Life Skills

[SpiritDragon]

Hey everyone,

I was just reading some of the comments in @Vort's latest BSA thread and was interested in the discussion around a replacement program for BSA and how individuals perceived different areas of learning and activities being geared toward one gender or another. I didn't want to hijack the thread (and probably wouldn't succeed if I tried anyway), but I thought it might be interesting to discuss what life skills people think would be useful to incorporate into a program to help young men and women develop into well-rounded, self reliant men and women.

Some skills that I think would be useful to have activities to train in:

Navigation skills: Reading maps, using GPS, Compasses, noting directions based on landmarks and the sky and so on.

Basic repair skills: patching holes in drywall, replacing a toilet wax gasket, changing a tire, some basic framing skills, patching jeans, adjusting hemlines

communication skills: the art of talking instead of texting....  perhaps even developing proficiency in Morse code and smoke signals 

Knot tying: I hated this part of scouts, but it's really useful to know.

food preparation skills: it wouldn't be bad for everyone to learn some basics on food safety and perhaps learn a few basic reasonably healthy recipes they could use. Maybe even just how to follow directions in a cookbook - I'm often amazed at how many people simply can't follow a recipe.

Survival skills: recognizing edible plants and knowing how to use them, possibly some hunting and tracking skills, how to build a fire (without matches or a lighter/igniter/flamethrower?), setting up basic shelter

What skills would you like to have learned or like to see learned by youth coming through such a program?

[NeuroTypical]

Basic finance.  What is credit, what are the dangers of credit, how to open a bank account and balance a checkbook.

[SpiritDragon]

1 minute ago, NeuroTypical said:

Basic finance.  What is credit, what are the dangers of credit, how to open a bank account and balance a checkbook.

Totally agree. How could an activity on that be made fun and accessible? - Other than letting the kids have a shopping spree with someone else's credit cards?

[Fether]

I wonder how useful survival skills are? If there is in fact a massive apocalypse where everyone dies and everyone must wander and scavenge... then they would be needed. Or if for recreation you like to go camping then they are needed... but will there really be an intense apocalypse like that? 

I personally love camping and would benefit from them... but do they need to be taught?

I feel like finance, knots tying, how to cook in your own kitchen, handyman, and negotiating in the real world would be far better than survival or navigation.

[Ironhold]

Basic computer operation

Basic courtesy

Telephone communication

[Grunt]

4 hours ago, Fether said:

I wonder how useful survival skills are? If there is in fact a massive apocalypse where everyone dies and everyone must wander and scavenge... then they would be needed. Or if for recreation you like to go camping then they are needed... but will there really be an intense apocalypse like that? 

I personally love camping and would benefit from them... but do they need to be taught?

I feel like finance, knots tying, how to cook in your own kitchen, handyman, and negotiating in the real world would be far better than survival or navigation.

I think they are important based on my location, but more importantly some things are important for the lessons learned and confidence gained. It assists with masculinity and manhood.   As such, I think many programs aren't gender specific because of what we're teaching but how we're teaching it.   That's why I spupport programs divided by gender even if they have similar topics.  

We're teaching men to be men and women to be women, but that does mean they need different skill sets as much as it means men and women are just different.  

That said, my boys would love classes on survival, flag handling/disposal, civics, hunting/fishing, mountaineering, canoeing, fly tying, animal husbandry, etc.   All things I'm teaching them now.  

[anatess2]

7 hours ago, Fether said:

I wonder how useful survival skills are? If there is in fact a massive apocalypse where everyone dies and everyone must wander and scavenge... then they would be needed. Or if for recreation you like to go camping then they are needed... but will there really be an intense apocalypse like that? 

I personally love camping and would benefit from them... but do they need to be taught?

I feel like finance, knots tying, how to cook in your own kitchen, handyman, and negotiating in the real world would be far better than survival or navigation.

Survival skills is more Mental Strengthening than... camping.

This is how I know my boys have a great chance of surviving an apocalypse:   I have a boy who can't man the kitchen and would call his brother to make a simple hamburger.  I know that boy is a survivor because - he has that mental strength and determination to figure out how to chase after a protein source, roast it over a fire, and eat it if he ever finds himself in a situation where he has to.

And if you think that mental strength and survival skills are only needed in an apocalypse then you haven't been out much.

Most people will face a struggle between life and death.  Some people will panic and shut down waiting for rescue.  Some people will rise up and immediately problem-solve.  Boys should be trained to be on the 2nd group.

 

Edited August 3, 2017 by anatess2

[anatess2]

3 hours ago, Grunt said:

I think they are important based on my location, but more importantly some things are important for the lessons learned and confidence gained. It assists with masculinity and manhood.   As such, I think many programs aren't gender specific because of what we're teaching but how we're teaching it.   That's why I spupport programs divided by gender even if they have similar topics.  

We're teaching men to be men and women to be women, but that does mean they need different skill sets as much as it means men and women are just different.  

