I would echo most of what was said above, and there are some incredibly good ideas!

As someone who has spent his life in law enforcement and about ten years as a call firefighter/EMT, there is one area I need to touch on. Namely, not just safety from an accident prevention point of view, but also not becoming part of someone else's emergency/scene safety/knowing when not to get involved.

I realize we are talking about young people and general preparedness for the challenges that life may give us, however I observe above (and agree with) some emphasis on dealing with emergency situations, so I need to say my piece. pedaler mentioned electrical safety briefly, a couple posts ago. That is the tip of the iceberg.

I am all for teaching skills and familiarity in order to inspire confidence, but I think it is critical to make sure that the kids realize the limits of their training and experience. My greatest concern being those who get overconfident and think that their first aid or fire extinguisher training qualify them to take on the roles of firefighters or EMS personnel when they are truly the first person on scene. That being said, teach the young people when not to approach a scene and when not to even attempt to make a diagnosis of what happened. Situations such as electrical hazards, CO poisoning, other airborne poisonous gases, etc. For example, if the child sees a person down with what appears to be a wire touching them, it's time to back off a safe distance and call the professionals and not attempt to touch the person or the wire. Or if someone is down in a garage where chemicals are stored and there may be something toxic in the air, realize scene safety is questionable and leave the area to call for help. All too often I have dealt with secondary victims who were just trying to help the primary victim, but did not realize that the scene was not safe until it was too late.

Excellent point, and a beef I used to have with the a lot of first aid training I've seen - too much tunnel vision based on the goals of the course. "Survey the scene," "Primary survey," "secondary survey" should always be the overarching framework.

Wow, some amazing ideas provided.  I wish I had these teachings when I was younger!

A little off topic but something you may want to consider....

In our similar Ministry (off road motorcycling) we have a tradition of recognizing when a boy transitions to manhood - about 15 or 16 years of age.

The senior men in the group and the father of the young man go on a one night camping trip together.

We all sit around the fire at night and each man is responsible for speaking over the young man with relevant scripture to convey the importance and significance of manhood. Any spiritually based direction is welcomed.

After each man has spoken, the group presents the young man with a sword to hang on their wall in remembrance of the occasion.

We believe this better prepares a young man for the future, what manhood means and what will be expected of him.

Most cultures have some form of formal transition from boyhood to manhood. The USA has almost completely lost sight of this. Probably why we have so many Betas and snowflakes.

I have yet to see a young man that wasn't deeply moved by this.

Great thread,. This is a worthy labor of love, OP. So many fathers, even if present, do not teach their sons to become men.



I must admit I got a little misty eyed just reading that.

In a related vein, no one (outside of some martial arts classes) teaches kids "situational awareness".
The world is not a safe comfy place to roam around, two of the things I had a hard time getting through my daughters head were, "Watch where you are putting your feet." and "Pay attention to what is going on around you, not just what you are doing.".

Fishing

Cooking has been mentioned, but I think it needs to be expanded on.

Kids need to know how to cook from scratch, nut just reheat stuff.  I know of some Scout troops that use pre-cooked bacon so no one can get sick from undercooked meat.

Cooking at home is important, too, not just over a campfire, but cooking over a campfire reinforces that fire is a tool and not a toy and needs to be respected.  It also makes everything taste better.

The Scout troop I work with did a campout several years ago where a local chicken producer brought some chickens and taught how to kill, pluck, and clean a bird.  Some of the boys were hunters, but most were not.  It was a real eye-opener for them.

Thanks for all the good replies.  I have already included some of these in our hand out we are giving to parents of the new boys as possible topics for the future.

Our first meeting with boys from outside the church is this coming Tuesday.  We have 3 coming from the local Children's home - this might be a good source of boys in the future that need a good influence.  We have several moms that have contacted us recently via the Trail Life website, interesting in visiting with their boys.  

