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These are words Scouts Canada should consider closely. Baden-Powell's Scout Law, Promise and program in general have all been changed too much. His moral standards don't match those of the average youth today, and so B.P.'s standards have been watered down to attract more people.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not many decades old and strongly against change. I'm a youth with fourteen years in Scouting.

In recent years I've noticed some pretty disturbing activities. I've been to Scout camps where I've seen drug deals and Venturers using LSD and other narcotics. I've seen Venturers who have sneaked into the nearest town and returned with stolen goods in their pockets, with the smell of alcohol on their breath.

At the World Jamboree in Holland, my troop's campsite entrance was vandalized. Nearby, a British Scout was pushed to the ground by two other Scouts and robbed of his necker. My leader and I had crests ripped off our Scout blankets while we were wearing them.

Whatever happened to the Scouting spirit?

As Scouting members, it is our duty to show B.P. the honour he showed us. He searched far and wide to find the best values in many different cultures, then combined them into one 10-point Law - a Law that would make a better person of anyone who followed it. Its two most important values involve trust and honour.

Baden-Powell himself wrote to Scouts everywhere about this: "I know I can trust you to do everything you possibly can to keep your Scout Promise."

Sure, if Scouting in Canada become more purist, membership would likely decrease. However, a dozen shiny apples are much more appealing than a truck load of rotten ones.

Perhaps it's time we returned to our roots.

- Chris Wilson, Uxbridge, ON.

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