It had never occurred to me why my friend from Scouts started Scouts or even why he continued with it. But as I sat down with my friend at one of our Troop meetings, paper in hand, to finally understand what made him join and what made him continue, I was a bit nervous at the answer. Would it be something mundane like he was just interested in it, or would it be something a bit more special like a friend dragging him into it? Now for a little context, my friend has been in the Troop for longer than I have by about two years. My friend’s mom used to be in charge of Pack 375 that we were both in before going into Troop 375, in which his dad was the Scoutmaster. I’ve known him since I was a baby because our parents were friends, and our friendship has blossomed ever since. My friend is the Senior Patrol Leader and is in charge of everything Scout-related including, but not limited to, running the Troop meetings, approving camp meals, running the PLC at the end of every month, and solving disputes between Scouts.
During the interview, he had said that the reason he was in Scouts was because his parents had forced him to. He said, “All I wanted to do was play games and go outside.” He also talked about how, in the beginning, he didn’t like Scouts, and he would struggle to go on Sundays after church. He would only go to the meetings because it would make his parents happy and proud. During this period, my brother and I were his only friends in the Pack, and we weren’t really in charge of anything that happened in the Pack.
After he had stayed in the Pack for a few years learning how to act and gaining new skills along the way, it was finally the time to cross over into the Boy Scouts. Now, he said this was when he really wanted to stay in the Scouts because he had made more friends and had gained leadership experience. He stated that, at first, he didn’t like the Troop because he was separated from his friends into a different patrol, but as he got used to the Scouts around him and got to experience leading his patrol, he started to like it more. Sadly, he was thrust into ASPL (Assistant Senior Patrol Leader) at a younger age because almost everyone who was on staff had aged out, so the Troop needed younger guys to fill the spots. This caused him to mature quickly because he had to help lead the Troop at the age of thirteen, just three years after joining the Troop. It also caused him to panic a bit because of having this position thrown onto him. But this was also what kept him in the Scouts because he was now in charge of the Troop’s well-being and all of the younger Scouts under him. In a similar fashion, he also became the Senior Patrol Leader with the previous one leaving the Troop.
As he continued to gain experience on staff and the Troop continued to grow, he made new friends, learned new skills, and began to teach other people these skills. Right now, he is seventeen and is trying to finish up his Eagle Project. The Eagle Project is like a Senior Action where he gives back to the community through a service. It is the very last thing he needs to do before he closes this chapter in his life, and I have the honor of hearing what happened from his perspective and watching on the sidelines of his journey through Scouts.