I ordered stuff to make name badges on Amazon, they turned out fairly well.  The church has a nice color laser printer that I can use.  There is extra space on the name badge, so when each boy passes a "competency" in an area, then he will get a little icon on his badge with a symbol for that area - we will just reprint him a new badge.  So far that seems the best way to award accomplishments at the least cost for everyone.  (like a little fire icon for the first level of "fire making" and a different color flame for the second level.  A bow for archery, etc etc.

We are trying to keep the cost very minimal to all the boys, as we know some of them come from families that can't afford very much extra.  Several of us have lots of equipment at least for camping and fishing to start with.

An amazing project you are taking on.  Don't forget resources from established community service organizations.  Lions Clubs International is my personal favorite (25+ years).  If you are in need of assistance for children that are on public assistance, Lions Clubs may be interested in helping.  

My suggestion is to ask them for specifics like "We are in need of used camping equipment and outdoor supplys like back packs/tents/canteens/compass'/sleeping bags/pots & pans for use on a camp fire."  You may be surprised at what they donate to your kids.  Thank you notes with pictures are usually appreciated along with a story of how and where you used their items.

See also Kiwanis/VFW's/AMVETS/Firehouses/PTA/Rotary/Masons etc.  I am sure there are many more to look into.  Many people have stuff laying around that is no longer in use, and can be rejuvinated.

Ask them all and politely accept EVERYTHING they offer.  I have offered people things and they said "No thank you, that is not what we want."  Sometimes taken as a slap in the face.

Bill

ETA. I saw you were from SC so here are some possible resources http://www.sciway.net/org/community/greenville.html#greenville-social

To take it one step further here- the logistics of food.  Meal planning (menu) for a group, grocery list, costs, utensils/equipment.  There's a lot that goes into it.  When I was in the scouts we came up with our meal plan the week prior to the camp out agreed on it as a patrol and the parents helped us buy the stuff.  Now that sam troop has degenerated into a bunch of individuals with food requirements (gluten free, blah blah blah) I get it if you truly are allergic to something otherwise, STFU and eat spaghetti with the rest of us! Apologies minor rant.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet, sewing- with an actual sewing machine.  Most of us grew up with home economic classes, most of those classes are gone now.  But the ability to run a stitch or sew a button is definitely useful.  I know they aren't ninja flipping assassin skills but they are relevant.

Project Appleseed does a great job teaching gun safety, marksmanship, and American History.  Good for responsible kids and very affordable.

Update added to first post.  

Perhaps it was mentioned previously in this thread, but knot tying might be a good introductory topic/skill to master to some degree. And there's tons of good booklets and videos out there to serve as teaching materials.

I noticed that quite a few folks mentioned stuff along the lines of "how to be a gentleman".  That's an excellent idea...and I don't know how far you want to take that topic...but a subject that would possibly fit within that topic might be some coaching on how to minimize the little head overruling the brain.  Both genders can be pretty damned aggressive...especially teens.  In terms of survival, guys need to know the "lay of the land"  (pun may have been intended) in terms of sexual conduct and the traps that a young guy can naively fall into. My own son is 28 now but as I think back on topics that I didn't cover well with him, this would be one.

Great topic, OP.  

I've been thinking about this subject myself.  What would I have wanted to know earlier; what would I want to pass on to others to make them more competent individuals?

Below are a few things I've been mulling over - some as a kind of lesson plan, others just as general philisophical rumblings that I think could be presented in a good talk and question session type discussion.

1. Situational awareness, and awareness in general.  

Help kids become aware of the world around them, their place in it, and the actions and possibilities of what their senses tell them is unfolding.

Have everyone close their eyes, then ask the following questions:  
How many people in the room?  Who is sitting behind you?
Where (point) to the nearest exit?  What about the next closest?
If the room was filled with smoke, would you know where it is?
What am I wearing?  If I was a criminal or terrorist, could you describe me?
What is the address of the current location?  Could you call the police or ambulance and direct them?  What about if you were driving?  Do you keep track of this while you drive?
Etc.  

