Troop Meetings?

[andysmom]

This is very interesting.

 

We have an opening flag ceremony and announcements and our patrols go off into their patrol meetings.  We are lucky that we have a 1 large room that we use for opening, closings and games if they need to be inside, and 4 other smaller rooms.  Each patrol gets their own room for the evening.  The SM stays in the big room for SM conferences, and other SM stuff.  Our ASMs are either wandering through the patrol meetings or in the big room to sign book for advancement and other ASM stuff.  Our SPL and ASPLs either wander through the patrol meetings or are in the large room working with adults to get activities planned that need adult help.  All adults are in the big room if parents have questions, need to make a payment for something they can see the treasurer, when advancement things are done they see me and I put them in my computer etc.

 

In the patrol meetings the scouts do things like, plan the game, trainings, or activities (camp outs/outings)  their patrol is responsible for.  They also work on and teach scout skills for advancement.  2 times a month the patrol meetings are cut in half and the 2nd have of the time is spent in troop wide training given by one of the patrols.  This has included training in things like first aid, maintenance of camp equipment, leave no trace, etc.

 

After the patrol meetings/training everyone meets in the large room for a game, SM minute and closing.

 

OUR PLC meets once a month to decide who is going to do what trainings and when, who is going to plan the games, plan other activities etc.  Our SPL is elected in the spring for the following year and chooses his ASPLs and scribe before summer camp.  During the week of summer camp they sit down with the school calendar and roughly schedule the following year (not specifics, just what weekend camporees are scheduled for what weekend they want to do events, etc).  Our SPL for next year has decided that he wants to use the Troop Program guide for next year's planning, so we will see how that goes, they havent used it in the recent past.

 

Merit badge work is done the hour before troop meetings.  We do have crossovers in their own patrol until summer camp so they can focus on getting to 2nd class before their first year at camp.

 

I have never been to other troop's meetings, this is just how ours have been done atleast as long as I have been involved.

[Stosh]

@@andysmom

 

Good, at least I'm not odd man out.  This is quite similar to what we do.

[Mom2a]

Son's patrol supposedly (I wasn't there) voted to work a couple merit badges together so they could figure out what they were doing with those. They voted on ones that they all had an interested in. They have been together since Tigers so lots in common. I asked the scoutmaster about who their troop guide was trying to figure out who I should direct my son to speak to about what they should be doing for rank advancement/scouting skills. The answer is we don't work on rank advancement with the new guys since they do that at summer camp. Son is with his friends so he is happy and very resistant to looking elsewhere.

[Eagledad]

The answer is we don't work on rank advancement with the new guys since they do that at summer camp. Son is with his friends so he is happy and very resistant to looking elsewhere.

There is very little you can really do about the way the troop has it set up presently. The BSA doesn't encourage this practice, but a surprisingly large number of troops administer their rank advancement program the same as yours. It is easy and takes the burden of responsibility off the troop. Sadly, it also reduces the quality of scout skills in the troop and doesn't give the scout much practice with independent decisions making for his own advancement process. He is basically stuck with a system that drives most of the scouts at the same speed. And what if the scout misses camp for whatever reason? During training I guided troops to develop a program that doesn't get in the way of a scout's personal ambition. But as I said, a surprising number of troops do most of their advancement at summer camp and MB college.

 

There is one way you can help fix the problem. Become the Troop advancement chairman and develop the troop program to where scouts can advance at their speed. Basically get the scouts to work with Patrol leaders and older scouts to schedule meeting times before or after a meeting, at a patrol meeting like the one the set up for the MB, or during free time at camp. You can be an important difference here.

 

Barry

[perdidochas]

What goes on during your troop meetings? How do you welcome new members? Oldest crossed over into Boy Scouts this spring. I understand boy led. I don't understand asking my son what they did at his meeting and continually being told the older scouts played basketball while we worked on our merit badge, we completed our merit badge so we had to sit and watch the guys play basketball. Not feeling like this is the way things are meant to be.

 

Then have your boy bring it up to the SPL and the PLC. If that doesn't work, to the Scoutmaster.

 

The other thing is first  year scouts should be working on T-2-1 advancement, not merit badges.

 

The other thing is, it might be a patrol thing. Our troop has patrol meetings as part of our troop meetings.  We have had patrols that chose to play games, while others worked on merit badges. 

 

Was this  typical of the Troop when you visited?

[perdidochas]

What? So why are the younger scouts left out of the fun stuff? 

 

Barry

Advancement is fun stuff, or to be more precise, the majority of the T-2-1 requirements are fun stuff. 

