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Let me share a little secret about boy scouting, all the "program"
items (camping, knot tying, first aid, Merit badges) are really just "gravy", and not the "big focus". The real "meat and
potatoes" is learning leadership, responsibility, and character. The ONLY way this can really be taught is for the boys to
be in charge. To an adult used to classical learning situations, a troop meeting will look like chaos, but that is ok. One
thing that the person leading my Scoutmaster training said still sticks with me, he commented that if the troop meetings and
activities are always running smoothly, that is a sign that something is horribly wrong, as the boys are not learning anything
important. (You don't want the opposite where nothing goes right either, as the boys get discouraged). The ideal state is
the boys frequently try things they don't know well and make occasional mistakes, which they learn from.
This is the unique thing about scouting, we allow
the boys to make mistakes and provide a safe environment to do so.
CT - Richard Damon, ScoutMaster, Troop 302
In order to prepare boys for Boy Scouting, den leaders and parents should have a general idea of what goes on in a troop
program, especially troop camping and the patrol method.
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Boy Scout camping is not the same as Cub Scout or Webelos camping,
In the pack or den, we have outdoor activities because it's more fun. We could accomplish our purposes just as well indoors.
It would just lack some luster. Outdoors activities and camping are essential to Boy Scouting. This is the arena, where individuals
and patrols must meet and overcome challenges. The only reason for indoor Scout meetings is to prepare to go outdoors.
- It is a mistake to think that patrols are like dens
just because both have about the same number of members. A patrol is not just a den with older kids. Dens are
a way of dividing up a pack to provide more individual and closer adult leadership. A patrol is the integral unit of Scouting
where the members must work together to succeed. A patrol is a true gang of boys. The leadership of the patrol emerges from
the patrol itself.
- The patrol method is the basic method of achieving the aims of Scouting,
where patrols are isolated and become responsible for getting things done, where they are guided into looking within their
own members to find the necessary resources. There is no Cub Scout equivalent to the patrol method. The family and parent
participation provide some of the same benefits, but it works in different ways in Cub Scouting.
Visiting a Scout Troop
Parents’ attendance is as important
as the boys’. Meetings are not as controlled as den meetings (boy run vs. parent run!)
This is a snapshot of one troop. Long term perspectives may be different.
To earn the Arrow of Light, a Webelos Scout must visit a Boy Scout troop meeting and outdoor activity with his
den and another troop meeting with a parent or guardian.
He will be making an important decision in his life: the choice: whether or not to join Boy Scouts and, if so, which troop
to join. As he matures, he will be faced with many other important decisions, and this is a good place to start. Judgment
is an attribute of mental fitness - part of the aims of the Boy Scouts of America.
Cubmasters, Webelos leaders and parents should be prepared to help him and coach him. Get a list
of nearby troops and Scoutmasters from your Commissioner or District Executive. If any families have special needs like a
particular religious affiliation, there may be troops nearby that fit those needs.
Call the Scoutmaster and arrange times for your den to visit both a troop meeting and an outdoor activity. Many
Webelos Scouts visit more than one troop. There is no requirement that a boy must join a particular troop. It is his choice.
Prepare both the boys and their parents for what they will see. Invite troop leaders and older Boy Scouts to visit your
den or pack meeting to talk about Boy Scout activities. By now the Webelos Scouts are quite familiar with the Scout Oath,
Law and Motto and should be able to relate them to what they hear and see.
After the visits to the troop meetings, hold a reflection session with the boys about what they saw, what the did and how they felt. There is a good write-up on reflection
in Chapter 11 of the How-To Book. Use it for both den meetings and your individual discussions in the Arrow of Light requirements.
Things to Look For:
- Boy Leadership--from Patrol Leader through Senior Patrol Leader
- Program for the meeting--is it planned, is the SPL following the program?
- Uniforms--especially on the older boys (they set the example)
- Boys’ attitude towards Scouting, each other, visitors
- Boy - Adult relationship
- Other parents participating in the program
- Advancement
- Mentoring new boy patrol
- Boards of Review
- Helping administer the outdoor program
Questions
to ask:
- Troop's Long Range plan?
- Camping/Outdoor Program?
