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Scout Dad Tells it Like it IS
Monrovia Weekly Sep 24, 2015
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I am a Scout Dad
My name is Mark Peters and I am a Scout dad and the Cub Master for Monrovia Cub Scout Pack 66. Let me tell you, I had no idea that I would be as involved with Scouting as I am now. My son, Degas Peters, now a Webelos 1 started off as a Tiger Cub with Pack 551 in El Monte. As a young boy I wanted to join scouting but was not able to. So I was determined as soon as my son reached the age of 6 that I would have him join as I know how wonderful the Scouting movement was, just how amazing I was yet to find out. I started off as a Tiger Den Leader, then took training classes and became hooked. I went on to be the Assistant Cub Master and learned the more I learned and training I received the more kids I could teach and help.
Scouting has been a blessing for my son. At an early age of two Degas was diagnosed with Autism and a few years later his diagnosis was refined to Asperger’s. Children who are on the Spectrum are more likely to thrive in this structured well organized environment. I say this because when Degas became a Tiger he began to flourish and grow. Cub Scouts promotes social skills and education that incorporates hands on learning and for a child on the spectrum. Scouting offers many positive benefits for youth on the autism spectrum, including the opportunity for achievement, travel, and learning valuable life skills. The Scouting movement is a movement that aims to support youth and young adults in their physical, mental and spiritual development. Scouting takes many forms throughout the United States and worldwide. Some programs are geared towards boys (Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts), some include both genders (Venture Crew and Sea Scouts). Venture Crews are scouting’s best-kept secret. Venture Crew has opportunities for advancement through its ranks and build character and leadership skills in young adults.
Scouting helps youth learn important life skills and often has a focus on survival skills and the outdoors. It can also continue throughout adulthood in the form of scouting leadership and volunteer work. Scouting is a way of life that will reflect into your child’s adulthood.
If you are a parent who is looking to give your children an incredible experiences, teach them new skills and open them up to the outdoors? Scouting could be the perfect thing.
As youth, Scouts are taught to live by a code of conduct exemplified in the 12 points of the Scout Law, and they continue to live by these laws in adulthood. You can find this code on www.scouting.org as well as many other resources if you are interested in joining The Boy Scouts of America.
A Scout is:
Trustworthy: The majority of Scouts agreed that Scouting has taught them always to be honest (75 percent) and to be a leader (76 percent).
Loyal: Eighty-eight percent of Scouts are proud to live in the USA, and 83 percent say spending time with family is important to them.
Helpful: Eight out of 10 Scouts surveyed believed that helping others should come before their own self-interest.
Friendly: Eighty percent of Scouts say that Scouting has taught them to treat others with respect and (78 percent) to get along with others.
Courteous: Almost nine of 10 Scouts (87 percent) believe older people should be treated with respect.
Kind: Most Scouts agree (78 percent) Scouting has taught them to care or other people, while 43 percent say their skills in helping other people in need are “excellent.”
Obedient: Boys in Scouting five years or more are more likely than boys who have never been in Scouts to reject peer pressure to hang out with youth they know commit delinquent acts (61 percent vs. 53 percent).
Cheerful: Overall, Scouts are happy with their schools (78 percent) and their neighborhoods (79 percent). However, because Scouting builds such high ideals in youth, Scouts are less satisfied than non-Scouts with the state of the world today (47 percent vs. 52 percent).
Thrifty: More than eight out of 10 Scouts (82 percent) say that saving money for the future is a priority.
Brave: Eighty percent of Scouts say Scouting has taught them to have confidence in themselves, and 51 percent rate their self-confidence as “excellent.”
Clean: Nearly the same number of Scouts (79 percent) agree that Scouting has taught them to take better care of the environment and that Scouting has increased their interest in physical fitness.
Reverent: Scouting experience also influences religious service attendance. Eighty-three percent of men who were Scouts five or more years say attending religious services together as a family is “very important,” versus 77 percent of men who had never been Scouts.
Scouting has helped teach my son as well as instilling the values of good conduct, respect for others, and honesty. Degas has learned skills that will last a lifetime, including basic outdoor skills, first aid, citizenship skills, leadership skills and how to get along with others. We need our youth to learn these skills now more than ever. Scouting provides youth with an opportunity to try new things, provide service to others, build self-confidence, and reinforce ethical standards. These opportunities not only help them when they are young but also carry forward into their adult lives, improving their relationships, their work lives, their family lives, and the values by which they live.
