Topic
Small groups of Scouts, led by Scouts. The patrol method was one of the most talked-about ideas in troop leadership, and these posts work through patrol leaders' councils, patrol identity and letting youth lead.
136 posts · 2007–2019
A reading list that spans blogs and years.
A virtual question and answer session with Green Bar Bill about the patrol method from the December 1943 Edition of Scouting magazine. If you aren’t familiar with Bill “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt check out these articles to learn more. Download this article as a PDF document below.
Think back to those exceptional, specific moments when you saw a Patrol in your Troop really shine. Maybe it was the way they prepared a meal during that camping trip last Fall: everyone doing their job quickly and enthusiastically. Maybe it was the way the whole Patrol came together to help one of its members…
THE DI VINCI CODE, TROOP 26 STYLE OR "THE LOST SENIOR PATROL LEADER" It's interesting what we remember. And after years and years, how much of it is accurate. I had the opportunity to ask myself that question last week.
[Author’s note: Throughout this article I am not referring to any specific Troop, this is more general.] I’ve had the opportunity to visit several Boy Scout troops during my time in Scouts, and the one thing I know for sure is that each one operates differently.
Ok.. So to get back to the Future.. we need to focus on those basics that I referred to in the last post. I am going to, in the next few post expand on what I think we need to focus on.
So, I'm just about a year into my role as Scoutmaster in the troop. It's been quite a journey, and I must say, quite taxing. In my previous role on the committee, I was (briefly) the outdoor activities chair. I tried to take care of the background stuff like reservations for campsites (though I pushed…
Hallowe'en is coming up fast, and there are plenty of Haunted Houses in our area to go to (including at Camp Rock Enon this weekend). This fundraising effort by our council shows the kind of project that can be accomplished when folks make an idea happen.
Last night was the last PLC Meeting for this group. After a long, busy Summer Camp the SPL told them no class A uniforms, just wear your Summer Camp shirt. The enjoyed the break from the heat (those uni's can get HOT) and got right down to work with planning 1 campout, 5 meetings, a…
In order to keep a Scout Troop established along the lines of the Patrol Method and being Boy-led, it is important that new Scouts in the Troop are taught about the Patrol Method and know its importance and the responsibilities it requires of each Scout.
The following piece was composed for a BSA ScoutCast. The concept applies admirably to pioneering when Scouts, who who have the proper “tools” and are capable and ready, care to embrace the construction of any-size pioneering project. The Guided Discovery Process is a fancy term for what?
Showing 1–50 of 136 posts
Left: The Troop 400 patrol leaders' council makes its decision over pizza. Right: Some of the members of Troop 440 stand proudly. If money talks, this gesture by some Scouts in Washington speaks volumes. The youth leaders in Troop 400 wanted to find a way to welcome Troop 440, a new Scouts BSA troop for…
This goes way beyond blue vs. khaki. The difference between Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA encompasses critical categories like unit structure, leadership, parental involvement, advancement and camping. Both programs are built on Scouting’s time-tested values. That’s evidenced by the fact that members of both programs recite the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
Many youth leaders in Scouts, Venturing and Sea Scouts are chosen by their peers. It’s a great exercise in civics. However, like with any election, one side can be left disappointed with the results. Let’s examine this scenario: Star Scout Adam and First Class Scout Timothy are running for patrol leader.
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 how up for others.
A virtual question and answer session with Green Bar Bill about the patrol method from the December 1943 Edition of Scouting magazine. If you aren’t familiar with Bill “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt check out these articles to learn more. Download this article as a PDF document below.
The leadership lessons learned in Scouting aren’t taught in schools, but you can find them in a book. That is, provided that book is the Patrol Leader Handbook or Senior Patrol Leader Handbook . These essential guides for Boy Scout leaders have been updated for 2017.
I’ve struggled to understand the role of a junior assistant Scoutmaster. It’s right there on the organizational chart, it has a (kind of fuzzy) job description, but (like many of you) I never found a way to apply this role to my complete satisfaction.
I once had four bosses in the same job, all at the same time. At one point in my career, I was a department head at a branch location of a company that had a half-dozen locations around the country.
“Congratulations, Enoch. You are now the Patrol leader of the panther patrol.” These words filled me with pride and excitement. Any one of the members of my Patrol would consider this an honor. But I, in particular, had always taken Scouting very seriously.
