|
Appreciation of Nature and the Outdoors
"How does one achieve love and fear of Hashem? When a person investigates His works and His amazing creations and he sees from them His wisdom, to which there is no limit or end, immediately - he will love, praise, glorify, and have a great desire to know Hashem." (Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah 2:2)
Too often children don't appreciate nature because their eye for beauty is not trained to focus on the wonders of Hashem's creations. At Kesher Scouting, scouts learn to become comfortable in the outdoors and to truly realize Hashem's design. This appreciation can build a foundation that can last a lifetime. Kesher Scouting offers an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment.
The Benefits of Competition Without the Competition
"A program that is not based on competitiveness is infinitely better than one that is." (Rabbi Moshe Eisemann shlit"a)
Young people spend much of their time involved in sports and other competitive activities. This constant involvement can teach children that one's own success is measured by his friends’. And this can breed the ever so common “look-over-my-shoulder-and-see-if-I-match-up-with-the-other-guy” syndrome.
In a non-competitive environment, we have the opportunity to teach our children that reaching one’s own potential is all that really matters.
In Scouting, there is no focus on competition against others, with winners and losers. Scouting offers competition against a standard. Both the outdoor environment and Scouting’s Advancement Program present ‘standard challenges’ to all participants. While learning how to set goals and meet them, scouts build self-confidence and self-esteem.
Leadership Skills, Self-reliance, Discipline, Self-esteem, and Working with a Group
These skills are necessary for our children if they are to achieve their dreams. Unfortunately, they cannot be taught from the front of a classroom; nor can they be learned from a textbook. Through experience, however, our children can develop & grow. The Kesher Scouting experience and the Scouting program have been designed for this purpose.
"Empowering boys to be leaders is the core of scouting. Scouts learn by doing, and what they do is lead their patrols and their troop. The boys themselves develop a troop's program, then take responsibility for figuring out how they will achieve their goals." (The Scoutmaster Handbook)
Responsibilities are shared by the scouts. Each individual must "take charge" and do his part. However, the program as a whole cannot be successful until the troop learns to work together as a group. In the outdoors, they learn these lessons quickly.
|