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/02/05/how-to-develop-the-situational-awareness-of-jason-bourne/
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/03/15/10-tests-exercises-and-games-to-heighten-your-senses-and-situational-awareness/

Which ties nicely into

2. Human Behavior and body language.

I haven't thought of a good way to present this to kids, but I just finished reading Left Of Bang, and the explanation of body language clusters (comfortable/uncomfortable, dominant/submissive, interested/disinterested) was fascinating and would further encourage the awareness aspect presented above.  I think kids would enjoy learning that there is a "secret code" that they can read just by watching people.  

http://www.cp-journal.com/leftofbang/
http://academy.cp-journal.com/tactical-analysis-basic-course-programs/

3.  Rory Miller's "Facing Violence" break down.  
Again, I haven't formulated a lesson plan here, but social violence, aggression, posturing, and such are a large part of a boy or young man's life.  Miller breaks down the types of "social" violence (different from "predatory" violence, i.e. robbery, rape, etc.) as acts and rituals that have evolved with us as social animals.You'd have to come up with a good way to present this to teenagers, but I feel it would de-mystify what they might feel or why they might feel like they need to act in a certain situation.
Sample of Facing Violence


4.  Jack Donovan's "The Way Of Men"
The Way Of Men is the best description of masculinity that I've found that both rings true to me and is easy to understand.   Short summary:
Humans evolved in small tribal groups.  Men and women are biologically different.   As a small tribe huddled around a fire at night, men would stand at the perimeter between the light, warmth and safety of the fire, and the darkness and the danger it concealed.   As pack animals, we are not evolved to fight Or communicate - we have evolved to fight AND communicate.   "Masculinity" then is the collection of traits that men look for in other men that signify that they are someone you would want by your side as you place your body between your people and the unknown.  Is this guy strong?  Is he competent?  Is he brave?  Can I trust him?   When things get rough, masculinity is the survival trait that keeps humans alive - small groups of men coordinating for violence.    Questions: what are some examples today? How do you feel about this?  What are situations from history where this is the case?  Etc.
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Men-Jack-Donovan-ebook/dp/B007O0Y1ZE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1487713734&sr=1-1&keywords=way of men&tag=vglnk-c102-20

5. Teach these kids the Iliad and Beowulf.  Maybe find a good storyteller to come in and do a campfire presentation?  

6. Present everything in a vivid and imaginative perspective. Don't tell them "today we are making knots" or  "today we're doing first aid"  Create a scenario - what if our plane went down in the forest?  How do we help the people that are hurt?  What would we do for food?  Imagine we were mountain men, or vikings, or if the power went out.  Why would I need to do this? Make it interesting.   Present a reason for them to understand why this skill is important.

7.Just QA sessions where you play out interesting scenarios like a "choose your own adventure" book can be used to teach kids to think about actions and consequences two or three levels beyond what they currently do.   So many things today, especially on the internet, are present solutions as "hacks" - problem X?  Do Y!    Instead, present a scenario - lost in the woods, for example.  What do we do then?  Why?  Where do we go?  Send Tommy up a tree to see what's out there?  He fell and broke his femur.  Now we have to carry him, and if we don't get him out in a few days, he'll die. You'll have to bury him.  His parents will have a funeral and they'll use that school picture you just took, the one with your goofy haircut.  Everyone else will grow up and graduate and get married but not Tommy.  Maybe a little extreme and obviously tailored to your audience, but one of the most dangerous things about children (and many adults) is that they don't think of what their actions will lead to.  Life has no reset button.  It's not a video game.  Educate yourself, be aware and observant, and think things through.
Related material:
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Survival-Who-Lives-Dies-ebook/dp/B0028Z4LUU?tag=vglnk-c102-20

I'd probably have started with basic first aid, as it's pretty useful for the later stuff in case of severe foul-ups.

