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
Showing 101–136 of 136 posts
LEADERSHIP...there is nothing new under the sun to read about leadership, especially for Scouters. If you've read The Art of War, BPs Aids To Scoutmastership, anything by Reagan, Ike or Green Bar Bill then you know all there is to know about good leadership.
As promised in the last post, we are going to wrap up this topic with a few FAQs that I have received relating to recruiting and building the program. It is fair to say that the last few blog posts have hardly scratched the surface of this subject and that working toward building and maintaining…
Troop Leader Training... One of the things that the previous Scoutmaster did that I loved was the TLT Weekend. At first it was JLT, then BSA changed focus and redesigned the program. We kept it a weekend though the new program calls for 3 afternoon type classes (or something like that).
Ok here we go 4/22 Thursday: - Eagle Boards of Review for District 4/23 Friday: - left with Troop for Spring Camporee at Camp Ransburg...a Medieval Theme - brought 43 Scouts and 16 Adults...be prepared for rain 4/24 Saturday: - poured last night, camp is one huge mudpit - spirits not dampened (but clothes and Scouts are) - volunteered to be…
Welcome back to the Scoutmaster Minute, in this show we will talk about fixing your troop with the PLC. Inspired from an email I received from a loyal listener, we talk about the success of a Troop and that it starts with the PLC.
This Weekend Patrol Box begins with the weather. We have had a lot of it lately. Everything from having our Klondike camporee snowed out (and re-scheduled for early April) to being run out of the C&O on a backpacking trip.
The Patrol Leader Council (PLC) is one of the key elements of youth leadership within a Boy Scout troop. The senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, and patrol leaders use this monthly meeting to plan troop meetings, courts of honor, and the monthly outing.
Have you been searching for an answer to a Scouting-related question? Ask the Expert is here to help. Send us your question, and Cracker Barrel will seek out the answer. We received the following question from Janet Riley : Our Patrol Leaders Council is a closed meeting.
Every once in a while you need to check your compass and determine whether or not you are heading in the right direction, you need to detour a bit, or just confirm that all is well and you keep on hiking.
OK, so it's a bit cold for much of the country. There is still a lot of Scouting going on, just under layers! This week's Patrol Box kicks off a new year! Actually, our first Cub Scout meeting of 2010 started with the Webelos den that will be crossing into our troop this spring, showing…
Scoutmaster G.B. from Austin, Texas sent me the following: Our troop has a Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) every first Monday. Last Monday the older boys were really acting up. I asked the senior patrol leader (SPL) to get the meeting under control but neither he nor the assistant senior patrol leader responded to my request.
Fall is in the air, no doubt about it. Depending on where you are it might still be toasty warm during the day, or the trees might be at the height of color, or you have already had your fill of snow.
Troop Leadership Training is happening in November for our troop (more here ). In a very timely email, this link appeared from the email ether: Troop Positions of Responsibility The following leadership positions count toward Boy Scout advancement. For more information, see the Senior Patrol Leader Handbook (#32501) and Patrol Leader Handbook (#32502A).
This week's Patrol Box was hard to put together. There was a lot of stuff to come across my plate this week, which is good for Scouters! What I don't use this week, will probably go into the hopper for next week.
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.
Continuing an examination of Patrols based on the 1960 Book The Patrol System (opens PDF file). 'Patrol Spirit' as described below is key to fostering strong Patrols- Patrol spirit doesn't spring up like a mushroom overnight. It can't be made to order.
A healthy Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) is the heart of a youth led Troop. It should gather often to discuss and plan the Troop's program. The Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) chairs the PLC, the Scribe keeps minutes and the meeting is open to Patrol Leaders (PL) and any other youth leaders.
Great thing about a short holiday week is how quickly the weekend comes around again! We have our troop's first Eagle Court of Honor this Saturday, followed by a couple of hours working at Camp Rock Enon. Free lunch at CRE, so not too much cooking to do though!
