Doing a good turn. In its simplest sense doing a good turn is doing something nice or helpful for someone else without expectation of anything in return.
Show Notes:
- Stories of Scouts doing Good Turns when they think nobody’s watching – Bryan on Scouting (Link)
- 12 Simple Random Acts of Kindness Ideas for Cub Scouts (Link)
- Christian Eagle Challenge Coin (Amazon.com)
- Artisan Owl Replica 1900s Boy Scout Pocket Token Coin (Amazon.com)
- Northwest Territorial Mint Don’t Tread on Me – Liberty Bell Challenge Coin (Amazon.com)
Transcript:
Doing a good turn. In its simplest sense doing a good turn is doing something nice or helpful for someone else without expectation of anything in return.
When I think of it, I think back to the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent adventure, and the catch phrase “Be excellent to each other.”, which really encompasses the same thought. Be nice, be kind, be thoughtful.
It is what we hope to instill in all youth, to make this place just a little bit better.
As stated by James E West, Chief Scout Executive in 1928,
“While Scouts should not be expected to ‘parade’ their services, it would be helpful if Scout Leaders, parents, and others would encourage boys in the doing of Good Turns, and recognize the difference between normal household and other chores, and actual Good Turns. Selfishness is almost a universal evil. Certainly it is overcome by the Scout Program, which is based upon the development of service for others, and the Daily Good Turn is an important factor in the development of a habit of service and attitude of mind which offset a tendency to selfishness.”
Through the act of doing a good turn we reinforce the values of scouting, and hopefully provide an example for good in the world.
There are many ways to do a good turn, everything from the classic walking an old lady across the street, to holding the door open for the person behind you.
Doing a good turn however can be hard, especially for youth, who nowadays get most things done for them outside of scouts, with much of their day planned in advance for them.
This limits their opportunity to pick their heads up and look around and realize that the world does not exist solely for their benefit.
A good turn lets scouts and people in general think about others.
Practically, the good turn daily is a mechanism in scouting to put some parameters around thinking about others and doing for others by the simple phrase, “Do a good turn, daily”
There are lots of ways to enforce this within your own pack, troop or crew, by simply asking. It can be a bit of social engineering, but asking weekly, and scouts may start to do it, just so they have something to report when asked. Hopefully this will lead to a habitual event.
Doing a good turn is actually intertwined with a good part of the scout oath and law. When you break it down. I promise to do my best – to help other people at all times – sounds familiar – to keep myself mentally awake – you get my drift.
Because if scouts are paying attention to what is around them they will find lots of opportunities big and small to do a good turn.
But doing a good turn doesn’t only need to be focused at a person or a group. It can be as simple as staying on a path to not ruin someone’s grass, or picking up a piece of litter even if its’ not yours.
Another way to encourage doing a good turn is through challenge coins. These coins can be purchased in the scout shop.
These can be purchase for as little as $2 and I’ve seen them for as much as $55. It’s a nice gift for bridging cub scouts, and can reinforce the do-a-good-turn idea, by simply having the scout, or leader for that matter, keep the coin in their pocket, and once they do a good turn, to take the coin from one pocket, and place it in the other side pocket.
It emphasizes scouting, and doing a good turn.
But this is what works for us.
Take what you like and leave the rest, and as we say in Woodbadge, feedback is a gift, leave yours below in the comments, with the hope we can all learn together.
I’m Scoutmaster Dave, and this was a little on doing a good turn.
