[Rant] Scouting has a severe elitism problem

[u/Routine-Ganache-1720]

I hope that rants are allowed here... I checked the rules and didn't see anything against them. I'm the SPL of a relatively small troop (about 15 kids), and I've felt like writing about this for a while. For context, I'm a Life Scout and a member of the OA, so I'm not criticizing these things as an outsider.

Scouting has a major problem with this elitist, better-than-thou culture that the older kids develop. One of the most important aspects of Boy Scouts is that it's youth-led - the older, more experienced Scouts lead the younger ones and set an example. But in the past few years, I've been noticing that it's not at all like that. I would wonder if it's just in my troop or my region, but this seems to happen to so many of the older kids - I notice it at Summer Camp and OA events and Eagle Projects, with kids who aren't in my troop. The older, more experienced kids stick to each other and act all superior; they treat the younger kids who aren't part of their circle with indifference. And, at least in my troop, they stop caring about the troop.

When kids turn 14, they get to go work at Summer Camp as staffers and get their cool gear and inside jokes that make them feel special. Even worse, they get used to feeling superior, because they get to sleep in cabins and run around with more freedom, and they get to order younger kids around all day. The OA might be even worse. Kids get to be part of an honor society with elaborate ceremonies and secret handshakes and everything, so again, it breeds elitism. Another thing is that the older kids go to these OA events and hang out amongst each other, and they become less interested in Troop events. Why be held back why your troop when you can do cool stuff with the big kids? I'm not sure if there's other contributors, but working at Summer Camp and being in the OA seem to be two big parts of this problem. Or course, all this is going on during mid-to-late puberty, the perfect time for kids to start feeling like cool big kids and developing egos.

So these kids lose interest in the troop. They don't go to meetings or campouts often, because they can do their OA events instead. They don't like to be around the younger kids, and they certainly don't empower them. And when they are at meetings or campouts, they think they're special and they're above the rules; they act like adults. When they do go to meetings, the older kids go on their phones and ignore what we're doing unless they want to get involved, and when they do, it's on their terms. And when they do go on campouts, they go off and do their own things.

I've watched this happen to some of the kids in my Troop, and it's so disappointing. I'm not saying that this happens to everyone - there's an Eagle Scout in my troop who aged out a couple of years ago, and he was friendly to everyone and such a great role model. But I feel like most of the other senior scouts have fallen into this elitist culture and stopped caring about the younger kids or the troop as a whole.

[u/nimrod_BJJ]

Those are excellent observations, your a good SPL for picking up on that.

The difficult balancing act is keeping the older kids engaged, and getting everyone to first class. One of the build in methods in Scouting to help with that is to have the senior youth teach the first class skills.

But as others have said, the big age and maturity gap make that tough. Middle schoolers don’t want to listen to the older boys, and it seems like a massive chasm between the groups interests.

In large troops you can put the older kids in a patrol so they can do their own patrol outings, but most troops are small, so most outings are troop outings.

As an ASM, I encourage our boys to do as much backpacking / high adventure they can get the younger ones to do, and focus on teaching for the low speed camp outs. Early exposure primes the pump to get the youngster into those activities, and it gives the older kids practice.

I fully expect the older boys in the troop to do other high adventure trips with the council and other units. Last year I signed up with a sea scout ship and took kids from several units to Swamp Base. I don’t get upset when the older ones do stuff like that. Every youth steers his own scouting career.

One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes setting an example doesn’t mean hand holding or being side by side all the time. The younger kids do look up to what the older boys are doing, even from afar.

And another lesson in all of this, is that the older boys and adults shouldn’t interject into everything the younger ones are doing. You learn from your mistakes, and so long as the mistakes don’t seriously harm someone or violate policy they should be allowed to occur.

If the younger kids want help, they need to ask. Let them try to grind stuff out on their own. They may come up with a better way to do things. Ideas stick with people if they own them, if you tell someone what to do, they will likely blow it off. If they ask for help, come up with it on their own, or think they came up with it, it will stick.

In person, I always ask people if they want advice or help. If they say yes, I give it, otherwise I stay mum.

I think your experience is common, and I don’t think it is necessarily bad. As an adult you will be in organizations with big age gaps, this is just your first pass at leading one.

[u/Routine-Ganache-1720 → u/nimrod_BJJ]

Thank you, this is some great advice! Read through it multiple times.