No matter how we hard tried our Scout Troop planning seemed to be losing the battle for for space on crowded family calendars. Participation in our program was all over the map, some events would be well attended, only a handful of Scouts would show up for others. Patrols were rarely at full strength and our youth leaders were batted back and forth between conflicting commitments. After years of frustration I decided to find some answers....
If the Scouts are leading themselves who is leading the Scout leaders? This week I’ll field a couple of email questions that ask the question “who leads the Scout leaders?” Scouting is a team sport, while we all work to build consensus it’s not a democracy. It is, as BP said, “a jolly game” that depends on families, scouts and Scouters working together in a collaborative process. When people understand their roles in the process, their positions on the team that plays this “jolly game”, things get energized....
It is our responsibility to assure there’s a shared expectation… … and our Scouts understand them. Scout aged children are not going to interpret gentle reminders, they’d prefer to have to have things clearly spelled out. They are literalists, they don’t take hints. You can be direct without being unpleasant. There has to be continual engagement and evaluation. Positions of responsibility in Scouting, to me at least, is about working together to get things done, not about title, privilege or command structures....
Scouting needs gardeners more than managers or officers. Scouting isn’t the science of management or military discipline, it’s much more like a garden. Gardeners prepare the ground, plant the seed, keep the weeds away, make sure there is plenty of water and sunshine and step back. Scouting is just like that. We know our Scouts need the same things but not necessarily in equal measure. They will grow at different rates; they will flower at different times and thrive in different conditions....
No 11-year-old boy joins Scouting to get his character developed… … and few boys join to attend troop meetings, wear the Scout uniform, or sit before boards of review. Instead, they sign up for fun and adventure. Last month Walter Underwood joined me on podcast 313 to review the first volume of the Troop Leader Guidebook. We got back together with author Mark Ray to review the much anticipated second volume of the Troop Leader Guidebook (due to be in Scout Shops by the end of June)....
What constitutes a night of Scout camping? You’ll find the qualifier “under the auspices of Scouting” or something similar in advancement requirements that describe nights of camping. What, exactly, does this mean? I’ll give you my best answer to this and other email questions that we’ll discuss in this podcast. You don’t want to miss Scoutmaster Kevin Rhodes’ story of how his youth leadership solved a problem when he gave them some room to figure things out for themselves....
How do you decide who is right for the job? I think it’s a mistake to select a new Scoutmaster as you would hire an employee with interviews, applications, etc. This is something very, very different. I wouldn’t choose a new Scoutmaster based on knowledge of the outdoors, training, or experience because those are very insignificant aspects of the work. There are lots of trained, experienced, meritorious volunteers who may or may not get the spirit of the work or be particularly well suited to the role....
Jonathan Fillmore, of North Providence, and his son Jonathan Jr., who just signed up last week with the Scouts, take advantage of a special trail built by the Scouts and the Appalachian Mountain Club that is designed to be handicapped-accessible. Children are hard at work making bottle rockets at the Scout-O-Rama on Sunday. Getting his bottle rocket ready for launch is Matthew Previte, 10, of North Providence who is thinking of becoming a Boy Scout....
When is a group of Scouts a Troop, and when are they a patrol? We begin answering that question by forgetting everything we think we know and building a logical approach, by serving the interests of the individual Scout rather than the interest of an organizational chart. Small troops are going to function a little differently than larger ones, but both serve to achieve the same aim. What questions do you ask during a Webelos visit to a troop?...
What does learning to ride a bike have to do with Scouting? Listen to my answer to an email question from a new Scoutmaster to find out, I answer several other questions on this podcast about records, troop size and youth leader accountability. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS LINKS IN THIS PODCAST Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Get The SCOUTMASTERCG APP Podcast Archive
I’ve been contacted by a number of companies who offer Scout fundraiser opportunities and I’ve turned them all down until today. When Paul Geatches from Country Meats contacted me I had my guard up. Most of the opportunities I hear about don’t meet two very basic personal criteria; value for money, and pricing that corresponds to a normal retail price. Selling a product at an artificially inflated “fundraiser price” has always bothered me....
Scouts and paperwork can be like oil and water! In this week’s podcast an update on our 2016 trip to Kandersteg, I’ll answer email questions about handling permission slips (get in touch and tell me how you handle paperwork and deadlines), youth leaders, and avoiding homesickness. LINKS Working with Homesick ScoutsHomesickness on podcast 76Helping Homesick Scouts RecoverKandersteg 2016 MUSIC The Cat Came Back – Scott Bruffey Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Podcast: Play in new window | Download...
… you know you’d like to go! Getting a high adventure trip off the ground sounds difficult, but you can make it happen for your Scouts. This week I’ll discuss some of the things you need to do to set up high adventure, and answer email questions about attendance at outings, and advise a new committee chair Links Mentioned in this Podcast Ken Greenberg’s Troop Patrol Practices Survey High Adventure Planning posts mentioned in Scoutmastership in Seven Minutes or Less...
Active, aware, Scouters all ask themselves how well they are delivering the Scouting program. There are any number of ways to measure metrics, the Journey to Excellence being the most familiar and widely used tool. I am going to suggest ten questions a Scout troop can ask of itself that do not have metric answers. Hopefully the answers would help shape a long range view, and give some idea of what’s working;...
A reader asks: I would really like to hear how various troops handle money. While I am certain there is no “one” right way to handle Scouting and money, I feel we can learn from sharing each other’s methods. How is the money collected, who collects it and when is it collected? How much is an average weekend camping trip, how are these fees determined, and does fundraising cover these expenses?...
Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Some great email questions regarding aquatics awards, finances, and working with adult volunteers along with a visit from our old friend Brick Mason! Resources mentioned in this podcast – my Scout accounts article, FISCAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR BSA UNITS from the BSA. Podcast Archive Get The SCOUTMASTERCG APP Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The results of the Boy Scouts of America Fall 2013 Voice of the Scout survey have been published in this executive summary and infographic. You can also access the published results of all VoS surveys. How it Works A Voice of the Scout (VoS) survey is conducted every six months. Invitations are emailed to seven different audiences (Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts/Ventures, Cub Scout Parents, Boy Scout /Venture Parents, Youth Facing Volunteers, District/Council Volunteers, Chartered Organizations....
If your Troop, Pack, or Crew assigns proceeds from fundraising to individual Scout accounts you may have been taken aback by this statement in the Fiscal Policies And Procedures For BSA Units FAQ I shared last week Can my unit credit amounts from fundraising to an individual toward their expenses? No. The IRS has stated that crediting fundraising amounts constitutes private benefit. However, the unit could use the funds (all or a percentage) raised to reduce or eliminate dues and various registration fees, purchase uniforms and Scouting books, and purchase camping equipment....
Decisive answers to questions about Scouting finances can be difficult to find. While researching an answer to an email question I found this PDF document: Fiscal Policies And Procedures For BSA Units dated August 2013, that provides answers to most common Scouting financial questions. The short story is there are very specific policies that are applied in concert with national, state, and local laws. Every unit committee should review their practices and make sure they align with the policies described....
There he is, waiting for our reply; how do we respond to a Scout who wants to quit? Not every boy is going to maintain an active interest in Scouts, it doesn’t automatically mean that anything is wrong with them, the program, or ourselves. I expect that every Scout will have a tough time once in a while, because I have tough times myself. If a Scout says they want to quit imagine what you would like to hear if you were in their place....