Outings

[slontwovvy]

Lately, our troop has been having a problem. We cannot seem to get boys to come on our campouts. I realize not every weekend will work for everyone, but out of forty plus boys we'll get only seven or eight to come. We have patrols plan the outings for the troop, with guidance from an adult, each patrol doing two outings a year. Still, however, our attendance is low. Any suggestions to really rev up outings, neat things to try or whatever. I could really use some help.

[sst3rd]

Trust me, you're going to get alot of great input on this one. Our Troop is lucky enough to be close to the ocean, mountains, lakes, military bases, state and national parks, and lots of historical sites. When we have our annual planning meeting with the PLC in August, the Troop membership and all of the adults attend as well. The PLC usually picks about half of the trips we did the prior year, and half of the trips are at new locations. If you don't backpack on some trips, start that tradition. That'll give the PLC alot to prepare for. Trips involving day long biking on historical trails are great. If your Troop is big enough, create a mini CAMPOREE. You can do this with just two Patrols, and adult leaders can work with the youth Staff to provide the stations. If your trips are varied and interesting, stick to it. When your small group of Scouts has a good time, they'll tell the others about it. Don't be discouraged and don't allow this temporary setback to slow down your PLC's program. Just another quick note. If you set your trip dates in advance, like at an annual program planning meeting usually in August, stick to those dates. Don't try to change things around to try and get more Scouts on trips. Also, if you describe your Troop's location, the fine Scouters in this board can give you more specific suggestions. Like, do you live in or near a big city, small city, or small town. Do you live in the middle of Death Valley, or in the Rocky Mountains. Keep the Spirit!!!

[slontwovvy]

OK, we are located in a small city in Wisconsin, in the general middle of the state. Thanks for the help.

[jmcquillan]

Just out of curiosity, who picks the destinations for your camping trips? Who designs the program? If it's the adult leaders who are making those decisions, the kids have no vested interest in the trips. If it's the kids who are picking the places to go, then they have no one to blame but themselves. I know this, because I've been through it. When I first started in Scouting, the adult leaders I worked with pretty much did all the planning, and made all the decisions about where to go and when. Low attendance told us something, and training (for me) told me a lot more. After that, we left it to the troop through the PLC, with SM guidance, of course. Their plans were presented to the TC for approval and support after, and only after, the SM was pretty sure that the TC would, indeed, support the calendar.

 

If you're not doing that presently, try letting the Scouts decide what trips they want to do, with encouragement from the SM to keep them as Scouting trips, and not trips to the Pizza Parlor....of course. :-)

[yarrow]

Our troops favorite trips are usually the new locations and one old favorite where we never have any scheduled activity. The new trips attract older boys and the one that we repeat every year is low key and non-threatening for brand new scouts (we usually have it just after cross overs). It's enough for the new boys just to get gear together. I wish we did more backpacking though.

[slontwovvy]

Our PLC plans the outings. After it's been proposed, one of the older scouts and one of our younger scouts takes up the planning with the help of an adult, making reservations, planning program, etc. I don't know, I think they're pretty neat trips. We've gone caving, on canoe expeditions, and gotten no more than 9 boys.

[Dedicated Dad]

We have patrols plan the outings for the troop,Perhaps this may be the problem, if you're not revisiting the well attended outings each year you're bound to hit a few that arent as fun as others. Change is not always a good thing. IMHOOK, we are located in a small city in Wisconsin, in the general middle of the state Hey, HOWS BY YOU, whats ya catchen? Good luck this Saturday, Bretts gonna make Vince proud, hey! BELIEVE-YOU-ME, San Frans a bunch of leakers, theyll get pounded so small on da frozen tundra theyll be taking their showers in the bubbler, you-betcha.

 

 

[jmcquillan]

slontwovvy,

 

Sounds like you're doing it all right. That being the case, I can only make a couple of suggestions based on our own troop experience.

 

Many times we would forget to check the school calendar, or have the boys check thier own personal calendars for things like conflicts with sports. You might try that, but I'll guess that you already do.

