What Is Your Troop Doing To Prepare For The 2016 Requirements?

[koolaidman]

I'm still in the process of digesting all of new (draft) requirements. 

 

How is your troop planning to communicate the changes and guide the scouts to learning new skills?

 

We're still in the planning stages, but I'm proposing:

• Inform the parents of the new requirements and transition timelines.
• Inform the SPL/PLC and let them inform the scouts of the new requirements an transition timelines.

 

For the "new" skills not yet published in a Scout Handbook:

• Ask PLC/First Class+ scouts how they plan to learn the skills to teach the scouts the new requirements.
• Perhaps suggest a few "learning weekends" to get up and running on the new skills, so they can teach the new scouts.

 

The goal will be to guide the scouts into learning the new skills themselves before teaching, with the least amount of adult instruction as possible.

 

We have a young troop with few scouts First Class and above.  They are still learning to think of the younger scouts needs rather than their own.

 

What steps are other troops taking?

[Eagle94-A1]

In most  of the troops I've been in, the Scouts have been the ones who have been doing the teaching, so that isn't new for me. However, I do see the challenge with getting a young troop up to snuff because that is the situation I'm in with my son's troop; less than 5 are First Class or above, everyone else is Scout or Tenderfoot.

 

Folks I think will have hte biggest challenge will be the LDS troops since their 11 year old Scouts do not meet with the 12 and 13 year old Scouts, and at 14 they go Varsity or Venturing.

[pargolf44067]

I hadn't really thought about it yet, but I guess that 1/1/16 is coming up quick.  I'll probably mention it to the PLC at our annual planning meeting in case there are things we need to put in our plan for the year ahead.  I'll mention it, as well, to our parents at one of our monthly parent meetings as well so they are aware of it.  I have a boy that crossed over this year that had a 2010 book that he got from a former scout, so I probably need to reinforce this a couple of times with my parents.

 

This will definitely be a great learning opportunity for our boy leaders to learn how to adjust and be flexible  !

[Stosh]

I'm still in the process of digesting all of new (draft) requirements. 

 

How is your troop planning to communicate the changes and guide the scouts to learning new skills?

 

Nothing at this point.  The boys are unaware of the new requirements.  Until they are official, there's nothing they can do in the mean time.

 

We're still in the planning stages, but I'm proposing:

• Inform the parents of the new requirements and transition timelines.

Parents aren't advancing, only the boys.

• Inform the SPL/PLC and let them inform the scouts of the new requirements an transition timelines.

We have no SPL or PLC.  Only one PL needs to know.

 

For the "new" skills not yet published in a Scout Handbook:

• Ask PLC/First Class+ scouts how they plan to learn the skills to teach the scouts the new requirements.

All my boys know how to teach, it's the first thing they learned.   All their advancement needs to be demonstrated they know the skill and this is done by teaching another scout, s parent or someone off the street.

• Perhaps suggest a few "learning weekends" to get up and running on the new skills, so they can teach the new scouts.

 The only "new" scout we have is our current PL.  All the rest of the scouts are older.

 

The goal will be to guide the scouts into learning the new skills themselves before teaching, with the least amount of adult instruction as possible.

 

AS far as I can tell, all my boys know how to read and look at the pictures.  They can figure out what and how to each without any adult intervention at all.  

 

We have a young troop with few scouts First Class and above.  They are still learning to think of the younger scouts needs rather than their own.

 

We too are a young troop with no scouts above Tenderfoot..  They will need to figure out the new system when it becomes official.  It's all part of the leadership learning curve of solving problems that come their way.

 

What steps are other troops taking?

[John-in-KC]

Topic moved by a Moderator.

[meschen]

Honestly, little needs to be done for the youth come January 2016. Most of the Scouts will continue doing the old requirements during their transition year under old requirements. After they hit first class, the changes are not all that significant. Our older Scouts should already provide much of the training and leadership to the new Scouts.

 

The challenges will begin when the new Webelos transition in mid-spring and those will mainly be record keeping. When we do fire tool safety, new Scouts will be getting credit for second class requirement 3c and older Scouts will get tenderfoor requirement 3d. A bit of a headache for data entry into Troopmaster, but not really a big deal. Nothing in program delivery really changes.

 

Come the second half of 2016, we'll need to light a fire under any of the Scouts working under the old requirements who haven't finished first class, but then that too isn't really much of a change. ;-)

[T2Eagle]

Maybe I'm becoming one of those old timers I used to laugh at, but other than knowing Scout was becoming an official rank I hadn't paid too much attention to the new requirements.  What new skills are required starting next year?

[Gone]

We will do what we did when they shuffled requirements in 2010. It's a pain in the butt but doable.

[fred johnson]

Nothing.  New requirements only kick in AFTER 2016 and after they complete their current rank.  At that time, we'd let them know about the new requirements.  And it would be the scouts, not the parents we work with.

 

Merit badge requirements are between the scout and his counselor.  

 

For rank ... one troop that I saw, created a new small sheet to be stapled into the scout's handbook having the new rank requirements.  

 

...

 

BUT ... to be honest ... I bet a few scouts have slipped by on the old requirements still in their scout handbook.  Should they have done the new requirements?  Absolutely.  Is there harm done?  Probably not.

Edited August 6, 2015 by fred johnson

[Eagle94-A1]

Fred,

 

In regards to harm and not using current requirements, it depends. We had one troop that didn't give a rip about changes in requirements, except Eagle. Whatever requirements were in the book the Scout started with, that is what they used for T-2-1-S-L. Apparently they were doing it like that for years and no one outside the troop knew.

