One of the critical aspects of participating in groups such as Boy Scouts and other, similar organizations is that participation is generally limited to young people, typically meaning under-18 but a few might go up to 20 or 21. I sort of miss this type of experience and think it could be a boon for adults who need to get in shape, or just need a little motivation with something interesting and palpable to reach for. E.g. a somewhat casual group where I can meet people, learn to canoe, get a canoeing badge, go hike a somewhat-short mountain with a bunch of fellow middle-aged office workers and actually burn off some of that fat, wear silly uniforms, and sing old folk tunes by the fire.
Are there any adult-focused groups that are similar to Scouting, other than the obvious becoming a scout in the actual armed services?
To help you understand what I’m talking about, an adult scouting group would ideally have some or most of the following traits, but no specific trait is absolutely vital. Try to consider the intent behind my question.
Emphasis on sporting and/or outdoors activities.
Not just an ordinary employment or schooling opportunity. E.g. not a bachelor’s degree program in Physical Education, or an ordinary job as a landscaper.
Emphasizes competition against oneself and/or against objective standards rather than pitting members against each other. E.g. an opportunity to earn progressive levels of canoeing badges as you gain skills and competence rather than an annual canoe race where a few winners get awards and everyone else gets nothing.
Scout-like merit badges and/or ranks where almost everyone can get a few, rather than a situation where a handful of extraordinary people are recognized (e.g. Hiker of the Year) and everyone else gets nothing.
Self-paced to some degree - e.g. I can decide to spend X weekends working toward upgrading my Level 1 Pistol Skills Badge to a Level 2 Pistol Skills Badge, rather than being forced into a six-week, full time firearms training course that begins on March 5.
Allows a fairly significant opportunity to learn varied skills or do new, interesting things, rather than just do the same thing over and over. E.g. not just signing up for Karate classes and getting a few belts, because Karate is pretty much the only thing you can do there.
In other words, I’m interested in getting some exercise, meeting some new people, learning a few skills, earning a few badges that I can put on my resume or hang on my wall, and overall having a good time without a lot of pressure.
Checking your local colleges/universities for outdoor workshops (run as auxiliary programs for all community members, student or not, that usually run for a few days or a few weekends at a time)
On a vacation, joining a Sierra Club or REI.com outing
These mostly lack the structure of scouting (unless you’re an adult leading a similar group), but they do have the skill-building and meet-new-people aspects. Their primary difference is that they’re far more specialized and targeted towards particular activities, rather than “building character and skills” together.
Thanks. I’ll check it out. It looks like it doesn’t really have merit badges and ranks, at least not many of them, but it offers opportunities to “go on an adventure” that isn’t too hard and that is supposed to be a lot of fun.
Lots of people. It’s not really any different than people who spend lots of time leveling up their MMORPG character or working toward higher martial arts ranks. Some people don’t have the time, or the money. Some people do. And going on a canoe trip isn’t that expensive for middle class folk. It’s probably cheaper to do a two-day canoe trip down a local river than it is to fly to Florida for the week, and thousands of people do that every year.
I grew up in the boy scouts of America program through my church. I never became an eagle scout because scouting wasn’t my top priority. I have always been under the impression that scouting is a tool used to teach young adults life skills. So a similar group for adults should almost be unnecessary unless you change a number of scouting’s basic tenants.
Not much as far as merit badges, but have you looked into the local search & rescue organizations? They do have a regular meeting time for classroom education & often some weekend training exercises. Most of them have an informal physical training set up that is a weekly event. Around here there are at least three such organizations; The Sheriff’s posse (both unmounted & mounted, some with horses, some with ATVs, & some with just boots), another that is affiliated with a local hunting group, & one affiliated with a local motorcycle club. Of course you would be expected to show up for some of the real searches.
Then there are auxiliaries to the US military. The two I am familiar with are the USCG auxiliary & the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) USAF auxiliary. Both of these have ranks & medals. Both require background checks & for you to pay for your own uniform. Both of them have certificates that you can proudly display on your office wall. Both have cadet programs as well as search & rescue missions. They also promote education to the general public about their different transportation slants. USCG AUX teaches safe boating and the CAP educates folks about aviation.
There are other quasi-military groups that one can join & get merit badges for. I am not sure that you would want to display some of these on the office wall though.
IHTH, 48.
Are you thinking about forming your own orgainization?
Seconding the idea to call your local scout council office and see what volunteer opportunities there are. My council always a few troops that are looking for adults to serve as assistant scoutmasters just so there are enough adults to take the kids camping. Once the kids go to bed, the adult time starts (but no smoking or drinking in scouts!) Lots of adults stay in scouting even after their sons age out just for the camaraderie.
Adults can’t really earn merit badges, but one way to “earn” them is to get skilled enough to teach them (along with other outdoor skills). There are also week-long camping and training programs aimed at adults to build skills, such as Philmont training center and Wood Badge. In lots of ways you can stay as busy as you have time for.
American Youth Hostels. They aren’t all totally about hitch-hiking around the country. Our local one was basically like a BSA for grown-ups back 20 years ago when I dropped away.
Thirded. Volunteer for a local Scouting organization. I’m on my troop’s committee (all adults) and we get to be as much, or as little, involved in the troop’s activities as we wish: camps, hikes, service projects, outings, game nights, ski trips, merit badge counseling, etc. I’m an approved counselor for five merit badges myself.
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has local chapters up and down the east coast with committees for all sorts of activities (Hiking, Skiing, Kayaking, Biking, Mountaineering, Windsurfing) plus several aimed and younger or older folks. No merit badges, but you can be qualified to lead certain types of trips (3 season vs 4 season for hiking) and take training courses during the process.
I used to be active in the Skiing and Hiking committees, leading trips and instructing, in the Boston area. Lots of opportunities there.
Going back to the top of the thread I would also suggest Outward Bound. It is an intense short term thing, but really impactful. I did it when I was 16 and again when I was 40. It deeply touched me both times.