 

At one point we spent the better part of one meeting towards the end of the school year having the patrols making lists of trips they wanted to do, and places they wanted to go. Then, at the same meeting we had the SPL ask for these suggestions and write them all on a flip chart. The Scouts would go over the list and finally agree on a list of proposed trips. The PLC, SM, and Troop Committee would spend time planning just when those trips might be able to take place. At the beginning of the next school year, the SPL would review the list with the troop at the first meeting. The list would then be sent home to each Scouting family so that Mom & Dad could help the their Scout compare it to the family calendar. In that fashion, we at least got everyone to agree that it was still OK, or not, andthen necessary changes would be made. We still had no-shows and those who would back out, but we usually had good attendance.

 

Are the no-shows Scouts who sign-up and just don't come? Or do they just not sign-up for the trip? Our policy was that once you paid any fees required for food and such, those fees were not refundable unless there was a pretty good reason, especially after the food was purchased and the reservations were paid for. We felt that the Scouts really needed to feel some ownership and responsibility to the troop and their fellow patrol members.

 

Oh, and many times, if trips are repeated too often, they can become less desireable for the older kids.

 

 

[evmori]

Someone once told me you can only be there for the Scouts who want to be there. How do you gauge participation in your Troop? Also, who plans the annual calendar?

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

[k9gold-scout]

Our troop starte in September, 1st the SPL gets ideas from the scouts, then he comes to a parents meeting. Now we take their wish list and rough out dates. Finall we have a parents social and present a plan for the next year, usually in November. Each event must have a parent sponsor who is willing to take charge and make sure the progran happens. If the parent dose not follow-up the activity is canceled.

[Eman]

We're having a similar problem with lack of participation in our troop also. When the troop was run so that the Scoutmaster and his assistants planned all the trips and did all the work attendance was very high. In the last 2yrs. our troop has tried to become more of a patrol based boy run troop. I would say that the scouts we have now are better scouts than the older ones. But there is a lot of apathy when it comes to meetings and outings. One 14yr. old raised his hand and said he wanted the adults to plan all the trips because it was more fun.

One of the biggest things I see is with Scouts you're competing against so many other activities. With most of these other activities the boys don't have to "do" anything just go along for the fun.

[slontwovvy]

Sorry, Dedicated Dad, we still refer to water fountains as bubblers, and Lambeau Field as the frozen tundra, but I've never heard a Wisconsinite talk quite the way you've described, though it is true that the Packers are going to win this weekend.

 

Some of the more recent suggestions might help our problem. Generally, of the forty-odd boys in our troop, we consider 20 or so active (3/4 outings, 2/3 outings, etc.) However, our past Scoutmaster had beliefs different than my own. He would bring along young, immature Scouts to PLC's where they would often cause problems and require babysitting. People who should not have been to these meetings often disrupted them. In addition, he had a "loose admissions policy." People could sign up for the outings the day before and drop out an hour before we left with full refunds.

Lately, we have tried to change this under our new Scoutmaster. It has however, yet to catch on. Hopefully with the ideas you have provided we can hasten the transition.

[Dedicated Dad]

Sorry, Dedicated Dadbut I've never heard a Wisconsinite talk quite the way you've describedYou have nothing to apologize for, perhaps I do if you took it disparagingly and if so I appologize. Some of my fondest memories of higher learning and people are between Beaver Dam, Horicon and Ripon/Green Lake, some day I hope to retire there. Its been a long time since, commer-once, stop and go lights and yah-hey have been part of my vocabulary, I thought Id give it whirl for cry-ay-ay.

 

 

[bigbeard]

jmquillan, your point on checking school calendars is a good one. Our District scheduled the Fall Camporee on Homecomming Weekend, and the Spring Camporee is slated for the same weekend as the Prom. Go figure.

[johnmbowen]

Our Troop has had a great deal of success with high adventure trips. We do a lot of training in preparation, and have good attendance. I think that you just have to go a few times, bring back pics and stories and you don't have any problems.

 

Additionally, our Troop has just done a bit of mountaineering.

 

I am very interested in Scout Troops that have done big mountains, or have done some mountaineering. I am particularly interested in international mountaineering trips by Scout Troops or Venture or Explorers, when they did them and what stories they have to tell.