Scout Spirit

[John F.]

The troop I am with requires just the scout shirt as the uniform. The shirt should be clean and will be tuck into the pants durning the meeting. While the scouts are playing a game at the end of the meeting, the shirts can be untuck or taken off. But at the closing of the meeting the shirts are back on and tucked back into the pants. Even a summer camp our uniform is just the shirt. We do have a troop t-shirt we wear during the day at camp, but at retreat it is the scout shirt.

[9009scoutmaster]

I would like for all of my troop member to have full uniforms, but we live in the real world. What do I say as a SM, to parents when they buy green pants for 12 dollars from Walmart because scouts pants are 40 plus dollars. Do I hold it against their son, no the only thing I can do is be glad that at least they have part of the official uniform.

[optimist]

I would like for all of my troop member to have full uniforms, but we live in the real world. What do I say as a SM, to parents when they buy green pants for 12 dollars from Walmart because scouts pants are 40 plus dollars. Do I hold it against their son, no the only thing I can do is be glad that at least they have part of the official uniform.

Kids in all programs have expenses. Sports programs have uniform costs as well as equipment costs that often run into the hundreds of dollars. Band kids regularly pay $300.00 to $1,000.00 or more for instruments. Other programs have their costs as well.

The main difference is most Scouting programs ask the families to bear the brunt of the costs directly while in other programs it may be that some or all of those costs get paid for by the program through their sponsors. Tell your parents if they want the troop program to pay for the uniforms, the troop needs to do the fund raising necessary to pay for it just like every other program does.

Full uniforming is achieveable in any troop - there's always a way.

[9009scoutmaster]

quote]The main difference is most Scouting programs ask the families to bear the brunt of the costs directly while in other programs it may be that some or all of those costs get paid for by the program through their sponsors. Tell your parents if they want the troop program to pay for the uniforms, the troop needs to do the fund raising necessary to pay for it just like every other program does

Good question. As a unit we have had to decide which is more important, Unit equipment won over uniforms. Helping scouts afford to go to summer camp won over Uniforms. Cost of advancement won over uniforms. Every Scout I have in the our unit has been in the troop right at a year or less, oldest in in 6th grade and 12 yrs of age. Every family has averaged at least 80 dollars a month per child for scouting equipment, cost of outings, unit dues, over half of parents in troop either have 2 sons in the troop or a younger brother in our cub pack. Every youth we have in the unit came out of cub pack. Out of 12 youth from 10 families in the troop 7 of those families have at least one child in band with equipment of at the lowest being right at a thousand dollars. 6 families have had to decide scout camp $195.00, band camp $200.00, or both. 2 Families have another youth that is special needs. 8 of the youth have a parent involved with either the pack or the troop.
As a SM I would rather the youth be a scout and experience the scouting program and display in there life the scout oath and law, over the scout uniform that they wear. The parents of our troop are paying the cost for the scouting program to be in their son's life. If the youth only has a scout shirt and he wears it with pride and honor that is great with great with me.
The reason that I am a SM is to help teach the values of scouting to the next generation. The units scouting program keeps boys in the scout program, not the uniform they wear. Program will always win over appearence as long as I am SM of the unit.
I would rather the youth of the unit act like scouts over the pants they wear anyday.

[joat]

The mission of BSA is to help boys learn to make ethical choices over their lifetimes. What lesson are we teaching if we encourage them to make a choice to skip the uniform despite the uniform being an integral part of the Scouting program?

[9009scoutmaster]

The scouting program is outdoor based. This is what is used to sell the entire BSA program. I never sayed skip the uniform. I sayed "summer camp won over Uniforms." Yes we have to make ethical choices, What lesson do we teach if we say you can only be a scout if you have a full uniform.

[Hubert]

Personaly, I like the uniform. I feel like I fit in somewhere.

I was never one of those kids who was "cool." I just kind of floated through it all.

In scouting, I know I "fit". No one makes fun of me or anyone else for that matter. We are all a family. I wear it proudly and enjoy that I "fit in."

Its a personal thing that really makes me feel nice when I wear it because I know what I have done while in that uniform, I know that I have made a difference, and that I will make more.

[evmori]

The mission of BSA is to help boys learn to make ethical choices over their lifetimes. What lesson are we teaching if we encourage them to make a choice to skip the uniform despite the uniform being an integral part of the Scouting program?

No one is saying skip the uniform. What I am hearing is there are more important things in Scouting than the uniform.

[joat]

A Scout pays his own way, which is part of character development, and part of the adult responsibility is to help every boy obtain everything he needs for Scouting. There’s a ton of ways to do it. Money-earning events are one way. Mowing lawns is another. Our troop collects used uniform parts, backpacks, personal camping equipment, and sleeping bags for boys that need equipment.

Presenting options like summer camp or uniform, backpack or uniform, dues or uniform, sends a clear message that the uniform is not important.

If the adult leaders decide that a shirt is good enough, then that’s what the boys will wear. If the adult leaders don’t wear the uniform, neither will the boys. The uniform is part of the BSA program, and we adults really don’t have the prerogative to decide we’ll skip that part.

Any boy can have a uniform. It’s up to the adults to help make it happen.

