16 October 2008
Incarcerated Scouts
Posted by admin under: Community Partners; community service; leadership; recognition .
Dan at Scoutingnews.org found a great article in a council newsletter and reprinted the entire thing which you should read. It describes a troop chartered at a youth correctional facility and the extraordinary woman who is its Scoutmaster.
Scoutmaster Nancy Welton describes her service work as a faith response to the corporal work of mercy to “visit the imprisoned”, and as a charitable action towards her neighbors, reflecting a great sense of God’s love for all.
Nancy remarked that her “drive, initiative, and willingness to serve as Scoutmaster for incarcerated youth” was a result of having been a Wood Badge participant and Wood Badge Troop Guide. “My experiences with Wood Badge taught me to reach beyond any self-imposed limitations when it comes to serving youth. Wood Badge gave me the confidence, initiative and desire to serve others more in a servant-leader fashion,” she said.
Amazing. My experience has been that guys who stay in the peer group that acts out doesn’t tend to end well. I have needed to isolate them from those friends and put them with others to get them out of the repetitive cycle that keeps them from achieving. Ms. Welton seems to have done what I would have deemed impossible by succeeding within that group. No wonder the article says she is receiving the Whitney M. Young Service Award from the Boy Scouts of America. She is a great inspiration.
2 Comments so far...
Dan - Scouting News Says:
16 October 2008 at 1:52 pm.
These boys are going to be the best of the best inside of the Juvenile facility. From my experience in the Juvenile Justice Social Work field, these kids just need attention. On the streets they got it from their peers, and by acting out. Having an adult actually interested in them and their well being is a huge thing. Having someone who is reliable that will show up on a regular basis and not stand them up is also huge. Though they usually won’t admit it.
If we can establish appropriate relationships with peers and adults while in the facility, hook the kids up with a mentor for their release, we have have lessened the recidivism rate a great deal. These kids can be difficult at times, but the work is so rewarding when you actually get through to them.
» Back to Prison Says:
23 October 2008 at 5:25 pm.
[...] my other post, Incarcerated Scouts, I referenced scoutingnews.com’s article about a Boy Scout troop in a youth correctional [...]