 

BUT that caused a problem when that troop folded, joining Trails Life, and one Scout was going for Life. His new troop followed the rules, and discovered that he didn't do one of the "new" Life requirements, because he didn't know about it as his old troop didn't tell him. Major problem as he was on a very tight deadline to get Eagle. This is the guy whose old troop stopped working on BSA advancement when they decided to leave and join the new program when it came out. He was 17 years, 6 months when he was scheduled by his new troop for the SMC and BOR when the mistake was discovered. He wasn't able to have his Life BOR until 17 years, 7 months.

 

THANKFULLY the appeal for an extension was granted, and he had an extra month to meet the leadership position requirement. Everythign else was done prior to 18 except the EBOR. He's currently an ASM still, and an OA chapter officer.

[fred johnson]

Fred,

 

In regards to harm and not using current requirements, it depends. We had one troop that didn't give a rip about changes in requirements, except Eagle. Whatever requirements were in the book the Scout started with, that is what they used for T-2-1-S-L. Apparently they were doing it like that for years and no one outside the troop knew.

 

BUT that caused a problem when that troop folded, joining Trails Life, and one Scout was going for Life. His new troop followed the rules, and discovered that he didn't do one of the "new" Life requirements, because he didn't know about it as his old troop didn't tell him. Major problem as he was on a very tight deadline to get Eagle. This is the guy whose old troop stopped working on BSA advancement when they decided to leave and join the new program when it came out. He was 17 years, 6 months when he was scheduled by his new troop for the SMC and BOR when the mistake was discovered. He wasn't able to have his Life BOR until 17 years, 7 months.

 

THANKFULLY the appeal for an extension was granted, and he had an extra month to meet the leadership position requirement. Everythign else was done prior to 18 except the EBOR. He's currently an ASM still, and an OA chapter officer.

 

EAGLE94-A1 ... Yeah. When units fold and scouts switch units, there can be an issue with incomplete advancement.  

 

QUESTION - What specifically did he have trouble with before his Life BOR ?  You mentioned he got an extra month to complete is leadership position requirements.  But leadership position requirements for life has always been six months and the jobs are effectively unchanged with the exception of some adds.  Without understanding more, the example doesn't make sense except if the troop was folding and the new troop was a stickler with the "active" part of the requirement.  But then that is not really an issue with requirement changes as it is an interpretation thing. 

[Eagle94-A1]

Fred,

 

Specifically Requirement 6, using the E.D.G.E. to teach specific Scout skills was not "completed." He joined the troop prior to 2009 when that was added to the Life requirements. His original troop was using the requirements in the book that he joined with. Yes he taught Scouts skills, he even taught my son using E.D.G.E. when we visited the troop. But his old troop neither informed him of the new requirement nor signed him off. And what I saw him teach were different skills than the ones in the requirement. (don't ask how I got involved ). Since he never taught with his new troop in the 3 or 4 months he was with them, (he was not an instructor and scheduled to teach) the troop's leadership couldn't sign off in time for a BOR. So E.D.G.E. is what kept him from getting a Life BOR in time for him to get Eagle

 

Since he became Life at 17 years, 7 months, he could not meet the 6 months in POR requirement with out an extension.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Eagle94-A1

[fred johnson]

Fred,

 

Specifically Requirement 6, using the E.D.G.E. to teach specific Scout skills was not "completed." He joined the troop prior to 2009 when that was added to the Life requirements. His original troop was using the requirements in the book that he joined with. Yes he taught Scouts skills, he even taught my son using E.D.G.E. when we visited the troop. But his old troop neither informed him of the new requirement nor signed him off. And what I saw him teach were different skills than the ones in the requirement. (don't ask how I got involved ). Since he never taught with his new troop in the 3 or 4 months he was with them, (he was not an instructor and scheduled to teach) the troop's leadership couldn't sign off in time for a BOR. So E.D.G.E. is what kept him from getting a Life BOR in time for him to get Eagle

 

Since he became Life at 17 years, 7 months, he could not meet the 6 months in POR requirement with out an extension.

 

Ahhh ... EDGE.  I despise that requirement.  It's a good idea.  I just don't like adding every kitchen sink requirement to the rank.  Too many of those kitchen sink requirements cause units to cheapen the interpretation of the requirements.  Keep it simple.  Do it well.  

 

Actually, the six months was critical for active in the troop.  You can get around the POR in critical situations with a scoutmaster assigned project.  Those projects do not require six months.  

 

IMHO, the scout got caught between units and different "interpretations" and a bit too much legalism put on the advancement process.  

[qwazse]

<counting to 10 to suppress rant about ideal skills acquisition methods ... 7 ... 8 ...9 ... 10> Okay:

...

Specifically Requirement 6, using the E.D.G.E. to teach specific Scout skills was not "completed." He joined the troop prior to 2009 when that was added to the Life requirements. His original troop was using the requirements in the book that he joined with. Yes he taught Scouts skills, he even taught my son using E.D.G.E. when we visited the troop. But his old troop neither informed him of the new requirement nor signed him off. And what I saw him teach were different skills than the ones in the requirement. (don't ask how I got involved ). ....

Who cares what you saw? Did he teach another scout one of those skills? All you needed was for him to give you his word.

Maybe there's more to the situation, but if there wasn't, it's just a shame that this is what folks have come to split hairs over.

[Eagle94-A1]

Qwasze,

 

I do not know why they wouldn't accept his word. I mention the "what I saw" comment because I was asked by the SM to describe what I saw when he was working with the two new Scouts in the old troop and my son while we were visiting.

 

Now I am assuming, and you know what can happen when you assume , that A) because it was for Life and the troops I've been with usually have adults verifying requirements at that stage, and B) he had just moved to the new troop and they  new leaders didn't really know him since he was in the troop two, maybe three months tops, they wanted my opinion on the matter since I knew the Scout better than they did.