Basic Leader Training at Round Table

[BrentAllen]

Back when I first got back into Scouting, our district was offering Cub Leader training sessions adjacent to Roundtable. We had good attendance at both the training and RT. Most of those attending training had never been to RT and didn't even know what it was. Usually someone would ask "what's going on the other rooms?" and the trainer would explain, "that is RT, a monthly gathering of leaders to share ideas - you should start attending when your training is completed, and bring your other leaders with you." Attendance at RT was very strong for several years after that, but has since fallen off to low numbers. I think offering the training next to RT is a great idea. I think you will find you are reaching new leaders who aren't "in the loop" and you have a good chance of getting them to a RT meeting or two.

[Abel Magwitch]

Roundtables should remain roundtables; a place for leaders to share ideas; a place for comradery between leaders; a place to learn about the next Camporee or Klondike derby etc.

 

In my district, a very good roundtable commissioner finally quit after being told the night of the roundtable that this person wanted to give training, the DE wanted to do re-chartering, etc. This RT commissioner worked hard on planning his roundtables well in advance and felt he was simply being used after being told by the DE that he had other plans for the RT.

 

If you want training, have a training night. If you want a re-chartering night, do it. But do not simply move in on RT night and tell the RT commissioner that the roundtable will be taken over to do something else. And people want to know why RT programs are in decline. In my council, out of 8 districts, there are only 3 left that still have RT commissioners. Though there is something called a RT on district calendar, it is usually simply a training event or a popcorn pickup.

 

The core of the roundtable covers program ideas and skills for working with new-Scout patrols, regular Scout patrols, and Venture patrols. Roundtables should focus on program highlights for upcoming months. Roundtables should be fun.

 

The age old concept of a RT (at least in my council) has become something else for others to use to promote their own agendas.

 

[dkurtenbach]

I was a Roundtable Commissioner for a long time, and over the years dealt with all of these issues.

 

I can't blame DEs, District Chairmen, or Training Chairs for wanting a piece of Roundtable. It is the ONLY established, regular meeting for all unit leaders in a district. As such, it is the best opportunity to reach those leaders. I blame BSA for not setting Roundtable up to meet all of those needs -- or not institutionalizing another monthly meeting to take care of them! **VBG**

 

In my view, regardless of what the books say about it, the single most important function of Roundtable is to give unit leaders what they NEED. That may vary from month to month and district to district. Good attendance will come when RT provides what leaders need _and_ they KNOW that they need it. Great attendance will come when RT provides what leaders need _and_ they KNOW that they need it _and_ they WANT it, too.

 

Dan K.

[clemlaw]

>>>>>In the pre-online training era, we had great success offering various training at 7:00 PM before the 8:00 Roundtable. It got folks trained and increased Roundtable attendance.

[John-in-KC]

I can't blame DEs, District Chairmen, or Training Chairs for wanting a piece of Roundtable. It is the ONLY established, regular meeting for all unit leaders in a district. As such, it is the best opportunity to reach those leaders. I blame BSA for not setting Roundtable up to meet all of those needs -- or not institutionalizing another monthly meeting to take care of them! **VBG**

 

Three RT Commissioners back, our DC and RT Commish decided to leverage Roundtable: It now serves as one stop shopping for unit serving Scouters. This means:

- OA Chapter has their meeting concurrently, so youth members can carpool with leaders.

- District Training Committee teaches "This is Scouting" in a dedicated space every month of the program year.

- District Training Committee sets up a bank of PCs for other online BSA training and helps folks get into MyScouting the first time.

- District Advancement Committee has dedicated space for ELSP District reviews.

- District Advancement Committee has dedicated space to train MB Counselors.

- Cub Scout RT has dedicated space for the main meeting and breakouts for Tiger Leaders, W/B leaders, Weeb leaders, and Pack staff.

- Boy Scout RT has dedicated space for the opening and Program Feature/ Special Features breakouts.

- Venturing RT (yes, we still call it that) has dedicated space and brings in Consultants on different program areas each month.

 

While we do recharter kick-off at the October Commissioner meeting, we have a recharter help desk as part of the November RT, and we routinely (~7 years now) plan recharter turn-in as the key activity of the December RT.

 

We're fortunate to have District professionals who have synergy with their volunteers and key volunteers/staff who want the unit serving leaders to succeed.

 

Message me if you ever want to see our program in action. We are a 1st Thursday of the month program.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[moxieman]

John-in-KC, you are also fortunate to have access to a big enough meeting space to meet your needs.

[Scoutfish]

I have only been doing the roundtable thing on a regular basis for about a year now. Before that,it was hit and miss.

 

So basically, I'm saying this: I'm still new to the whole RT thing.

 

But it seems to my unexperienced eye, what the RT problems are: Everybody here ( for the most part) has said that RT is or is supposed to be for "X" type activity only. They think it should be for that one thing....and nothing else.

 

Of course, not everybody has the same idea of what "X" is.

 

Well, that's great, but what if the things that makes up "X" type activity are running smoothly? Then what do you do for RT?

 

And during the course of the year, various things pop up. Situations arise that need to be addressed.