That said, my boys would love classes on survival, flag handling/disposal, civics, hunting/fishing, mountaineering, canoeing, fly tying, animal husbandry, etc.   All things I'm teaching them now.  

Get baptized already!  We need a "REAL DEAL" scout master!

[anatess2]

In answer to the OP:

Chess

The Chess Merit Badge in scouts is not just learning how to play Chess.  It's actually a great learning experience to gain some mental acuity on strategy, critical thinking, and analytic skills.  Practical applications include Management especially in organizing and maximizing teams and/or resources to solve a problem.

This is especially great for boys because the male brain is not instinctively forward-thinking.

[my two cents]

self defense

first aid

Edited August 3, 2017 by my two cents

[zil]

9 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

Totally agree. How could an activity on that be made fun and accessible? - Other than letting the kids have a shopping spree with someone else's credit cards?

I was pre-teen when my parents took me and we opened my first bank account.  It had a trivial amount of money in it.  Would it really be so awful for modern children to do this?  Keeping a spreadsheet / check register type thing / or just understanding an online bank statement are good ways to teach about money going in and money coming out (and interest).  Basic budgeting is also good - you can teach some of this with fake money.

Verbal and written (not texted) communication skills are horrible in today's 20-somethings.  Someone somewhere is failing horribly at this.

Decision-making skills are highly needed too - I hate dealing with people who hem and haw for eternity - make up your mind already!

Confidence - looking people in the eye, speaking clearly (not mumbling) and audibly (not whispering, but not yelling either), stating what you think, etc.  (This goes with decision-making in my experience.)

Basic car maintenance - checking fluids, changing tires, checking tire pressure & filling, maybe changing oil, etc.  (Others may want more in-depth, and that's fine, but everyone (living in a country where driving a car is the norm) should learn some basics.)

7 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Most people will face a struggle between life and death.  Some people will panic and shut down waiting for rescue.  Some people will rise up and immediately problem-solve.  Boys should be trained to be on the 2nd group.

Everyone should be trained to be in the 2nd group.

[SpiritDragon]

9 hours ago, Fether said:

I wonder how useful survival skills are? If there is in fact a massive apocalypse where everyone dies and everyone must wander and scavenge... then they would be needed. Or if for recreation you like to go camping then they are needed... but will there really be an intense apocalypse like that? 

I personally love camping and would benefit from them... but do they need to be taught?

I feel like finance, knots tying, how to cook in your own kitchen, handyman, and negotiating in the real world would be far better than survival or navigation.

The way I see it something like survival skills and navigational skills are things that although you hope not to need, sort of like first aid and self defense skills, when you need them you really need them. such skills could be required in far more cases than a zombie apocalypse. Consider living in a city where a natural disaster has disrupted civil order and day to day activities like grocery shopping are stopped, potable water is no longer running, the furnace is dead because there is no power... how are you going to take care of your family for the time it takes the authorities to put things back in order, could be a day or two, could be over a week. You might also wish for such skills if you ended up having vehicle problems in the middle of nowhere and needed to be able to survive. Anyway, I can see where you're coming from that they might not be skills that are required often, and maybe not ever, but it does seem like due to the nature of the situations that would require such skills and that there might not be second chances that such skills seem important to me.

 

I also agree with comments regarding the self-confidence aspect of knowing one can take care of her/himself. 

[Sunday21]

Spreadsheets! So obvious, why has this not been mentioned before? I want to run a business. My revenues are... My expenses are....A must!

Career planning. Usehttps://www.workopolis.com/jobsearch/jobs-in-usa?cid=ppc-b2c-dsa&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm_7NsKa71QIV1ouzCh3Hpw_cEAAYASAAEgLQdfD_BwE

put in the degree that you are thinking of and you can see the employer's wishlist in the job ad!

[NeuroTypical]

9 hours ago, Fether said:

I wonder how useful survival skills are?

Gasp!  Questioning the zombie prepper mindset - are you crazy?  

In all serious though, "survival skills" (which cover a pretty broad range) aren't useful until they're needed, then they're what matters most.   It doesn't have to be all apocalypse and melodrama though.  

Folks driving through the mountains might have a breakdown and just need to spend 2 days not dying until help arrives.  Survival skills = already having a car bag with stuff that allows them to do that, and knowing what to do and not do. 

Massive blizzard/hurricane/tornado/etc shuts off power to half a million people spanning three counties, and people may be stuck in shelters or at home for a week or two.  Survival skills = already having a supply of food/water/things to cover basic needs, and knowing what to do and not do.

Survival skills around humans: Don't walk down a friggin' dark alley at night flashing expensive jewelry absorbed in your iPhone.  Know a thing or two about situational awareness and how to spot potential threats.

Get the basic "how to not die or be a burden to others because your routine changes for 48 hours" stuff down, then we can talk about bugout retreats and eating mushrooms and sniper towers and stuff.  