I often have discussions with Scoutmasters about what constitutes a "Boy Led Troop". There seems to be a misunderstanding as to what that means and it is executed in different ways depending on the unit. But there is a right way to have youth lead and a wrong way.
My son was frustrated, decided to change troops, and was elected senior patrol leader in his new troop. The Scoutmaster is a man of good intentions but with a commanding presence. Over time he has taken to leading himself because it's easier and less messy.
Think back to those exceptional, specific moments when you saw a Patrol in your Troop really shine. Maybe it was the way they prepared a meal during that camping trip last Fall: everyone doing their job quickly and enthusiastically. Maybe it was the way the whole Patrol came together to help one of its members…
We had our annual "Advancement Campout" recently and I saw (well heard) the scouts do something that really brought joy that the patrol method works. It was the first troop campout for most of the new scouts in the troop, and the whole group of new scouts made it.
Curlews. Bulls. Wolves. Ravens. – These are the very first Scout Patrols that ever existed. They were the Patrols Baden-Powell formed from the twenty-one boys that had come to Brownsea Island for his famous experiment with the Scouting framework. Baden-Powell could have led the whole camp single-handedly through the respect his reputation had earned and the…
Scout Leaders, is your Scout Troop on autopilot? You're busy. I know I sure am! Most likely, the ‘Scout Leader' hat isn't the only hat you wear. Between work, family, and social responsibilities, you probably have a crazy schedule. Because life has so many ups and downs, it's tempting for all of us to put…
Many Scouters claim; "We have a boy-led (or youth-led, or Scout-led) Troop," but what does that really mean? Official literature mentions this sort of thing often , but how is do we really define "boy-led"? We'd like to think what the Scouts do and how they do it defines "boy-led", but it doesn't.
The cog that turns the wheels of Boy Scouting is the patrol method, and the grease that lubes the axle is something nebulously called patrol spirit. Just what is patrol spirit? It's the sense of friendship and cooperation that exists between members of a patrol. It's the competitive nature and persistence that propels a patrol
The following piece was composed for a BSA ScoutCast. The concept applies admirably to pioneering when Scouts, who who have the proper “tools” and are capable and ready, care to embrace the construction of any-size pioneering project. The Guided Discovery Process is a fancy term for what?
What in the world is this ‘Patrol System'?" When I first seriously started studying Scouting and its history, I kept running across references to something called the "Patrol Method" or "Patrol System". They weren't just simply referring to a method of organizing Scouts, which is what I thought Patrols were for at first.
We often focus on membership when it comes to the retention and recruiting issue. This is absolutely a header in the discussion. However a better indication of unit health is your participation percentages. That is how many of your registered Scouts are participating in your activities.
This encore presentation features an interview with the authors of Working the Patrol Method, a Scout leader's guide to youth leadership training. I think this is the best work on the patrol method since 'Green Bar' Bill Hillcourt's Handbook for Patrol Leaders last published in 1965 or Baden Powell's Aids to Scoutmastership originally published in…
Here's my comments on the new Scout Rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements . I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements-parallel comparison .
Get a PDF version of this infographic below. I've written extensively about developing youth leadership but this article focuses on how our youth leaders are selected. Before we delve into specifics let's agree that there's a danger of losing the distinction between suggestions, rules and regulations, and mandated practices.
Last night at our Patrol Leaders Council meeting we discussed the most recent camp out, or I should say camp out attempt. To recap, the weather got real bad, gear got wet, we assessed the risk and bailed out…in a nut shell.
Mini Wood Badge Patrol Flags are an Excellent Aid for Wood Badge Presentations! is from the ClassB® Custom T-shirts Blog Copyright © 2010 ClassB, Inc.. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator/feed reader, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.
This is the sixth of twelve installments in a story that follows a new Scoutmaster, Chuck Grant, attempting to use the patrol method in a troop that has forgotten how. I've based this work of fiction on the stories shared by readers and listeners, questions they have asked, and the advice I commonly share in…
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?
