Book List #3 - Scouting Essential Reads

Here we go with the third, but not final installment of suggested reading lists. The one following this one will just be pure fun because it is just going to be the stuff I enjoy reading. If I post a repeat in that it will be for a different reason than why it appeared in the first list.

This list is strictly related to Scouting... or the Boy Scouts of America. For those of you not acquainted with the BSA, more information on the century old youth organization can be gained at www.scouting.org.

The books I am going to list here are what I consider the essentials for anyone engaged at the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Chair or Charter Organization Representative level. In some units the COR may not be deeply involved. Where true, that is a shame as that position can work toward a lot of different areas of troop development, recruiting, fundraising and numerous other opportunities for the troop.

I could go into resources for Cub Scouting but I am about four years removed from that arena and just now getting my feet wet as the COR of the Pack ad Troop at our charter organization, Evansville Lutheran School

Having served as a Den Leader, Cubmaster, Pack Committee member, Troop Committee member, Scoutmaster and now Charter Organization Representative, I have accumulated a fairly good amount of reading material, all of which will not be listed below... again, these are what, in my opinion only, are essentials for learning and reference.

First of all, the things we do as a unit to "grow boys" using this "game with a purpose" (Lord Baden-Powell) must support the aims and methods of Scouting, Scout Oath, Scout Law and support our role as a Charter Organization.

That said, I have found no better organization to teach boys how to survive in the real world while preserving things that matter.

So, if you want to take on an adult leadership role in a Boy Scout Troop, here is your reading list... this is of course a different role from youth leadership as they are really the ones in charge of the troop (as this list will readily teach you)...

• The Boy Scout Handbook: Well, duh... if you do not know this one pretty doggone well the chances are your youth will call your bluff and know it better than you do. There is game that is played every year at our local summer camp where the two men in charge of camp challenge the youth in the dining hall to question their "buffalo knowledge." Some hard questions get asked there. The knowledge on both sides of that coin is very deep. Know the material.
• The Scoutmaster Handbook: Read this cover-to-cover at least once. Keep it for reference. This is the how to do it after your training is over.
• Guide to Safe Scouting: This is updated every quarter. Do not get caught not knowing the content of this manual and it changes often! Contained therein are the rules we must live by to keep scouts safe. Available online at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/toc.aspx
• The BSA Field Book: This is a one stop book for fairly in-depth "how to do it"  for everything from camping to cooking, horseback riding to critical and thinking. Not only do you need it, every scout in your unit needs it.
• Guide to Awards and Insignia: Know this one and you will not fall victim to other scouters who are constantly telling you when, where and what you can wear on your uniform or your scouts uniforms. This is the only true reference. There is a lot of incorrect opinions out there on uniforming in the BSA. That said, I still do not understand why kilts should not be worn as part of the official uniform but it is not my decision to make.
• The Order of the Arrow Handbook: Number one, conduct yourself in a manner that you get elected by the troop committee to the OA (if you were not already elected as a youth). Then learn the book inside and out as you will be a resource to your youth OA Troop Representative (including pushing them to attend the monthly OA chapter meetings) and other youth in your unit.
• The Scoutmaster Minute: This little book will start you off with already written pearls of wisdom for the end of your troop meetings, but more importantly it leads you to recognize those little life happenings that translate into good Scoutmaster Minutes. Never end your troop meeting without one.
• Strength for Service: This is a reprint of an old book from the 1940's of small devotionals for very hard jobs and responsibilities. Written during a time of war, it was designed to bolster spirits in a time where the jobs at hand could cost you your life. This is the stuff that heroes are made from... A Scout is Brave.
• If I'd Known Then What I Know Now - by J. R. Parrish: This is a great book translating some youth life lessons into a book so people can hopefully learn the lessons before they make the mistakes. Good luck trying to get youth to read it (my own son even blew it off), but it does give you ideas how to translate the topics into good campfire discussions.
• Baden-Powell: the Two Lives of a Hero - by William "Greenbar Bill" Harcourt: To me, this is
  
  an essential read. It's long, but it is far from tedious. The founder of the world scouting movement had such an exciting life that every page urges you to want to read the next. You can see where almost every "little thing" in Scouting comes from and why. This is one of the top ten books I have read in my life. If you like biographies, this one is very complete. It is a two part, very thick book. The first part covers Lord Baden-Powell's life as a career British military officer including a detailed account of the siege of Mafeking where he was in command and held off the Boers for nearly a year. The second part deals with the creation of the Boy Scouts and how it spread world-wide like a fire. It was published in 1964 and is a phenomenal read.
• Wilderness First Aid Field Guide by Jones and Bartlett Publishing: I am a career paramedic and EMS manager. I learned things from this little book. If you are not a medical person but are an adult scouting leader, have this one at hand. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEALTH of the boys and other leaders in your charge. Take it seriously. This little book is concise and will get you through a ton of minor and major emergencies. Get it. Carry it. Better yet, take the course. The book comes with taking the course.
• Since a Scout is Reverent (the 12^th and final point of Scout Law), do not forget the faith-based materials needed to focus on this important aspect of the program. If you are not supporting the 12^th point of Scout Law, you do not have a Boy Scout Troop. I am being generic here as in our units we take this VERY seriously and is one of the reasons we have these units in the first place. In our case, the two essentials are the Holy Bible and the Lutheran Service Book (hymnal, prayers and services). Do not make these secondary.

Those are my picks. It is kind of a small list. Like I said above this list is only my opinion based upon my experiences and the scouting challenges I have faced as a Scoutmaster and now as a COR. You may find others as well. I have also used the Program Features books and others.

Scouting Magazine is also a great resource especially in the area of new ideas and finding additional fundraising opportunities. You get it already each month with your leadership membership in the BSA. Read it.

One last thing… if you are going to be a long-term, valuable leader to your youth, take the Wood Badge Course. Yes… it is six days of your life you will never get back, BUT… given the nature of the course, it is six days disconnected from the rest of the world where you learn to put together diverse teams and accomplish things as a group. You will learn much of scouting’s origins and methods. You will also have a ton of fun. Do not cheat yourself. Take this course.

That's all I have for you now. If you have never spent any time with this great organization, take the time to do so. It makes great adults too.


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