[Fether]

 

15 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

 "how to not die or be a burden to others because your routine changes for 48 hours" 

My new favorite merit badge

Edited August 3, 2017 by Fether

[Sunday21]

But spreadsheets? What about spreadsheets?

[Fether]

Just now, Sunday21 said:

But spreadsheets? What about spreadsheets?

Pft... no body wants that badge. Sounds worst than citizenship in the nation/community... I hated going to that terribly long meeting at the capital and writing that nonsensical letter to my senator.

No! Let's go shoot stuff and repel down pitch black caverns!

[Guest]

 

4 minutes ago, Fether said:

Pft... no body wants that badge. Sounds worst than citizenship in the nation/community... I hated going to that terribly long meeting at the capital and writing that nonsensical letter to my senator.

No! Let's go shoot stuff and repel down pitch black caverns!

My least favorite merit badge was canoeing.

I kept rowing in circles.  I never could figure out how to row the stupid canoe in a straight line . . . 

I was also told by my merit badge instructor that I was "dangerous in a canoe" and, while he would give me the merit badge, that I should "never go canoeing on my own."  I was 13 years old.

Edited August 3, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[anatess2]

2 minutes ago, zil said:

Everyone should be trained to be in the 2nd group.

Of course.  But we're talking about boys here.

And on this account, I was just talking to the writer of the Why I'm a Feminist article and she expressed that women are scared to go anywhere alone.  She expressed that she hopes there won't be any bad men so women will not be scared.

I told her that's not realistic.  The fact of the matter is, women are physically weak so it follows that most victims of physical abuse are women.  How a feminist can mitigate this problem is for mothers to raise men who are warriors - protectors of society.  How the feminist movement have exacerbated this problem is in their quest for equality they have made women believe that they are just as strong as men and therefore the protective instinct that we cultivate in young men is eroding - we have been putting men in situations where they have to physically attack a woman, e.g. demanding some girl play football in a boy team, Rousey saying she can go in a ring with Mayweather... etc. etc.  We can raise strong women without causing us to raise weak men.

So yes, an integral part of that survival skillset in boys is Warrior skills.  Women and children first on the boats.

[Guest MormonGator]

The big thing I'd like the Boy Scouts to teach is daily, practical advice. Sure it's nice to be able to start a fire using only your magnifying glass, but it won't help you in your day to day life much. Instead, why not teach basic social skills? How to tie a tie. How to make yourself likable. How to get along with people. How to balance a checkbook. How not to make a fool of yourself in a big city. Things like that. 

Edited August 3, 2017 by MormonGator

[Backroads]

Pedestrian traffic skills, how to navigate a community.

Basic gardening.

First aid.

Basic sewing.

Home repair.

Car maintenance.

 

[Sunday21]

47 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

 

My least favorite merit badge was canoeing.

I kept rowing in circles.  I never could figure out how to row the stupid canoe in a straight line . . . 

I was also told by my merit badge instructor that I was "dangerous in a canoe" and, while he would give me the merit badge, that I should "never go canoeing on my own."  I was 13 years old.

I also go circles in canoes. Hopeless. No matter how hard I try, circles. Many of my friends were competent canoeists at 5 years old. They had to be because they lived on islands for at least part of the year.

[Sunday21]

25 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Of course.  But we're talking about boys here.

And on this account, I was just talking to the writer of the Why I'm a Feminist article and she expressed that women are scared to go anywhere alone.  She expressed that she hopes there won't be any bad men so women will not be scared.

I told her that's not realistic.  The fact of the matter is, women are physically weak so it follows that most victims of physical abuse are women.  How a feminist can mitigate this problem is for mothers to raise men who are warriors - protectors of society.  How the feminist movement have exacerbated this problem is in their quest for equality they have made women believe that they are just as strong as men and therefore the protective instinct that we cultivate in young men is eroding - we have been putting men in situations where they have to physically attack a woman, e.g. demanding some girl play football in a boy team, Rousey saying she can go in a ring with Mayweather... etc. etc.  We can raise strong women without causing us to raise weak men.

So yes, an integral part of that survival skillset in boys is Warrior skills.  Women and children first on the boats.

I have several times tried to go for the free self-defense courses that are offered in most cities here...but the first class is always a long-winded ramble about ...I am not at all sure what they are going on about. If anyone attacks me, I will try to bore them to death. That's my only hope.

[zil]

33 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Of course.  But we're talking about boys here.

13 hours ago, SpiritDragon said:

I thought it might be interesting to discuss what life skills people think would be useful to incorporate into a program to help young men and women develop into well-rounded, self reliant men and women.

Per the OP, we're talking about both.

[anatess2]

6 minutes ago, Sunday21 said:

I have several times tried to go for the free self-defense courses that are offered in most cities here...but the first class is always a long-winded ramble about ...I am not at all sure what they are going on about. If anyone attacks me, I will try to bore them to death. That's my only hope.

Betcha they were rambling about things like - spatial awareness, or mental discipline, or when to fight and when to flee, etc. etc... very important stuff.