Managing the Scouts on Your Philmont New Mexico Tour



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Managing the Scouts

Managing the Trip

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Wear Your Uniform

Everyone, Scouts and adult leaders, should wear a Scout uniform all the time while on tour in public places. I was at first skeptical on this, imagining a bus load of hot sweaty teens in three-day-old uniforms, but now I am a believer. Uniforms promote group cohesiveness and you will be surprised how many conversations and pleasant interactions with strangers occur while in a Scout uniform. Have the boys bring a clean undershirt for every day and do laundry upon arrival at Philmont.

Activity, Activity, Activity

Our guys held up well for a full day of activity every day from 7 AM to 9 PM and even longer. Be sure to plan at least some truly active time for each day, whether that is a hike, a walking tour as at Bandelier or UNM, or frisbee at a campsite or on the UNM athletic fields. The Scouts' attention for less-active events is limited. One museum a day is enough.

A Scout is Courteous

Scouts should be reminded that they are entering an area with people from different cultures. They should not make comments that stereotype individual people as "Spanish", "Indians", or "Anglos" or refer to any of these ethnic groups in an unfavorable way. "Mexican" means someone from Mexico; Hispanic Americans -- and particularly New Mexicans whose ancestors were here 300 or 400 years ago -- don't want to be referred to as Mexican. In New Mexico, in contrast to the history of some other southwestern states, persons of Spanish descent have always played very important and extensive roles in state politics, life, and culture. New Mexicans are very proud of the state's mixed culture and the contributions of all three of the major ethnic groups, and others as well.

Be especially respectful in and around churches. While they can be tourist attractions, they are still places of worship. At the Pueblos and at Indian dances be aware of the possible religious significance of the ceremonies and places (e.g., the stream at Taos Pueblo). Common courtesy and respect will go a long way toward avoiding any problems.

Be aware of your surroundings and effects on others when traveling in a group. Don't block the way for others when standing together in busy public places. Assist others in getting past by making room, opening doors, etc. Be considerate of others at fast food restaurants. Call ahead with a "heads up" when possible, and otherwise do what you can to facilitate quick service for the group with minimal impact on others. We made sure to keep at least one line open for the other customers so we were not blocking access to the whole service counter.

Scout Responsibility

We gave our Scouts a fair amount of freedom to shop and explore on their own in the plazas, museums, and other places of interest. We required every Scout to have a wristwatch and used a buddy system to help ensure that everyone showed up at the proper place and time for bus pickup. We also let the Scouts know that anyone missing a designated pick-up time or showing up without a buddy would be with an adult supervisor for the remainder of the trip. We had no problems.

PG-13 or R on the Road

The bus or van you charter may have a video player, which the boys (and adults) will want to use for action movies on the longer legs of the trip. You will need a policy about when this is appropriate and when it is an unwelcome distraction. The boys do get somewhat bored on a long ride. But it is silly to pay for a trip and then spend much of the time watching movies you could see at home while the scenery and sights pass by your window unobserved. Also, unless you want to rely on what the bus driver brings from home, you may want to bring along a movie or two with appropriate content.

If you want a movie with a northern New Mexico theme and scenery consider The Milagro Beanfield War (R, 1988). Other movies filmed in New Mexico include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Newman and Redford (PG, 1969), Silverado with Kevin Kline (PG-13, 1985), Contact with Jodie Foster (PG, 1997), and City Slickers with Billy Crystal and Jack Palance (PG-13, 1991). Many videos are available used for $3 to $4 from Half.com or Amazon.com.



"Just before we went in to eat I was sitting out on a stone wall with a few Scouts. We started waving at cars slowly passing by. The next thing you know people are taking our pictures, and talking to us. It was really cool for the boys. They realized that they were the center of attention because of their uniforms."
Mike
Assistant Scoutmaster