Re: Dunk tank? HAZING? NEED ADVICE!
Posted by ScouterMike on January 26, 2025 at 23:32:56
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in Reply to: Dunk tank? HAZING? NEED ADVICE! posted by SwimmerBen on January 17, 2025 at 01:45:49:
Hi - so, I actually might know things about this. I don't post here much, but I've been involved in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for a long time, from when I was a kid, up through now when I'm an adult leader. I won't claim to be an expert, but I usually do hear about new rules and regulations that are put out at the national level.
TLDR: I'm not aware of any rule at the national level that would prohibit a scout troop running a dunk tank. That said, there may well be rules in your local area that are unique and more restrictive than what the national organization puts out. (Its also possible that there is some rule that I'm just not aware of, so don't put all your trust in me, some random guy on the internet).
Having said that - the BSA has cracked down on a bunch of activities in the past couple years, in the name of addressing hazing. Some of the specific things that might be relevant here: they've banned campfire skits that involve dumping/squirting water on someone, skits or activities that involve throwing objects at someone else, and anything involving food that is used for anything other than eating. They've also banned any fundraisers that are "games of chance" (eg, raffles.) Some of this is change for the better. For example, there used to be a popular campfire skit that involved one boy spitting mouthfuls of water at another boy. I fully believe that this was not an appropriate skit for a multitude of reasons, and I'm not sad to see it go. This also eliminates stuff like pie in the face games, water balloons, etc.
On the other hand, and this is just my own opinion, I do think that sometimes blanket bans can go too far. By the time you're in boy scouts - especially when you get to that 14-15-16+ age range - I believe that you can make your own decision about whether you want to do a slapstick skit where you get a pie in the face, or if you want to participate in a water balloon fight, etc. I believe that we as leaders who know the kids we work with can do a good job of identifying when an activity is done with the intent to embarass or humiliate someone, and when its being done voluntarily by all involved. For example, a couple years back my troop was doing a raffle, and our SPL (the youth leader who was in charge of the troop) volunteered to let a one of the prizes be a chance to pie him in the face. It was his idea, he was excited and eager to do it. I believe it was his little brother who won the raffle and got to smash the pie into his face, and obviously that was a big hit. But today, this activity would be banned for multiple reasons.
To me, a dunk tank is the kind of thing that we can expect the boys in the boys scouts to volunteer for, or not. I agree with the other poster who pointed out that it can be a gray area, and I think its important that responsible adult leaders monitor the activity and put a stop to any inappropriate behavior. But there's no reason to prohibit kids from participating in a game like this, AS LONG AS ITS VOLUNTARY. When my troop has run a dunk tank in the past, probably 3/4 of the boys were eager to volunteer to take a turn getting dunk. Of course, not everyone wanted to, and that's totally fine. There were probably multiple reasons why some boys weren't comfortable or didn't want to participate, but its entirely their choice to make. And I think as long as they aren't feeling pressured, then its not hazing.
Not sure if this helps, but I wish you good luck in your talk with your scoutmaster and I hope you can reach an agreeable solution.