Wait, what??
Luke Nichols — yes, that Luke from the insanely popular Outdoor Boys YouTube channel — has been called to serve on an advisory council for a new church committee focused on strengthening the Young Men of our faith. Like… seriously?! I couldn’t be more excited!
Ever since Scouting ended in the LDS Church, the “replacement” program has fallen flat on its face, in my opinion. What once helped prepare these young men for life has yet to transition into something of equal benefit or meaningful impact. In fact, I’d say it hurt.
Even in my current role as Elders Quorum Activity Coordinator, where I was specifically asked to focus on more physical outdoor-oriented adventures, interest has been weak at best — a reflection of how few are willing to do hard things anymore.
Prepared for Life
Thinking about a post I did 10 years ago, the point was, and still is, this:
If it weren’t for scouts most boys wouldn’t hike, camp, play in the dirt, cook their own meals, learn to survive in the wilderness, treat hypothermia, separate from their families for short stints of time when they would rather not, completely unplug from technology, learn to live without mom by their side doing everything for them, camp with a bunch of kids that aren’t necessarily their friends and end up with lifelong relationships by the end of the week, learn to serve each other, and listen to us old guys give them instruction and rules to follow all day long…
Scouting helps our boys do hard things in a world that caters to their ease. It helps them get out of their perfectly inhibiting comfort zone and dabble in areas of discomfort which in turn triggers growth in order for them to adapt. Whether they are ready for it or not, scouting provides essential skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
I agreed with this perspective then, and feel even more strongly about it now, having watched the changes that followed the absence of Scouting in the lives of this generation.
It’s time to get back back to building boys—outdoor boys—that are better prepared for life.