 

What's the best place to adress these things? RT!

 

The roundtables I have been to have covered, Recharter, Popcorn, Council/ District year long planning meetings, Camp preview, Program Preview, Journey to Excellence, Roundup schedules,etc..

 

I have only seen it become a break away session twice:

Once for District PWD and once for info on YPT and other required training classes.

 

Again, this isn't something i have done for a long time, so I can't say how it has changed from what it used to be or how it's not being run like it should.

 

But I can say, in my district anyways, Round Tables are left flexible to meet whatever needs our Ditrict needs to be met. And there are usually at least 2 and sometimes 3 people representing 95% of all the units at any given roundtable meeting.

 

Except my unit. Usually it's just me because over time, our pack has somehow slowly seperated itself from all but the basic mandatory council/district communication.

 

But I'm working on that.

 

Anyways...RT should be flexible. As soon as it becomes a ridgid, non-flexable thing..then it starts to fail the units it's supposed to serve. Our needs change, Issues change, things that come up unexpectedly are just that: unexpected.

 

RT's need to be able to adjust for them.

 

So I'm not saying RT's should be only for Leader training, but they shouldn't automatically exclude them either. If nothing else pressing is going on and you have a big handfull of leaders who need to renew their YPT..then why not?

 

Maybe the district or council is at a point where alot of experinced leadership has crossed out or retired. Now you have a bunch of newbies who need to have an orientation about...whatever.

 

Granted, RT can't be a wide open anything and everything goes meeting, but it should be flexible.

[John-in-KC]

Moxieman,

 

True. We have well over 100 units in our District. We're lucky to have access to a Fortune 500 companies' training center, which they let us use for RT. Our District has outgrown 3 other facilities in the past 15 years, two of them since I've been aboard in 2000. Between all programs, we're signing in right at 400 people each month.

[SeattlePioneer]

Interesting thread with A LOT of varied ideas!

 

 

I started attending my district's Roundtables in 2004. I found the Cub Scout Roundtables to be more fun, and they were fairly well attended at the time, so I tended to hang my hat there.

 

Unfortunately, the Cub Roundtable Commissioners went on to other things, and attendance went into decline. Last year we had a very good former Cubmaster as RT Commissioner, and I tried to assist him where I could.

 

His last Roundtable was in June.

 

For lack of anyone else to carry on, I've been doing my best to assemble a program each month. We've slowly seen some increase in attendance.

 

One of my aims has been to limit the Cub Scout Roundtable to no more than an hour ---7:30-8:30 for us. I've had several favorable comments on that. Cub Rountable attendees leave while the Boy Scout Roundtable continues for an extended period of time each month.

 

Personally I expect Roundtable to be a forum for annoucements. I did a Tiger Cub Den Leader training before Roundtable in June --- I'd be glad to co-ordinate such things.

 

The DE used the Roundtable night to distruibute recharter packets in October and to pick them up in November. That actually drew people in to Roundtable.

 

Our January Roundtable is going to be a presentation by a talented former Cubmaster, now a new Scoutmaster:

 

"What to do with Webelos!

 

 

By the time a Cub Scout hits Webelos age, they've probably done most of the annual Pack activities a couple times, and are looking for new adventures. They'll also be eyeing the Boy Scout program, but may have questions or concerns. We'll give you some great ideas to spice up your Webelos program and avoid the "been there done that" syndrome. We'll also provide good suggestions on learning more about Boy Scouts and getting your Scouts excited about crossing over."

 

 

Our February program is going to be on "Recruiting and Retaining Hispanic Youth."

 

Our March program is going to be a model of how a FUN recruiting night can be run. We are more or less going to be DOING a recruiting night, with pack leaders invited to bring their Scouts to a fun activity (making and launching stomp bottle rockets).

 

 

After March though I'm running out of time and ideas. If the DE and District Officers don't come up with a new Roundtable Commissioner, the Cub Scout program may fail.

[Twocubdad]

Before the advent of online training, one of our best-attended RTs was the annual Youth Protection training session. That was back when you had to watch Cordelia and the gang on video. Most folks thought it was a quick and easy way to complete the training. Although you were required to take it only ever other year, enought folks needed it, or were willing to sit through it that it usually bumped RT attendance that month.

 

However I can't see how running Scoutmaster or Cub leader position-specific training makes sense. You would have to split the course into six hour- to hour-and-a-half sessions held over six months. I can't believe that's an effect training method.

[UCEagle72]

Scout Leader Basic Training is designed (out of the box) to be held in 3 2-hour sessions. (Start at 7, end by 9)

 

We hold this training 6 times a year in our District -- Spring and Fall District Training Days -- Spring and Fall Camporees -- and the three-month trainings in spring and fall during RT. (And yes, our Council-run Summer Camp program also teaches the classes during the Summer Camp season.)

 

I just looked at the Council training calendar, and it appears there is a Scout Leader Basic being held every month somewhere in the Council. And an IOLS class being held every-other month.

 

We are one of the Councils that has been "added" into the mandatory training pilot for 2011. So we are reminding Commissioners to start working with their units now in order to avoid problems come next November when we recharter.