Leadership Side Note

I received notice this evening that the last Boy Scout who registered for our Venture Crew on my watch was awarded his Eagle Rank today. It is really hard for the uninformed to understand just what it takes for a young man to reach Eagle in Boy Scouts or a young lady to make Senior Presentation in National Charity league or Gold in Girl Scouts. Even more so- It is not what it takes, but what it gives for a young person to make the kind of commitment required to Eagle or Gold or make it all the way to Senior Presentation in National Charity League or graduate with a sash from National Honor Society or Key Club.

A prominent U.S. leader commented a few years ago on the decline of true leadership development programs for our youth and the value generated for society and the participating individual by them. It is hard to overestimate the value of the aforementioned programs and similar groups and no wonder that Universities and employers give so much credit for successful participation in them.

Yes- my son earned his Eagle, served as President of our Venture Crew and is thriving in college including participation in SIFE…. another great program. He served as a crew leader on five major treks including a 54-miler on the Appalachian Trail, certification of 18 scuba divers in San Marcos, Scuba and Island Adventure Treks in Florida, 5 days of diving in Cozumel and skiing in New Mexico. He also completed the BSA Junior Leadership and Venturing Leadership programs. And- my daughter is about to have her Senior Presentation in NCL and graduate with NHS and Key Club sashes. She has received awards for most philanthropic hours and has been accepted into the Honors College for next year at her University. She is also the founder of I am Human Like You which is a non-profit charity committed to fostering dignity and respect for homeless people.

They have both been blessed with one of the world’s most supportive and understanding moms who has been right along with them through all of this including hundreds of hours of her own time contributed to NCL, Scouts, Track, PTA, Hockey, Indian Princesses, church groups and more. They’ve all given me the best gifts possible by allowing me to tag along through a zillion of the greatest adventures anyone could ever dream of. As much of a pain or burden as I was in Scouting and Indian Princesses they never ran me off or quit because of me. I still have so much to learn from them and am so optimistic because of them and the future leaders like them.