The Little Keeo: A Lesson in Leadership

Jonas and I spent another wonderful weeked at camp with the Scouts and Beaver Scouts this weekend. It was a great couple of days and a special opportunity for Jonas. You see, the Cub Scouts weren't part of this camp. Jonas was one of three Cubs, called Keeos, who came to help with the Beaver Scouts. It's a very special role, designed to teach them a bit about leadership. Intended for older Cub, Keeos help both the Beavers and Leaders, as sort of a Junior Leader. (Or, in Jonas's case, sort of Junior Junior Leader.) Their most important responsibility is being a good role model for the Beavers. That can be a tall order for 8-10 year olds and Jonas was very excited about the opportunity.


Jonas and another of our Keeos encouraging the Beaver Scouts with their leathercraft.

Although the other two Keeos join our Beaver meetings every week, this was Jonas's first chance to take on the role, a reward for working so hard in school and in Cubs. Opportunities like this are an added benefit of being a Leader's child, but not something that we'll continue if he doesn't rise to the challenge. It's not fair to anyone to put him in a position that he's not ready for, especially him, so we considered this a well-supervised trial.

Jonas enjoying the warmth of the campfire, waiting his turn to roast a marshmallow.

So, how did it go?

Pretty well for his first time. He did a great job playing with the Beavers, assisting with cabin chores, and helping on our hikes and with crafts. He's still young though, and has a hard time understanding that what's fair for a five year old isn't the same as for an eight year old, and that just because one Keeo doesn't follow the rules doesn't mean that he can do the same. Waiting for his marshmallow at the campfire while the other Keeos and then the Beavers got theirs first, and being chosen last for the games we played, were hard for him.  He had a few tears but overall, I'd say he did very well. More importantly, when I asked him what he thought of the weekend, he "It was great!"

Cheers!