- Summer camp plans?
- Fund raising program?
- Troops Junior Leaders trained? (Council JLT and/or troop JLT?)
- Troops Adult Leaders trained? (Boy Scout Leader Basic and/or Wood Badge?)
- New boy patrol or spread new boys among patrols?
- Joining fees?
- Minimum equipment to join?
- Any camping equipment for loan?
- Published by-laws?
- Opportunities for parents to participate?
VISITING TROOPS
The Boy Scout Motto is Be Prepared, so your Webelos and their parents should prepare themselves to make those
important visits to neighboring troops.
Boys probably want to look for:
- A Scout is Friendly
- Will he have friends in the troop? Being alone isn't fun. On
the other hand, if the Scouts - especially the older ones - are genuinely friendly, it can be a great experience for him.
- Participation - A Scout is courteous.
He should be invited - even urged - to be part
of the program. Sitting on the sidelines is not good.
- Safe Haven - A Scout is Kind.
He should feel welcome and safe. Intimidation or hazing
is a definite turn-off. Never push a boy into a troop where he feels unwelcome, unwanted or prey.
- Order -
Webelos are often more comfortable in a structured environment. The activities
should seem to be planned and under control.
- Fun and Adventure. Scouting is a game with a purpose.
Camping rules! It should not
look or feel like school.
Parents and leaders should probably be aware of:
- Safety - Are the Leaders trained?
How many have attended Youth Protection training?
How large and how involved is the troop committee?
- Boy Leadership.
Activities should be led by boys. Adults should observe from the sidelines.
At any meeting, several boys should take on leadership roles. Do not be alarmed if a boy has trouble trying to lead - it's
a learned skill. How do the adults handle this? Is this what you want for your boys as they take on leadership roles?
- Adult Guidance -
How do the adults work with boys. Ask them about priorities, Junior
Leader Training, and program planning. Look for indications that the Scout Law, Oath and Motto get more than occasional lip
service.
- Cost -
You should know, up front, how much this will cost you in dollars and time.
BOY LEADERSHIP
One of the most obvious differences you might notice when visiting a troop is that, in Boy Scouts, boys are totally
in charge: they are out front leading all the activities while the adult leaders are off to the side apparently doing very
little. At least, that is the way it should be and that is the way most really successful troops operate.
Now leadership is a learned skill. Pushing a boy out in front of a troop and telling him to lead is sort of akin
to pushing a non swimmer into the deep end of a pool and ordering him to swim. Probably
won't work in either case.
Acquiring a skill usually takes some demonstrations of how to do it, then practice, practice, practice. Troop
meetings are the arenas where the Patrol Leaders and Senior Patrol Leaders practice this craft. Just as in learning other
skills like swimming, playing the violin or hitting curve balls, these practice sessions are rarely without flaws. Most troop
meetings run on the very edge of chaos. This doesn't mean that the practice sessions are not successful. There must be ample
opportunity for boys with different levels of experience and skill levels to get in there and try leading. The adult leaders'
job is to observe and coach each Scout to improve.
Remember our aim is not to have perfectly run troop meetings but to provide an environment where
boys grow into responsible, effective men.
I would guess that every den leader has experienced the frustrations of watching boys stumble through Wolf requirement
2b (Lead a flag ceremony) or Bear 15c (Teaching a game). We need more of these opportunities for boys to practice leading
in today's environment where a kid's life is so highly organized and regulated.
A Scoutmaster's job is to coach the junior leaders - not to lead in their place. It takes letting the boys try,
noting successes and not-so-successes, sitting down with them to review and making suggestions on what to try next time and
then repeating the whole thing over and over and over. Occasionally and adult may take over and lead for reasons of safety,
or as an example or just to get things under control -
but this should be rarely needed - even with a brand new troop of 11 year olds.
At first your Webelos and perhaps their parents may feel somewhat uncomfortable if the troop meetings are not
as structured and as well run as the Pack and Den meetings. They should be reassured that as they (the boys) grow older, it
is time for them to start taking on more difficult challenges. Their challenge will be to learn how to bring more structure
and greater success to the patrol and troop they will join. It won't be easy but that is the adventure of Scouting.
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