[wagionvigil]

$120 sports shoes? No problem! Scout Switchbacks $40.00. Too Much Money!!! WHats wrong with this picture?

[WeeWillie]

Expense has never been an objection to uniforms in my almost 5 years as SM. We have an active uniform donation plan. Brothers pass down to brothers. We even have a father to son and two uncles to their nephews.

The typical non-excuses are: self esteem; individuality; I'm embarrassed to wear the uniform; and you can't make me. All can be summed up in the popular expression "It's all about me."

When I assumed SM of T480 in Aug 2002 I have a disipline problem with bullying, hanging out, and disruption. They had to Christmas to come up with a shirt with the patches correct. Pants that bagged, gragged and sagged were not allowed. The word was out that we were a Scout Troop and not a bunch of gansta wannabees and pretty soon the disipline problems ceased.

[9009scoutmaster]

I do not feel that I am sending the wrong message that the uniform is not important. You have to realize when I took over troop 2 years ago the unit had not met in over 6 months, NO YOUTH, NO unit equipment except for a Trailer. At this time our troop does not even own a stove. Most of the equipment that we use belongs to the adults that support the troop. The unit has nor receive one cent from sponsor. At this time we have 2 Med adult shirts(25 years old with nothing wrong with them) and one pair of short pants in uniform closet. The biggest scout I have is 120 lbs theirfore the extra shirts are WAY TO BIG FOR THEM. The scouts I have had in unit for over 6 months all have scout pants except for one. This boys father was out of work for 3 months due to plant closing. HE DOESNOT WEAR 120 DOLLAR SHOES. Will he have scout pants yes he will but it takes time. We have no scout with older brothers to hand down uniforms.

Some of you have to realize money doesnot grow on trees.

There is and old saying HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? One bite at a time. Well as a unit We are eating that ELEPHANT one bite at a time.

Also we have contacted ever cloth closet in our area to please notify us if they receive any uniforms.

Do I as the SM try to set the example? Yes I do when it comes to the uniform. Am I able to wear uniform each week to unit meeting? No I am not because I usually have only enought time to leave my work place and pick up son to be able to get to scout meeting. Do I wear uniform to unit meeting yes I do when I have and extra few minutes to put it on. I also wear the full uniform to all other scouting events.

Which is better late Sm or Sm in Uniform.

I can only say that I try to set the best example that I can with regard to the Scout uniform.

WE are not presenting the option of either full uniform or summer camp. WE are just saying we will not tell a youth that he can not go to summer camp because he does not have a full uniform.

[optimist]

Our Scout troop had a fundraiser last year that raised over $2500.00. We have five Scouts. At your figure of $80 per month per Scout, that one fundraiser paid for half a year out right. I know high school band programs that regularly raise $100,000.00 a year. I don't know how they do it but they do. I'm not suggesting that we turn Scouting into a massaive fund raising effort, I'm just pointing out if there's a will, there's a way.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the uniform, there is only one choice and one source. When it comes to equipment, there are tons of options, many of which are very inexpensive.

[MDEagle]

Our Scout troop had a fundraiser last year that raised over $2500.00. We have five Scouts. At your figure of $80 per month per Scout, that one fundraiser paid for half a year out right. I know high school band programs that regularly raise $100,000.00 a year.

It seems like hardly a week goes by without someone knocking on our door wanting us to support the school band, some choir or another, the grade school arts program, Little League, the local swim team, etc. etc. It's hard to say "no", but also hard to continually fork it over to buy pizza kits, wrapping paper, magazine subscriptions... a bunch of stuff of fairly poor quality that we really don't want or need.

I refuse, flatly refuse, to send my kid out to strong-arm our neighbors and friends, although we do buy candles, wreaths, etc. for our own use or for gifts at Christmas.

Don't get me started on popcorn, which must be the worst fundraising idea in the world. Where the general public is likely to fork over $3 for a box of pretty tasty Girl Scout Cookies at a table outside the local bank, they will not do it for a $30 tin of popcorn. Heck, I won't even do it.

I wish we'd dump the popcorn and do something like small bags of trail mix. Less pricey, more volume potential.

Anyway, back to Uniforms. If there are boys who absolutely cannot afford uniforms, there must be some option. Will the Charter organization (who must care about Scouting) provide a small fund for the SM to use to discretely purchase uniforms for Scouts who would not be able to afford one otherwise? What about other organizations, particularly those which are predominantly comprised of men.

I bet that if I went into the clubroom of my local American Legion (where I'm a member) and said that I needed to raise some money to buy uniforms for needy Boy Scouts, the members would pass the hat and it would be done.

[smtroop168]

Keep munching on that elephant! We all have varying degrees of resources to make this program the best we can. We have a unit in our area that has 2 trailers, every piece of equipment you could ever need and more ASMs than I have boys in my troop. We have another unit that is formed in the lower income area of our town. Even the basics can cost hundreds of dollars and fundraising is a way to help out. I am a proponent of everyone being in uniform but also a realist. My pet peeve is that the boys do not properly have the patches sewn on. You might also just go with Troop t-shirts that can usually be made for 6 bucks or so and save the Class A for COHs.

Best of luck!