My suggested progression would be:
First aid: safety net for future skills.
Knife safety and use: they go hand in hand, and allow tool use for future skills.
Fire safety and starting: again, hand in hand, plus a knife is quite nice to have when getting prepwork done for a fire.
Shelter prep and setup/building: knowing where to put a tent or shelter is almost more important than how to put one up sometimes.
Cooking: both meal planning and prep over camp stove and open fire. Really sucks to not be able to make a good hot meal once you've got the fire going. Also do not let them choose simple things like hotdogs, challenge yourselves.
Orienteering: focus on map reading and compass use, but do touch on GPS as they're great tools, but can be a PITA if you're not familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.
Pioneering: working with rope, learning basic and useful knots and how to tie them properly, and how to use surrounding materials to tackle more difficult problems/constructions (some of this will help improve their shelter building skills).
Astronomy and Solar navigation: For if you're without a compass, also makes for some fun history lessons with the constellations.

There's tons more stuff to add to this, as well as balancing the content with what keeps them interested and what is available in your area. Remember to be flexible with your plans, as not every person progresses at the same rate, and excluding them from events or such tends to drive youths away. Also do not fear having more advanced youths teach the less advanced, quite often their peers can communicate ideas and skills to them far more efficiently than an adult instructor can.

Water pruification
Foraging edibles
Knots
Making shelter

Basic Carpentry
Basic plumbing
basic electrical
Basic computers & networking
OODA Loop analysis

There are a lot of skills that can be taught to young men simply by having them spend a day with a mentor at his job as a helper

One of the things that I have noticed is that many of those ideas follow students to school and back into the world. Just like other people, kids pick up on comments made by people around them and run with it. One of the things that I have learned from my students is that their most trusted information sources about world events include gossip and social media posts (not by people in traditional  positions of knowledge/authority but from peers and idols) to form opinons (i.e. going for mob like me mentality). The best counter in my opinion is to encourage them to take in what they can and to process the world around them to make up their own mind- even if doesn't lead to results that you like.

The other important angle is being able to teach them how balance independent thinking with conformity, which as a really important social survival skill that too many (young people especially) overlook.

I didnt read the entire thread so undoubtedly there is some (or most) of this before... 

1. Behavior
   a. Common Courtesy
   b. Golden Rule
   c. Chivalry and Gentleman's conduct

2. Self Reliance
   a. Land Navigation and Maps
   b. First Aid
   c. Tracking, Trapping, and General Hunting
   d. Skinning and Cleaning Game Animals
   e. Cooking
     (1) Basic Meal Prep
     (2) Building a fire
     (3) Campfire and Camp Cooking
     (4) Camp Sanitation
    f. Respect for Nature
    g. Farming - General (Big subject, expound in greater detail later)

3. Technical Skills - All sections should start with a review of the tools used
   a. Basic Auto Repair
     (1) Battery replacement
     (2) Spare Tire Installation
     (3) Checking oil and fluids
   b. Basic Electricity
     (1) Volts, Amps, and Watts
     (2) Wiring
     (3) Breakers, Switches and Outlets
     (4) Indoor vs Outdoor
   c. Basic Plumbing
     (1) Supply, drain, and vents
     (2) Potable vs Non-Potable
     (3) Basic repairs
        (a) Sweating copper
        (b) Gluing PVC
   d. Basic Construction
     (1) Principles of building
        (a) Foundations
        (b) Walls, Roofs, and Supports
     (2) Wiring and Plumbing Installation
     (3) Insulation and Weatherproofing
     (4) Masonry

4.  Farming/Growing
   a. Types of Farming
     (1) Food
     (2) Building Material and Consumer Goods
   b. Importance to the Economy
   c. Soil Types and Regions
   d. Protection of the crop

5. Service Project for the community

Ideally the service project will allow you to tie together a number of lessons and subjects above. Building a playground for a school, or participating in Habitat for Humanity style project. Weatherproofing senior citizens homes pre-winter. Helping clean up and repair after a big storm.

Good luck!

First off I have no affiliation with this web sight!
Nor any financial gain!
Have you see these new videos form Dave Canterbury!
Pathfinder Youth Adventurer Training Intro
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Hope this is helpful!!!

PITA45


Found another video explanation:Getting Started PYAT (Pathfinder Youth Adventurer Training)

Women can't teach boys how to be men. Be a man. Open doors,put the seat down, build a fire. Shovel shit. Grow food. It's not rocket science.