Scouts & the "Cool" issue

[robp1970]

I was chatting with our Scout leader the other day & he mentioned that he thought a few of the Scouts are thinking of leaving because they don't perceive Scout as a cool thing to do - even though they say they enjoy the activities.
My eldest son (12) is in the Scout troop & although he hasn't yet voiced this opinion, but I know of at least one of his friends who has. This wasn't helped when the troop were out on an activity last week & were shouted at by a few "yobs" taking the mickey out of Scouting.
Our Scout leader says he find the age range sometime presents him with problems - he has new Scouts up from our Cub pack at 10.5 & they all thoroughly enjoy Scouts - But it seem once they get to about 13 the cool issue amongst other things seems to be putting them off...
Has anyone else experienced this & give us any ideas / suggestions as how we could get round this problem?

[Faulkner]

Hi Rob,

My first thought would be to get yourselves some more explorers or young leaders involved. You don't mention whether you do or do not have any with you at the moment. I know that at my troop, before the age range change (what a phrase!) we used to have the same problem when they got to about 14/14.5. Now that we have a stock of young leaders and "Seniors", the kids see that you can stay involved in scouting up to and beyond the technical leaving age, and you can have a good time and be open about it.

By the way, I'm sorry to hear about your fracas with the yobs. How did you deal with that?

Faulkner

[Mang]

I've experienced the little bedwetters shouting at us, most folk probably have, even my seven year old was told by a class mate that Beavers was rubbish...By a child on the waiting list

The cool issue is such a chestnut isn't it? Child has a great time but leaves because of what others think...Crazy , but that's peer pressure.

I remember seeing an experiment on the TV to prove how peer pressure works. Six kids were asked to take part in a clapping exercise but five were told to always add an extra clap. The lone sucker started adding an extra clap so he fitted in.

When told about it he knew he was right but still capitulated. It would be interesting to know how and why other countries that have cool Scouting manage this (I'm told Holland is one). Also I guess culture plays a part too.

I also blame the media, TV/ 2nd rate comedians to a certain extent too.

[shiftypete]

For some reason some kids would rather spend time hanging around on a street corner bored out of their minds because that is 'cooler' than coming to Scouts an d doing loads of great activities that you'd never get to do else where. I will never understand it.

When I was at School most people knew I was in Scouting as quite a lot of people in my year used to or still did go to our Scouts and I didn't hide the fact. If anyone ever said anything I'd just ask them if the had ever been camping, canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling, raft building, air rifle shooting, archery etc because I had

[Akela Ben]

This has been an issue as long as scouts has been going. You'll always get those ignorant few who know nothing about scouting that take the mickey out of it. And you'll always have the impressionable teenage scout who wants to fit in everywhere. Its all about teaching scouts to look at things from a balanced few point and ask why these people would make fun of them. Its basically ignorance and jealousy. The truth is these people would get a lot out of what scouts do. A friend of mine from years ago used to take the mick out of me and he has since admitted that it was only because he wanted to join but his dad wouldn't let him. It didn't bother me as scouts was great.

[wolfie]

Nightmare isn't it - the Scouts want to keep Scouting but are worried about what their friends will think. Have experienced this with both the Troop and my own son. In the past few years we have gone from 10 Scouts to 30, with a waiting list of over 20… so maybe we’re bucking the trend.

The fact that 32 youngsters (mostly from the secondary school) got 10 days off school before the end of summer term certainly helped!

We try and encourage them that part of growing up is all about learning who they are, and that involves doing things because they want to – rather than worrying about what friends will think. If they really are friends then they wouldn’t be trying to talk you of something like being a Scout! The world would be a very boring place if we were all the same, with the same looks, character and interests – it’s the fact that each one of us is a little bit different in some way that makes the world work.

Quite often we find it’s because the friends are jealous and want to join in but don’t want to admit it, so run a “cool” bring a friend event and see what happens (we did a Gig with a camp that Scouts / Explorers could bring non-Scouting friends to and it worked really well)

We also ask the Scouts to maybe ask their so called “cool” friends to answer any combination of the following, or do a bring a friend night and get YLs to ask them (not always phrased like this or doen as questions but you'll get the drift):

 What is it that’s cool about sitting inside (playing computers games for hours), in a hot, stuffy and often dark room? Isn't that what a mole does???
 What do you learn by hanging around on a street corner chatting to mate’s that will help you get into 6th form / college/ uni / work?
 When you leave home at 18 to go to uni how are you going to make great new friends if all you do is sit in your room playing on a PC? Will you know how to cook and look after yourself, or will you be on the phone to you Mum asking how to cook pasta and if you can take your washing home?
 What do you actually do for other people, and no we don’t mean what your parents ask you to do!

Above all it’s basically about confidence of the young people – giving them the confidence to work out who they are and get on with life accordingly. After all if Scouting is “uncool” there are 28 million other uncool people to have fun with

There is a Jewish saying that says it all really – “If I am like someone else, who will be like me?”

