From Scouts-L@tcu.edu Fri Sep 26 08:05:26 1997 Return-Path: Scouts-L@tcu.edu Received: from outbound.Princeton.EDU (outbound.Princeton.EDU [128.112.128.84]) by cap1.CapAccess.org (8.6.12/8.6.10) with ESMTP id IAA03548; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 08:05:26 -0400 Received: from lightpost by outbound.Princeton.EDU with SMTP id <542672-24818>; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 07:57:39 -0400 Received: from pucc.Princeton.EDU (pucc.Princeton.EDU [128.112.129.99]) by outbound.Princeton.EDU (8.8.0/8.6.12) with SMTP id HAA19237; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 07:56:55 -0400 (EDT) Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin MAILER@TCUBVM) by PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4597; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 07:53:56 -0400 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4634; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 06:57:46 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 3276 for SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU; Fri, 26 Sep 1997 06:56:49 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM (NJE origin SMTP@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 3275; Thu, 25 Sep 1997 22:48:14 -0500 Received: from ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU by tcubvm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Thu, 25 Sep 97 22:48:13 CDT Received: from odin.cair.du.edu by ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU (PMDF V5.0-5 #20456) id <01IO2RBCRG6O002KJ6@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU> for SCOUTS-L@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU; Thu, 25 Sep 1997 22:46:33 -0500 (CDT) Received: by odin.cair.du.edu id AA12925; Thu, 25 Sep 1997 21:46:24 -0600 X-Sender: rknudson@agora.cair.du.edu MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v2, June 6, 1997 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Message-ID: <9709260346.AA12925@odin.cair.du.edu> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 21:50:00 +0000 Reply-To: Bob Knudson Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List From: Bob Knudson Subject: Branding Bobcats Followup X-To: SCOUTS-L@tcu.edu To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Status: RO X-Status: D Thanks for your responses to my message on using a branding iron as part of a bobcat ceremony. The input was about 50/50, with half saying it was near child-abuse, and the other half saying that it was promoted at council and philmont as a neat idea. After much consideration, and discussion with my bewildered COR (an attorney) and CC (i.e. they were thinking "what the heck got into him?"), I changed my mind on the ceremony (decided that it was clearly not hazing) and made the following changes: 1) I stated that once cub scouting got into a boy, its really hard to get scouting out of the boy. I then offered the boy and his parents the opportunity to be branded as a symbol of that concept. (This is a big change from the initiation approach.) 2) We branded the bobcats on their right pocket (not the buttocks). 3) I then asked the other bobcats that I missed branding this summer when they received their bobcat awards if they wanted to come up and be branded. Several ran up for the opportunity. So, therefore, we turned the ceremony into a positive, voluntary event for the scouts. it is no longer a surprise, but something that they can elect to do. And most, if not all, boys seem excited about getting some corn starch on their shirt. Anyway, my somewhat creative basis for the ceremony (number 1 above) is a little weak. I'd appreciate receiving the gist or text of branding ceremonies that other councils or philmont conferences are promoting. Thanks! YIS, Bob Knudson Proud Father of a Tiger Cub Proud Father of a Tenderfoot Cubmaster, Pack 528 Asst. Scoutmaster, Troop 476 Arvada, Colorado USA Westminster, Colorado USA CS Roundtable Staff, Gateway District, Denver Area Council, BSA