting within the chartering Organization. They would work with Packs, Troops or Crews.

First, let me give you the Official BSA version of what this position is about, then I'll make some observations.

Chartered Organization Representative

The chartered organization representative is the direct contact between the pack and the chartered organization. This individual is also the organization's contact with the district committee and the local council. The chartered organization representative may become a member of the district committee and is a voting member of the council. If the chartered organization has more than one unit, one representative serves them all.

Qualifications: Is at least 21 years old, subscribes to the Declaration of Religious Principle, and agrees to abide by the Scout Oath or Promise and the Scout Law. Possesses the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. Is a member of the chartered organization other than the unit leader or assistant unit leader. Is appointed by the chartered organization to serve as its official Scouting representative and is registered as an adult leader of the BSA.

Responsibilities: The chartered organization representative's responsibilities are to

• Help select the right leadership for the unit.
• Encourage unit leaders and committee members to take training.
• Promote well-planned unit programs.
• Serve as a liaison between the units and the organization.
• Organize enough units.
• Promote the recruiting of new members.
• See that boys transition from unit to unit.
• Help with the charter renewal.
• Suggest Good Turns for the organization.
• Encourage the unit committee to hold meetings.
• Cultivate organization leaders.
• Encourage outdoor program activities.
• Emphasize advancement and recognition.
• Utilize district help and promote the use of district personnel and materials.
• Use approved unit finance policies.
• Encourage recognition of leaders.
• Cultivate resources to support the organization.
• Represent the organization at the council level.

As with many BSA positions and responsibilities, It doesn't always match what what happens in the real world. Many units have no Chartered Org Rep, or  have one on paper only because it is required for rechartering.

Even among those few Chartered Org Reps who are involved with their units, I know of none other than myself who are active within District or Council Committees.

The Biggest role that I see for a COR is to be a link between the Church and the Scouts. That means helping the scouts find service projects to benefit the church, and finding volunteers within the church to work with the scouts. Someone has to be up there with a bullhorn on Sunday Mornings, trumpeting the good stuff the scouts are doing... And also, making the families in the scout unit know that they are welcome to come to any of the church's non-scouting events.

One other Note: the Chartered Org Rep is one of the few positions that can legitimately be dual registered in a unit. They can simultaneously be a Committee Chair, or Committee Member, while being the Chartered Org Rep.

Scheduling and Worship Services

Quite frequently, Sunday Morning on a camping trip is a race to get everything packed up and ready to go as fast as humanly possible. By then, most of us are working on their third day since a shower, and are ready to get home ASAP.

I know for my most recent Pack Camping trip, this was the case, and it was also the case in the Webelos Resident Camp I attended with my Son. They wanted us out ASAP so that they could get the troops in campsites for the first week of Boy Scout Camp.

In both cases, the decision was made to still have a scouts own service of some kind, but in both cases, it was moved to Saturday Night before the campfire.

How does your Pack or Troop handle this sort of thing?

Brave

The 10th point of the scout law: A Scout is Brave.

A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him.

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Bravery is not merely the ability to be calm in the face of danger, it is also the ability to stand fast in your beliefs when the world around you treats them with mockery and scorn. Your scouts will face this attack on their bravery many more times in their life than they might from a physical threat.

(P.S. Sorry, this post was supposed to go out on Sunday, with the rest of my Scout Law Series.)

What to do when Scouts Curse?

One thing that Scout leaders may need to deal with is scouts using inappropriate language. What are some good ways to deal with that?

Bryan on Scouting has some great tips, including the following.

• “I simply say ‘Different Word.’ I can’t remember a time when the Scout didn’t stop and correct himself. It must be working because I was having an issue backing up the Scout trailer one trip and slipped with a ‘Da**.’ I heard three Scouts, in unision, from the back of the truck say ‘Different Word.‘”
• “There is a code of ethics that the Scout reads and signs before they join the troop. Foul language is in the code of ethics. There is a three-strikes-you’re-out rule. So far this really hasn’t been an issue.”

Scouting Magazine also recommended some other techniques.

•  Consistency through example and explanation has been helpful in our unit. Over the years, our adult Scouters have worked hard to set the example in both language and action. This has filtered into the actions of our junior leaders and the troop as a whole. When a young Scout uses inappropriate language, we’ll quickly remind him that “with more than 250,000 words in the English language” he can find a more appropriate way to express himself. 
•  I have sat down with a child, one on one, and handed him a notebook. I explain that neither of us will get up from the table until he writes a three-paragraph essay in which he defines the offensive word he used, explains what he believes others hearing his language think and feel about what he said, and describes how he believes his parent or guardian would react to hearing the offensive language from him. I don’t usually have to do this with a child more than once.

 What techniques have you run across that work well for you?

Interfaith Calendar

One of the Things that my Cub Scout Pack does every year is to plan out our calendar of events, in an annual planning calendar.

We go and get a copy of the local School System's calendar, community calendars, for us the Schedule of Nascar Races at the local speedway is important, because so many families have jobs either in the racing or hospitality industry that will be impacted on those weekends.

If your scout group encompasses people of several faiths, when you plan these things out, be sure to check for major religious events among those various faiths when planning.

One resource I found was the Interfaith Calendar which has religious observances from multiple faiths around the world. It's a great starting point, and note that the items in Bold type are generally the most important dates, although even minor ones may be mentioned.