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It's Time to Vote!
As you read this, Pennsylvania will be in the throes of its primary election. Obviously, if you haven’t yet voted, go vote.
Citizenship training is one of the Aims of Scouting for both Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA, and when you see Scouts publicly, most often it’s at a civic celebration. The advancement programs throughout Scouting promote the responsibilities of citizens, and Scouts are usually the best prepared to participate in the civic life of our communities and our country.
At the same time, how do you create opportunities to continue citizenship education beyond the advancement requirements? This was an impromptu discussion topic at Roundtable this month, and there are more than a handful of ways you can do this, but these were some highlights.
- Invite local community leaders to your pack or troop event. Often times, local legislators and township supervisors are invited to Eagle Scout Courts of Honor. But we’ve gotten feedback that they love coming to Cub Scout events even more and are almost never invited. Think about extending an invitation to a pack or troop meeting to have them talk to your Scouts about what they do and the role of state and local governments.
- In line with the above, think local! Brian Fitzpatrick represents all of Bucks County and then some, but you have government leaders that represent a much smaller geographic area and often have a greater impact on a Scout’s life.
- Incorporate the citizenship-related adventures and merit badges into your unit programming one month of the calendar year.
- Pinewood derbies create great ways to get local fire departments and police departments in on the action. Consider inviting them to build a few cars and compete in your pack’s race! My experience is that they enjoy the friendly competition, plus it will give your Scouts exposure to these crucial community servants in a low-stress environment.
- Consider integrating citizenship programming into weekend trips. One of the coolest trips as a Scout was to Washington DC, where we took tours of the US Capitol Building and the White House. The US House was in a rare Saturday session and we witnessed in person Representatives debating a signature legislation. Seeing our government leaders in action had a lasting impact on my own civic responsibilities.
Citizenship education extends to parents, too. Routinely, you may encounter Scouting families that that may object to a particular community leader’s involvement in Scouting on political grounds. It is important to remind parents that Scouting is a nonpartisan organization and does not advance any particular political agenda. Scouts learn how to petition their elected leaders. Additionally, when Scouts interact with a government leader that they may disagree with, it teaches them how to apply the points of Courteous and Kind to the political scene and have respectful conversations with people you may disagree with.
If you’d like support with how to teach your Scouts about being good citizens, feel free to reach out to your commissioner team. As always, thank you for all you do for Scouting!
Yours in Scouting,
Joe Donahue
Tamanend District Commissioner
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