Platypus96

"From your description, and it's only one side of the story, your troop sounds totally dys-functional! Everyone is running around doing nothing except find someone to blame for the messes that are guaranteed to come along. This is 100% the example I would ever give as to why adult-led, troop-method just won't work! The SM is abdicating his responsibility to the SPL and then blaming him for when things go wrong. I would suspect the SM can't handle the 30+ boys, but somehow he feels some young SPL can???? I don't think so. " I thin you hit the nail on the head there, Stosh. The troop is very dysfunctional right now. We had TLT last week, but it turned into a mess. All of th PLs think that they know what they are doing, and refused to listen to the SMs training. We even brought in the previous SM to lead the TLT, but he still couldn't reach them. We had a skills session in the m\last meeting, and when we asked the patrols to set up a tarp, they all just stared at us blankly. We went around to each, reteaching them the nessesary knots and techniques, but they prefered to just tie each other to poles. I have been trying to recruit other scouts to my patrol, but the adults won't let me take the ones that I will actually let me train them, because they are the only good scouts in the other patrols. I ahve been trying the train the ones who will let me as time on campouts allows. I have staffed NYLT a few times, so I try to use those tools to help them develop as leaders (yes, EDGE does work for some, myself included). Moosetracker, it is not so much that there are many special needs scouts in our area, but that our program is tailored to them. Rather then they being burned out by the program, other scouts tend to drop out because of lack of adventure. Many parents just drop of their kids as a hope that they will learn some values from us. Our adult leaders exemplify the idea of the Babysitter of America. If I hadn't already invested almost 6 years into this troop, I would just look for a new one. But now I want to leave it better than I found it. I hope that the adult leaders will let me.

Stosh, thank you for that reply. Unfortunately, the patrol leaders will no bemuch help. My troop prides itself on not turning away any scouts, so most of our scouts have been asked to leaveother troops because of behavioral issues. Most of the patrol leaders upset easily when asked to help with running the troop, so the SPL ends up with the responsibilty of leading 30+ scouts. He has been asking me forhelp with this, but now the CC is upset that I am doing so much without being in a leadership position. I am the only other scout we have above eighth grade that actually helps the SPL, because the others think that he is disrespectful to them. He isn't, they justthink that being we to get water on a campout is him picking on them. We try to dothings before the adults step in, but they seem to always ask about a problem before it becomes a problem. Because of the large amount of learning disabilities and behavioral issues, they do not trust the boys to lead the other scouts alone. No one ever voeshungry, because if they don't like what their patrol cooked they just get food from the adults. They also ask my patrol to we. Up tents and clean for other patrols, because we are the only ones that know how. We try to teach the other boys, but they don't listen since they know well have to do it for them anyway. Funny thing is, I'm in a two person patrol.

Thank you all for your reponses! John-In-KC, thank you for your advice. I had not thought of going out of the troop for help. In our district, units tend to not interact with other troops, even though there are several other troops in our town. Moosetracker, the SM sent out an email today requesting several youth leaders and adults to have a meeting after our PLC tomorow. Hopefully, he will be vocal in his support of the SPL. Unfortunatley, I am the only youth he invited that will side with the SPL. In the past, these meetings have tended to get taken over by the advancement coordinator, who doesn't like the SPL very much because his son doesn't get along with him. Any advice I can give my friend about this meeting? What can he say to help him gain these leader's respect?

Engineer, I don't think you are giving us youth enough credit. When asked to do a task, we can pull through. All the adults need to do is make it clear that they do want us to do things. If it is not normal in your troop for the boys to do work with the AC, then they will not think of it. Once it is established as something that the boys have a responability to do, it will get done. That won't happen if you just assume that they cannot do it.

The troop was previously somewhat boy led, but we have a new scoutmaster this year who still seems to be in cubmaster mode. The SPL is backed by some of his patrol leaders, but some of the older boys who are close to eagle but were not elected as leaders dislike him because he is younger than him and they don't like that he is "in charge" of them. One of these scouts is the son of the CC and advancement coordinator, and they are giving him a lot of trouble. The scoutmaster seems to be on his side, but he isn't very outspoken and is not giving him any help. Because his other older scouts are refusingto do what he asks for the meetings, he keeps having to ask me to do last minute presentations and games. He is getting very frustrated, and isn't really enjoying scouts because of this.

Hi! I am a youth member of my troop.I don't really hold a leadership position anymore, but am the OA rep because I am the Chapter Chief of our chapter. My friend, who is currently the SPL, is having some trouble. The scout who he ran against for SPL does not like the way he is running the troop and is turning the adult leadership against him. Now they don't really let him run the troop, constantly critisizing him and not letting him plan meetings because they do not believe that he can do it. he really is able to lead the troop, the adults just don't let him. How can I help him to get the adults back on his side?