mmallin

Arrowhead, I agree with John. Look for a older version of the training. It comes with a videotape straight out of the early 1980s but it is still helpful. I have been doing TLT in my troop every 6 months and have included the new youth leaders that are assuming their poisitions. It is a mandatory event for all new leaders, even if thy have been to TLT before. We try to hold it on a campout weekend but out of necessity have had to hold it indoors once. The training we provide is a mix of the old training format and the new TLT material ( which is lacking). The agenda is a mix of the traditional Be, Know, Do training and we mix in 3 of the video segments from the 1980s version. I have added a more detailed section on servant leadership and also some extra material on the patrol method. At the end of the training session we hold a PLC meeting that is also a "trainign" to familiarize each member with how the PLC should run. My one slight disagreement with John is his his objection to powerpoint. We do have slides that we print and place in a binder as a follow along guide for the scouts that are in the session. As long as you mix it up with a few games and activities that get them up off of their butts then you will be just fine. I have developed the material and agenda and would be happy to send you or anyone else a copy. Just send me a message.

Beavah, to answer your questions. We have an active program and camp each month. I would catergorize our camping program as 75% front country and 25% back country. We have had great Philmont participation in the past but our high adventure program is currently beign re-tooled ( applying for Seabase slot in program year 2012, and Philmont crew slots in 2013). We have conducted Troop Leader Traiining religiously every 6 months ( when leadership positions change over) for the past 2 years to get new youth leaders up to speed on troop operations and expectations. We dont push for rapid advancement and my suspician is that most of our scouts reach First Class at some point around the 2 year mark. The PLC is active, meets each month and we try to enforce the Patrol Method at every opportunity. All in all things are going very well. We are "following the recipe" on how to run a troop and trying to build an exciting program for the boys and adults alike. I dont't see that we have an option (we aren't goign to turn away Webelos 2 scouts) and are going to continue to grow. I think I would have lots of reservtions on splitting the troop and I'm almost certain most of our 25 registered adults would also not be fond of that course of action. This is clearly a " too big" size for a troop but I don't know what that is yet. We typically get 15-20 youth on an "average" monthly campout. If that were to turn into 30-35 on an average monthly campout maybe we need to start doing 2 events a month ( don't tell my wife that:) ) Our patrols don't do patrol events ( campouts / hikes) but they do operate indpendantly during troop campouts. However due to other conlicts outside the program we are constanly forming provisional patrols for campouts. My major concerns is that because we are experiencing growing pains that we overlook something critical and end up giving some scout a bad experience, they never bond with their patrol and they drop out.

Hello forum, I would love to get additional thoughts and perspectives on a very good problem we are facing. Our troop currently has 35 scouts. A few years of very solid troop programming have led to a low drop out rate and strong local cub scout programs coupled with good troop pack relations have given us a large incoming class. Somewhere between 25 to 30 new scouts will likley join our troop next spring. This brings an array of challenges for us. We are trying to anticipate the impact this will have across the board on our troop. Some of the things the adult and youth leadership have considered are: -increased equipment needs (tents, patrol boxes etc) to field 2 or possibly 3 new patrols -a need to identify and train troop guides -a need to identify and train new Assistant Scoutmasters so we can give one ASM advisor to each troop guide and new scout patrol - program planning for more trail to first class type training to assist with advancement Can any of you suggest another facet of troop operations we need to start thinking about and planning for? Many thanks!

Hello forum, my troop has completely rebuilt all of our patrol boxes and is in the process of equiping and outfitting them. We were all set to order the official BSA patrol cook kits but found out over the phone from National Supply that the supplier who produced the patrol cook kits has gone out of business and that this item is no longer available. We need to order something ASAP as we have our first campout with the new boxes in a short two weeks. Does anyone know of a good place we could order aluminum pots/ pans to essentially build our own patrol cook kits? Many thanks in advance!

Hello forum, I have reviewed the requirements for both the Scouter's Key and Scouter Award of Merit programs and they both mention the Scoutmaster. Can both of these forms of recognition also be earned by an Assistant Scoutmaster or does only the Scoutmaster himself qualify. Thanks for the insight!

Hi there forum members, This is my first year attending summer camp as SM. Any sage advice on what SM related items to bring to camp outside of personal gear? Thanks for your input!

Hello forum, My troop just conducted it's annual plannign conference last week and choose Citizenship as one of the a monthly program features. To tie into that monthly theme the PLC wanted to organize a trip to Washingotn DC. Any thoughts on where to stay while in the DC area and any special activities that the troop could participate in? Thanks!

Quick question for the forum. Can a Pack designate their own trainer, have that leader certified by the district training coordinator then conduct New Leader Essentials and Leader Position Specifics at the Pack level? If I am reading the training manuals correctly this is allowed but wanted to see what other folks think. Thanks!