Edited May 29, 2015 by perdidochas

[Eagledad]

Advancement is fun stuff, or to be more precise, the majority of the T-2-1 requirements are fun stuff. 

Yes, that's fine if that is their choice. My experience is that young scouts don't like missing out on stuff the other scouts are doing.

 

Barry

Edited May 29, 2015 by Eagledad

[Mom2a]

When we visited the troop the boys had an opening flag, prepared for their next meeting which was their court of honor then went outside for one of the scouts to teach some outdoor skills. Different SPL at that time so I am hoping that things change once they switch again.

[NJCubScouter]

The answer is we don't work on rank advancement with the new guys since they do that at summer camp.

Really. Unlike Eagledad, I have never heard of a troop that does that, and I wish I hadn't now. It is difficult for me to picture how that works. The advancement requirements cover all kinds of things that are supposed to be happening on a regular basis anyway. As one of many examples, if you're going on a camping trip, someone has to make a menu, use it to make a shopping list and go shopping. It just happens that when a Scout does those things, there are requirements (or sub-parts of requirements) that can be checked off. So what happens in your troop, these things happen but they don't get signed off? How do you even DO the shopping requirement at summer camp, anyway? And to pick another one that I am fond of, there is a requirement to discuss with an attorney, teacher, elected official (or 2 or 3 other kinds of people), your rights and obligations as a citizen. In our troop, it happens that three of the adult leaders or committee members who regularly attend troop (including me) fall into one of those categories. (Used to be two, for me.) Here we are, talk to one of us (usually me), pass the requirement. But guess what, none of us go to summer camp anymore. So what do the kids have to do, hope there is a lawyer or mayor or teacher wandering around at summer camp looking for someone to talk to?

 

And I could go on, but I think I've made my point.

 

Son is with his friends so he is happy and very resistant to looking elsewhere.

Which probably makes all the rest of this moot, as far as your son is concerned. Maybe as he gets a little older he and his friends will have a better understanding of how things are supposed to work and will push for change within the troop. It depends how much of a self-starter he is - and even if he isn't now, that can (though doesn't always) improve with age. And if he's mainly just having fun with his friends, well, there are worse things than that.

[Stosh]

The several camps I have attended over the years all state that the T-FC classes they teach are NOT to count as advancement for rank.  It is just an opportunity for the new guys to get a feel for the kinds of activities they will need to know to operate fully in the patrol.  

 

So, do my boys attend the T-FC classes, yes, because they choose to because it's a lot more practical and fun that some of the MB's they are taking.  Basketry and Wood Carving aren't going to be as practical as knots and cooking on the campfire.  When they come back they take a meeting or two to have each of the boys demonstrate what they learned at the T-FC sessions and if they are proficient at it, the PL marks them as passed.

[Hedgehog]

The Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) decides on a theme for the month.  Each patrol is responsible for planning the troop portion of the meeting for one week during the month.  

 

Opening - Scouts do Flag Ceremony wiht Pledge, Oath and Law

 

Announcements - Senior Patrol Leader makes announcements regarding outings, service activities, merit badge opportunities and other administrative issues.

 

Patrol Breakouts - Patrols go to separate rooms.  Patrols are mixed age based on the boys decision.  The patrol breakouts usually start with a game (silent ball is pretty much the default), brainstorm about what they are going to do for their week when they have to run the troop portion of the meeting.  Patrol Leaders, Assistant Patrol Leaders and the Troop Guide assigned to the patrol will go over things such as the meaning of the oath and law, knots, scout skills.

 

Troop Activity - Each patrol runs the activty that is related to the theme.  They usually build something, teach scout skills or have a contest.  Then they play a game.

 

Closing - SPL brings everyone into a circle, there are reminders (upcomming events) and then an opportunity to tell jokes and then we close the meeting.

[andysmom]

The several camps I have attended over the years all state that the T-FC classes they teach are NOT to count as advancement for rank.  It is just an opportunity for the new guys to get a feel for the kinds of activities they will need to know to operate fully in the patrol.  

 

 

Our crossovers participate in the pioneer program at summer camp specifically designed for new scouts.  It is a half day program so they can choose merit badges for the afternoon.  The boys get a sheet of what they do each day during the program.  For years the ASM just signed the books assuming that the skills were taught and tested.   We learned they are not.  The skills are touched on but not mastered by any stretch of the imagination.  ASM have been told not to sign of t-1 requirements that the boys "learn" at summer camp unless they can demonstrate them.