(d) We count heavily on personal coaching by our Field Executives and Commissioner Staff.
McMILLEN: Before we get too deeply into Council methods of handling country Scouting, let’s study it a bit more from the boy’s angle. What aspects of Scouting are most interesting and helpful to boys?
ELEAZER: I would say the most interesting aspect to the rural boy is camping. The most helpful is probably the achievement part of the program.
FOX: I put this question to the forty students in my vocational agriculture class, well over half of whom are or have been Scouts. The younger boys put camping first; the older ones put it on a level with advancement skills. All of them rated these two aspects of Scouting tops.
NICHOLS: One of the values I see my boys get out of camping is the ability to work with others. Too often rural boys do not have a chance to develop this important trait. That’s why group activity is especially important to rural boys too.
McMILLEN: A very good point, Mr. Nichols. Our rural boys aren’t different, but sometimes their opportunity to develop certain abilities and traits is limited: Scouting’s camping and its group activity can fill a big void.
Speaking about program, what do you think of the Merit Badge work?
FOX: In the first place, rural boys like to receive recognition for things they do, as well as any youth. I know that many of the Merit Badges encourage farm boys to improve their agricultural skills. Experienced farmers make good counselors in agricultural subjects.
NICHOLS: The rural boy possibly needs the Merit Badge program more than does the city boy because he has less access to these “idea sources.” He needs to know about trades and occupations, too, other than those found on the farm.
WITCRAFT: In addition to the values the Merit Badge program holds for the boy, it has two other big values; it has sold many rural people on Scouting because farmers readily see the value of such subjects as Beef Production and Soil Management. It has also brought many men into Scouting. A man gets a taste of Scouting while serving as a Merit Badge Counselor and, liking this experience, accepts other leadership responsibilities.