There’s a lot of discussion about who makes decisions about what activities Scouts put on their schedule. What do Scouts decide? Should adults be part of that process, or must we always allow Scouts to make these decisions? Some would argue that who makes these decisions is a good test of whether a troop is youth-led or not. ‘Youth led” is a key component of the patrol system, so the question we ought to be asking is if we are applying the patrol system....
Patrol leader training is not an event; it is an ongoing process of coaching and mentoring. Good coaching comes from a solid, simple, shared understanding of the fundamentals. To my mind a trained patrol leader knows these fundamentals. Here’s how I train patrol leaders in fifteen minutes. I usually conduct this training just before or after a patrol leader’s council meeting. Note that this is based on asking the Scouts questions and teaching them specific answers for them....
A ripping good yarn from John Thurman’s Patrol Leader’s Handbook was aimed at helping the Scouts of 1950 catch the spirit of their work as patrol leaders. I offer it here to spark your imagination, and to answer the question ‘why do we have Scoutmasters?’; In the early days of Scouting boys from all over the country, and later from all over the world, bought the book Scouting for Boys and formed themselves into Patrols....
Feeling alone? Frustrated with your youth leadership? Does it seem as though every effort to get them motivated falls short? Wish for ‘the good old days’ when ‘Scouting really meant something’ and boys were able to think for themselves? See if you don’t share some of the frustrations expressed by this Scoutmaster: We are continually being told that our Scouts want to run things, for themselves. Is this really so?...
Patrols are much more than a convenient way to divide a large group of Scouts into smaller, more manageable groups. Patrols are the single unique feature of Scouting and the indispensable method for achieving the aims of Scouting. Most of us became Scouters as Cub Leaders. During the Cub Scout years the program depends on a lot of adult involvement and leadership in response to the age of the Cubs. We often mistakenly carry these habits and ideas into Scout troops....
Here’s a question I recently received asking how to fix Scout patrol problems: I’m a Scoutmaster with less than a year under my belt and I’m faced with a ‘good problem’ ; we’re growing. We currently have 4 patrols and we anticipate that we will get about 7 Scouts from the Pack in February; they would be the 5th patrol. Currently, we have one ‘first year’ patrol, two second year patrols, and one patrol made up of the remaining older boys....
Information educates the mind, experience develops skill. Too much information can be paralyzing. We live in the information age. Our Scouts get plenty of information, much more than they can do anything with. What they really need is experience. Scouting is an educational movement, but it’s not educational in the traditional sense. Scouting is a journey through experiences that develop skill. Sometimes we get a little mixed up, we think our Scouts need a lot of information to develop skills....
Perhaps “Troop Program Death Spiral” is a gratuitously dramatic title but it describes something that does happen. Got your attention, though, didn’t I? How and why do troops get off track and lose Scouts? There’s a predictable sequence of events that spiral down into a crash. Scouts are never the problem, it’s the way we work with them that causes problems. When we sign on to volunteer and one of three things happen –...
How well are we applying the patrol system? I often ask myself this question and I am constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for our Scouts. I’ve set up a patrol system survey to see how the patrol system is used in other troops, ( there aren’t any ‘right’ answers). The Survey is closed – look for an analysis and report later this week.
As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate. …When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’ – Lao Tzu How do we lead? Lao Tzu describes three types of leaders with three leadership motives. We can understand the motivations by asking: why do we lead?...
Overshadowed The way it ought to be How is the one essential feature of Scouting explained? We are all familiar with this quote form the founder of Scouting; The Patrol System is the one essential feature in which Scout training differs from that of all other organizations, and where the System is properly applied, it is absolutely bound to bring success. It cannot help itself! Baden-Powell B.P. knew, early on, that this one essential feature was so singular, so unusual, that it was in danger of being lost in the tumult of good intentions....
A new patrol leader may think, at first, their position is one of great power and authority. Truth be told patrol leaders do have great power and authority but it’s not aimed at bossing people around or commanding their respect. The patrol leader’s real power is the example they set for their fellow Scouts. A patrol will follow this example – whether it is good or bad. If they are prepared their patrol will be prepared....
When we think about a patrol leader’s council we form a picture of Scouts sitting around a table talking and making plans but what’s really going on? The Senior patrol leader is in charge, the patrol leaders are assembled , the scribe is ready, the Scoutmaster is on hand to advise… what happens next? More importantly what’s happened before they all get to the table? Here’s how you can show your senior patrol leader the planning part of his job – four steps and fifteen minutes of advising:...
This is post number four in this four part series on the patrol method**1. The Character School, 2. The Adult Role, 3. Objections, The first post in this series about the patrol method paints a picture of the patrol as the central unit of Scouting, next we discussed the adult role followed by discussing the usual objections that arise when we put the patrol method into practice. Trying to work with patrols as though it were 1910 instead of 2013 is like sending a telegram in the age of email....
This is post number three in this four part series on the patrol method 1. The Character School, 2. The Adult Role, 4. Making it happen Our first post in this series establishes the patrol method as the character school of Scouting, that real self-government makes the Scout Oath and law more relevant than a bunch of concepts preached by adults. That Scouts find meaning in the life of the patrol and troop where individual responsibilities become group responsibilities....
This is post number two in this four part series on the patrol method 1. The Character School, 3. Objections, 4. Making it happen Imagine a bus tour of some important city where, seated in the air-conditioned comfort of a motor coach, we listen to the guide explain each landmark in detail so we won’t miss anything. The guide sticks to the script, we sit behind the tinted windows of our bus dutifully turning our heads to the left, then to the right....
This is post number one in this four part series on the patrol method**2. The Adult Role, 3. Objections, 4. Making it happen The patrol system is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried on. It is the only method. It is not the slightest use to preach the Scout Law or to give it out as orders to a crowd of boys: each mind requires its special exposition of them and the ambition to carry them out....
Youth leadership goes through developmental stages. As youth become more capable and adults more comfortable with these capabilities higher levels of youth leadership are possible. Can you find your troop on the ladder? Where would you like to be? What do you need to do to get there? Scouting places the responsibility and authority to lead on the Scouts , we need to keep out of their way, and supply the resources they need to get to the top rung....
‘Adultism’ can be a loaded term but I think it would be useful to consider it in the context of our work in Scouting. Adultism is the broadly defined as valuing the ideas, initiatives and direction of adults over that of youth. If Scouting is to stay true to its foundational principles we ought to make an effort to understand the place of adult influence and guidance. That we commonly call ourselves “adult leaders” is an sign that we are in danger of misunderstanding our role in Scouting....
This is a self assessment tool to help gauge how well a troop applies the patrol method. It may be a good idea to have several adults and youth troop members complete the assessment and discuss the results. This is not very scientific but it will at least give you an idea of where you are. Here’s PDF version you can download. Chose only one option for each pair of statements...