[Flexing my Patrol Box opening muscles...ouch!] I think hibernation season is about over, and it is time to get the Patrol Box out again. In fact, we have a big Webelos Crossover this weekend, so there is a lot to do.
Last night, as it's the Easter Holidays, the Scout Leader decided to have a Patrol Leader's meeting with the PLs and Assistant Patrol Leaders. It was a shame that only half were able to attend as the rest were away.
A great article from Scouting Magazine, worth posting in its entirety; Scouting Magazine - January-February 2009 Let Your Scouts Lead By Mark Ray Want to achieve a youth-led unit? Find the balancing point between helping them succeed and letting them flounder.
Annual Planning Meeting Monday January 5, 2009 For our Troop who has a PLC of four members and then a Troop of only about 6 t 9 more active scouts, I believe along with the rest of the adult leadership that I would be easier to conduct a Annual Planning meeting with the whole Troop.
Here are some excerpts from a reply to a letter from a frustrated Scoutmaster over at Ask Andy Usually, the single most important thing adult leaders can do to improve delivery of the Boy Scout program is to step back.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about getting things started. How do you get things going in your pack. For us it was getting started participating in a Webelos Campout or Web-o-ree. I have been thinking back to that campout.
The snow is beginning outside my window. Lows this weekend in the teens--but a whole lot warmer than my years growing up on Eielson AFB, Alaska! Yep, I'm still in t-shirts. And loving the cool weather. I do try to encourage my Scouts to mentally fight the cold.
Hello fellow Scouters, This is part 3 in my take on Webelos to Scout transition, this time dealing with the patrol method of scouting. In Boy Scouts, the patrol method is used to teach the boys to work as a team, sharing responsibilities to help achieve success for the patrol.
Happy Halloween! And many of you will be remembering All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day . Trick-or-treating on a Friday night is a busy way to start the weekend. Going to be chilly tonight, and I'm taking my grandkids out with my younger children to scare up some candy from the neighbors.
Gregg Shupe Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 12 in Framingham Mass. has come up with a great Patrol Box Wash Station . The station holds three wash basins for cleaning rinsing and sanitizing - looks like a great idea! Associated posts at Scoutmaster Chuck Boxes More Camp Kitchens Patrol Box Design Two Patrol Boxes Even More Chuck Boxes…
This is the last weekend before Hallowe'en, and then the holiday rush begins. Our regular meeting times are on Wednesday nights, so Thanksgiving rushes our month a bit. The same thing happens in December, with Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on a meeting night.
Wow, the fall colors are out in great form this weekend. I just returned from a trip, and need to get the Patrol Box out before the weekend fades into the sunset. We have a Patrol Leaders Council at my house tonight, so there is a lot to get packed in quickly.
Hey, six weeks have come and gone now. Hope the Patrol Box is giving you plenty to read and learn from. Feel free to link to it or send out to your Scouts, too. Shenrapawa's Mighty Troop 423 is headed out on our Lewis and Clark Fall Camporee this weekend.
The weather is sunny and warm, and down into the 40s at night. Perfect for camping and dragging out the Patrol Box. Lots of interesting things in the Patrol Box this week. Fire is always popular. There is also a video and a video game tucked away to help pass the time.
Recently in the PTCmedia forums a Scouter posted a new topic. It caught my eye, as leadership always does. His post asked several questions: "Who makes up your unit's leadership? Is it current parents? the Old Goat or rocking chair Patrol of people that are retired or semiretired?
The Yearly Planning Session (YPS) is an activity held by the Patrol Leader Council of Troop 68 the first weekend of each August. During this session the PLC, under the supervision of the scoutmaster, will plan the troop's program for the next twelve months.
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.
I'm a Viking!!! That's what I heard last Monday night at Troop Meeting. A brand new scout. "I'm a Viking". The Vikings are our oldest continually running patrol, started in 1969 by soon to be Eagle Scout Jimmy Smith. A lot of the new Scouts joined that patrol during that first two years.
