Old Troop / New Troop

[Eagle Foot]

Any suggestions on the best way to jump start an old troop. I am the new SM of this troop which is going on twenty five years old and has nothing. There are thirteen scouts chartered and about 10 active. They have some pretty lax habbits about scouting. Not very organized. Parents argue with you about meeting times, they want 1 hour, can come in late and leave early if needed and don't seem to want to make any commitment. Everybody will leave you hanging before a campout untill the last minute then only 3-4 show up for camping. You can't cancil to those that show up....I'm thinking that they should reavaluate their commitment to scouting or leave. I've got one good ASM and one who seems not to get it... and keeps his little group doing what he wants. Of coarse he won't get trained.

 

Just a quick post not much time for details...

 

(edited by Eagle Foot)

[Fuzzy Bear]

Good salesmanship is first finding a great product to promote.

 

Program for the fun/learning of Scouting.

Evaluate continually.

Know and utilize all of your resources.

Meditate on and give your best Scoutmaster Minutes that are based on the ideals of Scouting.

Continually review the eight methods of Scouting.

Keep the aims of Scouting ever before you.

Recruit for that kind of change.

 

A fire is built from the smallest wood first.

 

FB

 

[matuawarrior]

I agree with Fuzzy Bear.

 

Let me suggest that you should work with the Active Core first, those boys who continually show up and participate. Train them and put those boys in their own patrol, if they are not.

 

Try to get your Chartered Rep to help you rebuild the Committee and start fresh.

 

Activly recruit NEW Scouts.

 

Drop those Scouts who don't show up. No need to work with Caspers.

 

Above All Get Out and Camp, Camp, Camp. The best Marketing is Word of Mouth. The boys excitement will build on their commitment to return if the event is challenging, thier learning, and thier having Fun. These same boys will tell their friends and/or brothers who may come in because of the excitement.

 

Matua

[dan]

First I would have the PLC set the meeting time.

Tell the persons that what to change the meeting time, that this is when the PLC has set the meeting time and stick to it. I have a feeling that a scout may come to the PLC meeting (one of the adults son that want a different time) and try to change the meeting time, I would prepare the SPL for this and have him explain that the time was already set by the PLC and it was not going to change for a while, that he (the SPL) wants to try this time out for a while and see how it works.

For the campouts I would suggest that you have a campout prep meeting one or two weeks before the campout, this would be done during a normal meeting. Where the patrols get together to decide on a menu and duty rotations. This meeting would also be the sign up meeting for the campout, if a scout did not sign up, he would not be going, how can the grub master purchase the food if he does not know how many are going. How can transportation be arraigned if a final count is not known?

For the scouts that are coming late and leaving early, make sure that you have scouts doing the training, games and so on at the meeting, they cannot leave if they are running a demo or game. Make sure that the PLC has games, and fun hands on things to do at the meeting. remember that the only thing an adult should be doing at the meetings is the SM minute.

Talk to the scouts that are coming in late and leaving early, have a SM conference with them and find out why they are leaving early.

Keep us informed on how its going.(This message has been edited by dan)

[EagleInKY]

Turning around a unit is a major challenge, and it won't happen quickly. You have to be patient. Initially, you'll have to drive a lot of it to happen. You'll need an ally. I recommend finding someone that has your same vision and try to get them in as Committee Chairman. The two of you work together to bring change about.

 

A few quick suggestions:

1) Focus on the Aims and Methods. They're proven and they work. They're all important, don't leave any of them out.

2) Become a "scouting prophet". Sell the long-term benefits of scouting to your families.

3) Seek out low-hanging fruit. For a scout troop, I would focus on executing a quality outdoor program.

4) Purge the dead weight. If people fight you, it wears you out. You need allies or at worst, people who are neutral, going forward. The detractors will create problems. They'll usually hold out, but hopefully they'll find another troop to carry on with their method of scouting.

 

It will take the PLC a while to catch on. The problem with boy leadership is that if they've been taught to lead in the wrong way, they don't know how to lead correctly. That's not their fault, or yours. You'll need to direct them more during the first year. Once they start to catch on, let them roll with it!

 

Good luck. Keep us informed.