Unit Planning and Boy Lead - what does Boy Lead really mean?

[Scouter99]

Anyone else find it hilarious that blw2's adults think their schedules are any more harried than the boys'?

[Twocubdad]

"But mom, I couldn't possibly study for exams this weekend. The PLC decided we're going camping and we're BOY LEAD!"

 

Ah, the inevitable conflict between the boy-lead Scout troop and the rest of the world.

 

We solved this years ago by declaring, with few exceptions, the first weekend of every month as our usual camping weekend. Yes, way back when it was probably an adult directive. But at this point it's just SOP not a decision point. Between two public school systems, charter schools and private school, we have Scouts on SEVEN different school calendars. Add sports, church, holidays and family schedules there isn't one conflict-free weekend in the year. I think of it as a structure which allows the boys to plan successful outings, no different that the store of tents or cooking gear in the back room.

 

At our annual planning conference in the summer we list dates or all the first weekends and the Scouts start filling-in locations and activities. I may nix the occasional hang-gliding trip and "redirected" a suggested "campout" to New York City by asking how the trip would be funded and what the Scouting purpose would be.

 

By the time the calendar gets to the committee, there's not much to discuss. I can't recall the committee ever overturning a planned activity.

 

[Stosh]

I can't ever recall any of my committees ever involved in any planned activity whether it be boy or adult led.

 

Stosh

[qwazse]

"But mom' date=' I couldn't possibly study for exams this weekend. The PLC decided we're going camping and we're BOY LEAD!" ... Between two public school systems, charter schools and private school, we have Scouts on SEVEN different school calendars. Add sports, church, holidays and family schedules there isn't one conflict-free weekend in the year. ...[/quote']

 

I feel your pain. Son #2's math teacher just announced a Saturday morning exam. (Something about getting the final out of the way for kids taking the AP test.) Seems the bright kids get more tests. He had set aside that time for a site visit of a council-wide activity. Some scouter once told him that academics are important, so now it's just me visiting the site.

[blw2]

I'm not so sure if that's their motivation exactly..... no matter if one is more harried than the other, I think their point is more that the parents set the family's schedule, not the other way around......

[TAHAWK]

I'm not so sure if that's their motivation exactly..... no matter if one is more harried than the other' date=' I [u']think [/u]their point is more that the parents set the family's schedule, not the other way around......

 

Just one of the reason adults find it hard to allow Scouts to set the Scouting schedule.

 

Making what they want to do fit what else is going on in the world is good experience for life.

[blw2]

 

Just one of the reason adults find it hard to allow Scouts to set the Scouting schedule.

 

Making what they want to do fit what else is going on in the world is good experience for life.

 

well put

[Scouter99]

I'm not so sure if that's their motivation exactly..... no matter if one is more harried than the other' date=' I [u']think [/u]their point is more that the parents set the family's schedule, not the other way around......

 

In either case, it's clear your committee doesn't understand scouting. How you deal with it depends on a lot of stuff, ranging from tossing up your hands, to explaining how it is and pointing out the door to dissenters.

[Twocubdad]

Come on. There is a difference between troop leaders sticking with the Youth leadership philosophy and parents asserting their prerogative to determine their family's schedule. The troop may be boy lead, but families aren't.

[TAHAWK]

Sure the Scouts need to consider what else is going on in the world.

 

Nothing wrong with information or counseling from the SM. Very wrong to have the adults plan the schedule in the first instance. Very mom and dad. Very wrong. But a troop - or more importantly a patrol - is not a family. It's a representative democracy.

[Stosh]

Come on. There is a difference between troop leaders sticking with the Youth leadership philosophy and parents asserting their prerogative to determine their family's schedule. The troop may be boy lead' date=' but families aren't.[/quote']

 

School schedules don't operate under family schedules.

Churches don't operate under family schedules.

Sport programs don't operate under family schedules.

Work schedules don't operate under family schedules.

 

But parents of scouts Scouts think they do?

 

I hope the boys are listening more to the real world out there than the fantasy world their parents are making up as they go along.

 

Stosh

[baggss]

Our committe has nothing to do with the actual scheduling--however' date=' they are told about what the boys decided. One key to boy led is ILST. Once they start to realize the theorietical power they have, they start to use it.[/quote'] Shhhh! ILST is big secret, use of which will threaten manhood of all adults, must never be used if power is to be maintained by those who know best

[Twocubdad]

Oh please, Stosh. You really think commitments work and school are equal to those of sports and Scouts? Or that parent's shouldn't set the priorities for their family?

[qwazse]

... Or that parent's shouldn't set the priorities for their family? ...

 

My venturer's parents aren't nagging me to help their precious ones earn Silver or Ranger before they head off to college, so if they set scouting as a low priority, I don't mind as long as the kids aren't robbing liquor stores to buy drugs.

 

But ...

 

The boy scout's parents want plenty of advancement opportunities. Even the ones who are polite about it want to be sure that Eagle is available for lil' junior if he ever decides to work for it. Well, if they want our CO to keep the lights on and door unlocked, they'd better make their family schedule fit the life of the troop.

 

On the flip side, I find myself in the midst of helping families through some very rough times. Every thing is a two-way street.

[Eagledad]

Oh please' date=' Stosh. You really think commitments work and school are equal to those of sports and Scouts? Or that parent's shouldn't set the priorities for their family?[/quote']

 

Thanks for the reminder 2cub, sometimes we scout leaders get full of ourselves.

 

I used to ask the participants at leader training to imagine mom with a puzzle box titled with her son's name on it. On each puzzle piece in the box are the names of role models she was looking to be a member of the team she was building to raise her son into the man of character in her vision. Those names included coaches, teachers, music leaders, Sunday school leaders and so on. Also among those pieces were places for scout leaders. Mom is building a team to help raise a man of integrity. She isn’t asking one team member to have more influence than the other. She just wants each role model she picked to do their expected job, nothing more.

 

We scout leaders are not the end all or saving grace to raising the sons of mothers in our troops. Who are we really to say our way is the best way. A little compassion for the struggles of raising kids is important to how we do our part on mom's team. In 99 percent of families in scouting, the parents are not the enemy. We serve them the best we can and while that isn’t always easy or as planned, we approach our responsibility as a servant, not the master.

 

I have found that when we work with each family as one member of their team, no matter how difficult a situation becomes, they at the very least they hold their respect for the difficult, maybe impossible, responsibility lying on our shoulders. Sometimes scout leaders are wrong.

 

Barry