This is the fourth of twelve installments in a story that follows a new Scoutmaster, Chuck Grant, attempting to use the patrol method in a troop that has forgotten how. I've based this work of fiction on the stories shared by readers and listeners, questions they have asked, and the advice I commonly share in…
So, I'm just about a year into my role as Scoutmaster in the troop. It's been quite a journey, and I must say, quite taxing. In my previous role on the committee, I was (briefly) the outdoor activities chair. I tried to take care of the background stuff like reservations for campsites (though I pushed…
I received this email from a new Scoutmaster a day or two ago: I was presented with the opportunity to take over as our new Scoutmaster some months ago and asked your advice. I had some concerns about the level of adult involvement in what should be a boy-led troop.
Elise sent in this question: For the rank advancement leadership requirement can the scoutmaster require the scout to lead an approved troop outing to qualify the leadership position ? Our scoutmaster says unless they lead an approved troop activity the leadership role (asst patrol leader) doesn't count towards rank advancement.
What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week's podcast the fourth of four installments that discusses how basic ideas to practically apply the patrol method.
What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week's podcast the third of four installments that discusses the typical objections raised when the patrol method is applied.
What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week's podcast the second of four installments that describes te adult role in applying the patrol method.
Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers What, exactly, is the Patrol Method? Why did our founder emphasize the importance of the patrol method over all else in Scouting? In this week's podcast I'll begin a series of four installments that establishes the patrol method as the character school for our Scouts and relate a story about how…
During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Each Sunday I'll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you'll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas.
The page below is a message I had written to my troop a while ago. We weren't really following the program, and the advice I had was to stick to the program as it is in the book (which I believe is the way a troop should run).
While working on an article that will be published this weekend on GreenBar Life , I found some really cool quotes from John Thruman, William Hillcourt, and others talking about the importance of the Patrol Name. This is a topic which I didn't think much about when I first joined Scouting.
[cs2015] Scouting Adventure is one of the Arrow of Light CORE Adventure Requirements. In the current Webelos Cub Scout program, it is similar to some of the Arrow of Light requirements and the Outdoorsman activity badge . For this adventure, Webelos learn what it will be like to join a Boy Scout troop and they learn…
What can go wrong: 1. No one shows up to a Patrol Meeting or planned event. As a Patrol Leader one goal I set for myself was regular, separate Patrol Meetings. It was pretty challenging at first. There were times I couldn't reach some of my Scouts on the phone or they didn't have a…
“Get all the fun you can out of being a Patrol Leader! But remember that there's much more to it than fun. Your greatest thrill as a leader will be your chance to turn an ordinary gang of boys into a real Patrol, to help five or six or seven fellows become good Scouts.
One Mother's Day, when I was a Senior Patrol Leader, I sent an email thanking all the mothers for their contribution and expressing appreciation for all they do. I was surprised by the number of appreciative replies I received! As I've gotten older, I've realized more and more how much mothers and fathers do for…
During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Each Sunday I'll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you'll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas.
You know the difference between a wannabe (want-to-be, get it?) leader and a real leader? Just watch them in action, it's easy to tell! A wannabe loves giving orders, being in the spotlight, takes all the praise, has all the privileges, and makes everyone else do the tough work.
When I was a Patrol Leader, Bill (the Senior Patrol Leader) and I weren't seeing eye to eye. Bill was a good Scout who took his responsibilities seriously, but he ordered us around, picked on little details, and lectured my Patrol if we overlooked something.
Our Troop split up into Patrols for part of our weekly Troop meetings; we called this "Patrol Corners". Most of the time we did this to "work on rank advancement" and Patrol Leaders would do little more than having everyone read their books a half hour.
It sounds like an infomercial you'd see on QVC: "It's a pantry, a spice rack, a utensils drawer and a portable kitchen. Yes, the Boy Scout patrol box does it all, and it can be yours for three easy payments … " But patrol boxes aren't a gimmick.
During my first meeting as Senior Patrol Leader I realized something that stopped me dead in my tracks: being a Patrol Leader was a more important job than being Senior Patrol Leader! Leaving the position made me realize the huge chance the Patrol Leader has to make Scouting into a real-life adventure, not just a…
I was Patrol leader when my Patrol competed with dozens of others at our District Camporee. One competition was building a fire with flint and steel under a string tied horizontally about two feet off the ground, the object was to be the first to burn through the string.
In the first part of this two-part series, we learned the Patrol Briefing is a cool tool for communicating with your Patrol as a group. A good patrol leader also takes the time to talk with Scouts individually. Talking to a group is a monologue, talking to an individual is a dialogue.
