Empathy Print

The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA focus on the development of whole people.  We want our Scouts to be physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, and therefore we offer opportunities for our Scouts to develop their skills and become whole people.

 

Sympathy and Empathy

 

One of the emotional skills we develop is empathy.  Sympathy and empathy are similar, however sympathy focuses on the skill of being able to feel for someone who has a challenge or has had something unfortunate happen in their lives.  Empathy adds the skill of being able to personally understand what that person is going through. butterfly on child's fingertip

 

Scout Interaction

 

Because our Scout Programs are fully nondiscriminatory, our Scouts get the opportunity to broaden their horizons by interacting with Scouts from differing backgrounds, such as differing ethnicity.

 

We ask all our Scouts to give their best, and we recognize that one Scout’s best is not the same as another’s.  Witnessing our Scouts with challenges giving their best is an inspiration to our Scouts and volunteers alike.  By interacting with other Scouts who differ from themselves, our Scouts develop an appreciation for the circumstances of others.

 

Constructive Criticism

 

We have all heard of constructive criticism, but the word “criticism” does not accurately describe the support our Scouts give each other.

 

Our Scouts are asked to respect each other.  We ask them to avoid humor about the physical attributes of others, and while we understand that youth, like all of us, are not perfect, we take insults regarding identity and background very seriously. 

 

In keeping with our principle of making our Scout Programs by our Scouts and for our Scouts, Scouts evaluate the efforts of each other during Challenges.  Scouts are also asked if they gave their best during their demonstrations.  As the members of each team know each other well, their fellow Scouts will also know the answer to that question.friends

 

When a Scout is not meeting the skill level they are trying to achieve or needs help in some way, we encourage our Scouts to help each other.  Evaluation of each other’s Challenges does not consist of a one word “pass or fail.”  As members of a team, our Scouts have the responsibility to help each other succeed.  We advocate our Scouts constantly give each other feedback and support each other with constructive support.  We support our Scouts Giving their Best by encouraging them to improve upon their efforts, and making sure our Scouts encourage each other.