Scouting out a bright path for our industry
While I was a Brownie for a year or two in elementary school, it wasn’t my path to a love of the outdoors. I didn’t realize what an incredible impact Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts can have on kids until later in life. In my 20s, when I was dating my husband, I had a chance to attend quite a few Boy Scout ceremonies to cheer on his younger brother, Chad, who would eventually go on to achieve Eagle Scout. Over the years, I learned a lot about what was involved, from wilderness trips and fundraisers to the earning of patches of all colors, shapes and sizes. Most of all, I was impressed with how the program exposed kids to all kinds of experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
That’s why I was so excited to see that Take Me Fishing has introduced a Scout Patch Program. The three patches introduced are the Passport Patch (which requires Cub Scouts and Scouts aged 6 to 11 to complete a six-step program that teaches them how to be knowledgeable, safe and confident when fishing and boating), the First Catch Patch (which requires Cub Scouts and Scouts aged 6 to 11 to organize a fishing trip using the resources on TakeMeFishing.org) and the Mentor Patch (which requires Scouts aged 12 to 17 to organize a fishing trip for newcomers to the sport)
Studies have shown that 90 percent of adult outdoor enthusiasts were introduced to nature-based activities between the ages of five and 18. That’s certainly true for me. The boating, waterskiing, hiking and camping that I did with my family and at summer camp when I was growing up is what got me hooked. And it’s what gets me so excited to share them with my son.
If our industry wants a bright future, we need more of these types of initiatives. In fact, I suggest boat dealers and marinas contact their local Scout troops to find out how they can be a part of this program or Scouting activities in general. If you can get these kids and their families hooked on boating this year, your business – and the industry at large – will reap the rewards for many years to come. For more information, visit TakeMeFishing.org/Scouts.
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Tags: Boating, children, Fishing, Growth, Marine Dealers, Take Me Fishing
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By
Ed Lofgren, January 15, 2010 @ 11:11 am
Love this idea. Why didnt I think of it as a former Scout and Scout leader myself? Some of my most memorable experiences as a human being are the Scout “ventures’ that i had and the comraderie I enjoyed in the process. As Liz said, it helped shape who i am today. —Still a believer in the Scout oath (“trustworthy, loyal..”) and motto (be prepared!).
By
Chuck Guthrie, January 15, 2010 @ 11:30 am
It is a good idea. I am a ex-scout leader and Eagle scout (1964).
I taught fishing, boating and rowing merit badges.
Also did a lot of the citizenship badges.
Introduced a lot of kids to the marine environment.
My son who is now a young salesman and a Eagle scout himself might want to restart
the merit badge counselor thing we did before….
Chuck
Happy New Year….
Boat show time again.
By
Noel Osborne, January 16, 2010 @ 6:44 am
Liz
That is a great idea. I would not just limit it to scouting. Our dealers should think about all youth groups, teams, etc. as a potential source for future boaters. When my daughter ran a marine dealership in Pennsylvania she would take challenged young children on boating trips. The publicity was awesome.
By
Martin Boyer, January 18, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
What an amazing group for our industry to connect with and start building relationships for the future. They are certainly an admirable group and worthy of our attention.