What's one of the big differences between boys of today, and boys of 50 years ago? Boys today have so many distractions (video games, internet, music, etc.) that they don't ever get away to spend time in the outdoors. I believe that we are losing a very important part of what makes boys Men.
It's the computer games and online socializing and texting that is raising our boys right now. How would it be if instead, our boys were looking for opportunities to be outside, and ways to challenge themselves? A little "boy against nature" is a great way for a boy to learn more about himself, and to develop skills that could really help him in the future.
I know that not all scout troops are like this, but I have been blessed to work with a troop that has figured this out. They CRAVE challenging activities where they can get away from the city, and put themselves up against the worst mother nature has to offer, or the most difficult hikes/climbs/canyons that are out there. Why do they feel this innate desire to do this? It's because that's who we are as males. We each feel in our own way that we need to conquer something, to master a skill or talent, to perfect our ability to do something. To prove to ourselves that whatever we're put up against, we can come out on top. Not by pushing others beneath us, but by working together with people around us and with objects that are at our disposal.
As we prepared for our wilderness survival trip, I would pick random times in our activities and camps to stop everyone and give them a scenario such as:
Ok, I've got some bad news. We're not going to make it back to the vehicles before night and we need to set up camp here. What do you have with you that will help us survive the night.
At first they would all groan a bit, but then we would go through our pockets to see what we have that's worth anything. Depending on where we were we would then build a fire with whatever we had, or find shelter, find water, verify if there is any edible plant life or animal life around, and how we could catch the animals. It really made them think about their surroundings, and try to be prepared for anything that comes along. They worked together to devise ways to survive as a group, sharing their resources. By the end of the activity they were excited that they had a plan and would be able to survive. They learned from each other and decided on things they would take with them on ANY hiking/camping trip.
So, what does this have to do with the title of this post? I've heard and I'm sure you've heard the phrase before:
3/4 of "Scouting" is "Outing"
What does that mean? It means that you need to get the boy outdoors. I believe there are many parts of scouting that are inspired by God. One of those is getting the boys outdoors. There's something a boy learns about himself when he's outdoors that he doesn't learn anywhere else. And on campouts and trips is sometimes the best time to have discussions about their lives, where they're going through in life, what they want to do and what they need to do to do it. You can't help but think about your future, and your past as you sit around the campfire, staring out on all the stars, contemplating God's role in all this. Don't be afraid to discuss God on your campouts, He is the Creator of all that you're enjoying out there. It gives the boys the sense that they're not alone. Someone up there cares about them and wants them to be happy and succeed.
Campouts will be more physically draining than almost anything some boys do. But, that's satisfying to them at the end of the day, it fulfills their inner desire to be productive, to actually live, not sit behind a computer/tv screen and watch someone else's adventures.
If you can get the boys outdoors, they'll be surprised how much they love it, and need it.
