The law of the scout movement
Rituals strengthen a community and remind people of the agreements that apply. This is confirmed by Isabel Mutti, Cantonal Director of Pfadi Canton Bern.
In "Pfadi", children from a wide variety of backgrounds meet every week to form a close-knit community. How important are shared values and agreements? Isabel Mutti: In order to lead a group and keep it together, you need agreements and basic values about behavior and beliefs in the group. They make people responsible, create identification and convey a sense of togetherness. The common goal is the first agreement. A community cannot exist without a goal and tasks.
How can commitments and rituals help with the task of being the main leader? A main leader promotes the children's social and personal skills. Rituals help her to strengthen the group's sense of community. If the goal is lost sight of, tasks remain unfinished or agreements are not kept, common rituals can "show the right way" again. Commitments - understood as a joint declaration of intent - can be used to define and document the progress of the group or the individual.
What are commitments most likely to be for you: a management tool, a team-building tool or a set of measures for discipline? A bit of everything. As a leader, I can use agreements to steer the group in a desired direction. So it's a management tool. The joint development and binding nature of the commitment means that the wishes and demands of the group can be taken into account. In this sense, it is an instrument for team building. However, it is also a disciplinary measure if agreements are broken.
How do you go about introducing a new ritual? Do you dictate it or do the children come up with it on their own? Whether I prescribe a ritual, whether it is a wish of the children or group, or whether it arises in group life, is very different for me. For me, there can and should be all three types of creation. It is often not possible to make a clear distinction anyway. In our scout group, for example, all the children take it in turns to draw and write down the afternoons they have spent in a group book. The basis, namely the book, comes from me. How the children design it is up to them. A second example is the "Scout Law". The basic ritual is exactly the same everywhere. When it is said or how it is practiced is handled differently in all scout sections. The group therefore helps to shape the ritual.
What exactly is the Scout Law? The law is a set of rules for living together. It is based on the aims of the Scout movement and reads: Be open and honest; understand and respect others; offer our help; seek and pass on joy; make decisions and take responsibility. In order for rules, rituals or commitments to be adhered to, members must understand the meaning of these rules. It must be clear to them what the individual points mean. Only then can they adhere to them. This does not only apply to scouts. Our "law" is often a guideline for life far beyond scouting.
Source reference:
Content: Jugend+Sport, mobile 1, Dec. 2004, COMMITMENTS
copyright: www.mobile-sport.ch
Picture: www.juropa.net
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