SCOUTING IS NOT FOR ALL

I have been a Beaver Scout Leader for nearly forty years. I am sure other Scout leaders can identify with positions I have been in where new Beavers join but leave after a couple of meetings saying that Beavers are rubbish, and they think it’s a waste of space. It should not be a big deal, but I have seen leaders try and persuade the Beaver to stay. They even talk to the Beaver’s parents in the hope that the child will change his or her or their mind. For those that don’t know Beavers are children aged between six and eight years old. Some people say that is my mental age and I thank them for the compliment. Some of the most thought provoking and interesting questions and following discussions have taken place between a Beaver and me!

One of the reasons why I like Beavers Scouts from a leader’s perspective is that no one questions me, a grown man of nearly seventy years young, playing silly games. More than that is I like the imagination of Beavers when we do crafts. No censorship of imaginations, no rule to obey, just think and do. It’s a great pity that this courage of using one’s imagination gets kicked out and brains get dumbed (and numbed) beyond repair. When we ask Beavers to write its not about the spelling or the grammar. Its all about getting ideas don and expressing in an honest way.

During a recent discussion on death, (one of the Beavers grandparents had died), a Beaver looked me straight in the eye and said that babies die so its not always old people. So wise I thought those words were yet so simple.

During my Beaver Scout time I have balanced this “hobby” with my glass passion and made many Scouty glass sculptures. The logo of the Scout Association used to be the fleur-de-lisle but that has now changed. Making a glass representation of the Fleur-de-lisle was straight forward but the new design is boring from an artistic view.

Of course, I have made glass beavers and Beavers. The first is the animal whereas the second isn’t. I have made Cubs and Scouts, sculptures of Baden Powell who founded Scouts and various Scout emblems. I have made a complete glass model of a campsite complete with a tent and campfire. For training achievements, I made many, many logs and axes which is the symbol for the wood badge. Making Beavers is the easiest and must have completed nearly a thousand now.

The thing about Scouts are the badges. With competition so fierce on capturing children’s time and efforts then gaining badges makes the Scouts a little different from say a youth club or a sports team. I have even made glass Scout Badges before now and for whatever reason I have sealed various badges in glass tubes so one can’t get them out. That’s not true as you can smash the glass open by hitting it with a hammer. The badge always remains intact if not your hand!

Scouting is not for all, and it should be no big deal. When I was a teenager, I hated Scouts and couldn’t wait to leave. Didn’t affect me and now look at where I am today!!!!!!!