[Chug]

I get annoyed when people use the excuse "there's nothing for young people to do, that's why they hang around on street corners getting into trouble". Bullcrap! there's Scouts, Guides, Woodcraft Folk, St Johns, Red Cross, the Cadet service, Youth clubs, sports clubs, debating societies and amateur dramatic societies. I'm sure there's more that other people can think of. What they lack is any self motivation, they're too ****** apathetic to find anything to do.

[Biscit]

When I was at School most people knew I was in Scouting as quite a lot of people in my year used to or still did go to our Scouts and I didn't hide the fact. If anyone ever said anything I'd just ask them if the had ever been camping, canoeing, rock climbing, abseiling, raft building, air rifle shooting, archery etc because I had

We were more "don't ask don't tell". We wouldn't lie about it, but we wouldn't go out of our way to tell anyone. Until Ventures, when we stoped careing what the "cool" kids thought as most of them were right worthless thickos.

[Keith]

The scouts friends must have a stereotypical tunnel vision view of scouting. Why not do a bring a friend week to show these friends what scouting is really like.

[Penny E]

For some of our Scouts it helps to point out that when they come to fill out that all-important UCAS form the thing that is going to mark them out from the crowd is their outside interests - DofE, Chief Scout's Awards etc. Those who are in year 9/10 are really beginning to wake up to that and are suddenly signing up to be YLs all over the place so that they will have enough stuff to put on the form..

[bobbles_lass]

What they lack is any self motivation, they're too ****** apathetic to find anything to do.

I don't think it's that the kids lack motivation, but because it's not seen as cool, it'd take a lot of confidence to go against the crowd and join something like this, without being brought along by a friend for example. A lot of kids are sheep, stepping over that line to be 'uncool' brings risk of consequences (from petty teasing to outright bullying) and they're all too aware of this.

Although the scout groups are perfectly healthy, our explorer unit is small because so few scouts get past the 13 year old/it's uncool boundary. So although I have no solution, I notice the same problem (also in Guides where it it *very* obvious)

[jshirra]

I get annoyed when people use the excuse "there's nothing for young people to do, that's why they hang around on street corners getting into trouble". Bullcrap! there's Scouts, Guides, Woodcraft Folk, St Johns, Red Cross, the Cadet service, Youth clubs, sports clubs, debating societies and amateur dramatic societies. I'm sure there's more that other people can think of. What they lack is any self motivation, they're too ****** apathetic to find anything to do.

we live in a fairly rural community and the reason that we have so much trouble is that the only way in and out is parents or buses. the buses are very unreliable because they are all run by about 5 companies so no organisation! the parents don't want to have to cart their kids 20 mins to the next 'urban' area so that there is something to do! its a lose lose situation that has resulted in the most extreme case someone getting an ASBO that stated that they couldn't enter the village! (which was quite good on an explorer evening when he returned and about 10 police on foot chased him and they dispatched a helicopter to find him!).

Having said that there are efforts in place to try and get them interested, like scouts guides etc, but the last time they came to an explorer meeting they ended up having the police called on them! idiots!

We were more "don't ask don't tell". We wouldn't lie about it, but we wouldn't go out of our way to tell anyone. Until Ventures, when we stoped careing what the "cool" kids thought as most of them were right worthless thickos.

that sounds about right for me too...but more than not lying about it, i would actually have given the reasons for scouting and why it was stupid to try and take the pee....when they are off doing nothing or worse causing trouble, i would be down having a laugh with my friends and doing something that really was fun!

The cool issue...its probably this country...aren't we the biggest yobs in the world? other countries take scouting at more than a weekly meeting but as a way of life...when was the last time that you where scared to go over the edge of the abseil tower and then quoted the scout laws to convince you that you almost...HAD to do it! that happened to me at the jamboree...Other cultures have it right as a way to help you and to enhance your life, not as a....geeky uncool activity...

[watsit]

we were doing the modue on challenging behaviour and one of he people i was speaking to is the Gand Culture which seems to have crept in which a a raising concerns

his way of dealing will it is trying to install into the older scouts that we are also a gang however the things we do are also fun but are legal my understanding it seems to be working

[big chris]

no. scouts is not cool.

but we do cool stuff. if you aren't doing cool stuff... they will leave.

if you are only doing stuff they can do anywhere else... sort it out.

cool stuff is the sugar coating on the uncoolness of scouts.

[Martyn]

our explorer unit is small because so few scouts get past the 13 year old/it's uncool boundary.

This has been a problem for years until we get real public awareness of what Scouts is it will never go away.

eg Part of the problem is publicity for some bizare reason the Newspapers send a photographer to Remeberance Sunday and take pictures of Scouts Holding flags

but to publish a picture of Scouts doing the adventurous things Scouts do (camping,climbing, caving, trips abroad .......) is nearly impossible

So the image of Scouting that lodges in peoples Brains is not Scouting


Martyn