Context: I was a Boy Scout for a number of years, making Eagle in 2020 right as COVID was really kicking off.
It was right afterwards, however, that the CSA scandal started popping up everywhere (which thankfully I was never exposed to or involved in during my time), and lately it seems like the organization & movement as a whole has fallen by the sociocultural wayside.
I would say that my time as a Scout did me objective good; I learned a decent amount about first-aid & survival-craft, participated in a number of volunteer & civic projects, and it generally made me a more well-rounded person. However, there’s no denying the impact that something “bigger than the Catholic Church scandal”, as I’ve heard it described, has on an institution such as this.
I’d like to get the community’s opinion, however; were any of you Scouts? How was your experience? What is your opinion of the institution today?
Context: Historically there were two separate types of scouts: Mormons and everyone else. The two programs were only tengentally related. Mormons made up around 50% of the numbers. For Mormons 100% of the teen boys were enrolled in the program (whether they wanted to or not). The scout leaders were voluntold to run the program usually with zero experience. Parents did fun things like make rules they had to have their eagle scout before they could drive. etc… So let’s just say, it was a complete and absolute clusterfuck.
I was forced to be in the Mormon version. I had zero interest in it. I thought the whole merit badges and stuff was bullshit so I never completed any of them.
One of my fondest memories was the jamboree I got to go home early from because I was kicked out. Apparently a snipe hunt, unauthorized bonfire, a hatchet throwing contest against the main lodge, and flipping off the camp leader and walking away was a no no. Before I got the boot, I did win all sorts of contests like knot tying, fire building, and first aide (had a bit of practical experience for some reason). That was the last one I had to go to for some odd reason.
Ha, as an adult volunteer I got yelled at because