Cub Scouts is the part of Boy Scouts designed for boys between the ages of 6 (or 1st grade) and 10. For first graders, boys are called Tiger Cubs; in second grade, they become Wolf Cubs; third graders are Bear Cubs; and fourth and fifth grade boys are Webelos Cubs. From this young age, boys learn about the outdoors as they earn badges by completing projects such as making a bird feeder and making leaf rubbings. They learn the values of the Boy Scouts by engaging in service projects, such as collecting food for the hungry. Once per month, the Cub Scout den goes on a field trip, which could be a camping trip, a service-oriented trip, a trip to a museum, or even just a trip to go bowling. These Cub Scout activities keep boys using their abundant energy in ways that are beneficial for themselves and for the larger community. Boys make friends, have fun, and learn to be a part of a team. From the very start of becoming a Cub Scout, young boys begin to learn how to govern themselves. They learn the values that lead to a healthy, successful, and productive life, the most important of which might be self-discipline. It takes self-discipline to see a project through to completion and earn a merit badge; it takes self-discipline to sell enough popcorn to your neighbors that you earn that camping trip. When a boy learns how to lead himself, he becomes the kind of person who gains the ability to lead others. Self-leadership, then, is the first step towards group leadership. Parents who want their sons to become leaders, whether only of themselves or within their communities, would do well to involve their sons in Boy Scouts from an early age.
Having your son join an organization such as Cub Scouts has so many positive benefits that can last a lifetime. I have seen scouting teach values and beliefs first hand. It reinforces the importance of family and relationships and helps to strengthen the bonds through their teachings and guidance. Also, because the parents are generally active in the group through the various activities that the Cub Scouts offer, it serves as a facilitator in creating stronger family ties. Not only that but, it creates memories that will stay with the Boy Scout forever.
Scouting also focuses on Cyber Safety and has the kids learn internet safety as well as earn a Cyber Chip in order to use electronics when they are on events. With today’s youth being so immersed in technology, kids seem to rarely get outdoors these days. Their activities are limited to the video games they are addicted to and various other online things like Facebook, Skype and Twitter. Scouting brings friendly competition back with the Pinewood Derby, where the kids learn good sportsmanship and a different kind of hands on fun, without a remote control. Scouting is more than tying knots and camping, they’ve introduced a new program called STEM, science, technology, engineering and math that help to develop skills that keep up with the worlds developing technology.
Youth leader training has been ramped up within the GLAAC and training it pushed at all levels of leadership. It is imperative that the parents who have entrusted you with their child know that you are trained to handle almost any emergency.
Monrovia Cub Scout Pack 66 recently attended Camp Trask Scout Reservation in Monrovia Canyon this past week. What I witnessed there and experienced was nothing shy of awe inspiring. Our 3 WeBelos, Roman B., Adrian G and Degas P. who attended gained so much valuable knowledge, life skills and my son even learned how to swim, this being after two years of trying to teach him. The Aquatics Director Cheri Rich was able to do for my son what others could not do in two years. The Camp Council Liaison and Ranger Anthony Villalobos and Camp Program Director Sharon Villalobos made a wonderful program for the kids and gave them a memory they will not soon forget. Just to name a few of the local scout reservations that have amazing programs; Firestone Scout Reservation, Camp Trask Scout Reservation, Holcomb Valley Scout Reservation, Cherry Valley and Emerald Bay on Catalina Island to only name a few local scout camps for all ages.
For those that are interested in learning more about Boy Scouts and joining a local, Pack, Troop or Crew please contact the local council below:
San Gabriel Valley Council
Smiser Scout Center
3450 East Sierra Madre Boulevard
Pasadena, California 91107
Phone: 626-351-8815
Recently the San Gabriel Valley Council merged with the Los Angeles Area Council and is now known as the Greater Los Angeles Area Council.
The local districts are broken down as follows:
Rose Bowl District: Altadena, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena and San Marino
Lucky Baldwin District: Arcadia, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Temple City, Duarte, Baldwin Park, Irwindale, and Azusa
Mission Amigos District: Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, South San Gabriel, Rosemead, El Monte, and South El Monte
Golden Eagle District: City of Industry, Hacienda Heights, La Puente, Rowland Heights, West Covina, Valinda, Diamond Bar, Pomona and Walnut
Valley Del Sol District: Covina, Glendora, Charter Oak, La Verne, San Dimas and Claremont
I am proud to be a Boy Scout leader as it has forged in me a stronger bond with my son. I am able to impart my teachings onto the next generation of leaders and help guide them on their path from Tiger to Eagle. Boy Scouts is a great way to keep my son and your son(s) active in both body and mind but also, it helps build character, which will forever shape the man your son will become.
Boy Scouts Helps to Create Good Men
By Mark Peters
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