The troop is starting to wake back up....

[Stosh]

This year's adult meeting consisted of getting training and fund raising for whatever the boys decide. Should be a good year with only one patrol of new boys. Adults have no input in the calendar of events. Occasionally they are reminded certain activities are not appropriate. They do pretty good on their own.

[Torchwood]

We had a leadership dust-up at the end of the school year, so our annual planning schedule was disrupted. I have taken over as SM, and I will be sitting down over ice cream with our present PLC to solidify their plan for the year, followed by a TC meeting before Labor Day to get the adult needs for those events in place.

 

My next agenda items are to sit down with the School Super and get him on board with allowing us to recruit in the middle and high schools, and to help rebuild our Troop Committee- the right people in the right roles, and each with a shadow person learning that role so they can step in at some point.

[blw2]

I were CC, i would steer things that way for sure.... but I'm not... so all I can do is advise every now and then.

[qwazse]

Sure.  Why not.  

 

Who's "we"?  Adults or unit?

You are really asking a "chicken or egg" scenario that for years I have failed to understand.

The attitude seems to be that filling out a schedule too far in advance leads to discouragement due to cancellations, etc ... except for summer camp, boys and adults would rather wait and say "what can we do next month?"

 

Any activity that I've coordinated with the crew months in advance falls victim to "Oh, I didn't realize this was on my schedule. ... I just got this cool opportunity. ... Our family decided to move vacation up ... the CO changed the date for the troop fundraiser." So, quite a few recent events had about 1/5th the attendance that they could have. (I call it anti-synergism.)

 

The troop, to a lesser degree, falls victim to the same thing. The new SM is trying to change that. And, much to his credit, he is starting with the PLC. We are trying to strike a balance where certain troop activities are anchored well in advance, and then the spontaneity will come from patrols/venturers deciding to do their respective activities around that.

 

Boys going on an HA understand annual plans and set their schedule accordingly. But, unfortunately, we haven't had those in recent years.

[Torchwood]

I were CC, i would steer things that way for sure.... but I'm not... so all I can do is advise every now and then.

Yes, not really my job. But, the dust-up included us losing a brand new CC as well as the promised new SM backing out. Both had good reasons, but left a big hole. I was never planning to be SM. I was happy as ASM, and it worked far better with my work schedule and other commitments. That being said, the boys in the Troop deserve to have proper leaders, so here I am. A succession plan is also in the works for my position.

[Eagledad]

The troop, to a lesser degree, falls victim to the same thing. The new SM is trying to change that. And, much to his credit, he is starting with the PLC. We are trying to strike a balance where certain troop activities are anchored well in advance, and then the spontaneity will come from patrols/venturers deciding to do their respective activities around that.

 

That's how we do it. The first action of each new PLC is to review the already planned next six months and plan new activities for the following six months. That is how we get a committed annual calendar every six months. Annual calendar events are written in stone, so all other activities are planned around them. It makes it much easier for the patrols to plan their own calendar.

 

Barry

[TAHAWK]

Nothing wrong with "Plan B."  In fact, having alternatives in mind or the flexibility to see than the plan is not going to work is pretty important in human affairs. (See Gettysburg, Battle of.)

 

But big deal events, especially those that need lots of resources not typically at hand, benefit from longer-term planning than spur-of-the-moment.

 

In my experience, if an activity is on the calendar and subject to routine checking-up on participants and repeated reminders to the rest of the "family," it is less likely to be cancelled for lack of interest.  All that assumes that the Scouts "owned" the activity in the first place - all the Scouts, not just the leadership.  The last it what makes the step of PLs gathering wants, likes, hopes, and dislikes so important.

 

I think.

[Stosh]

The patrols decide their own calendars and then the PL's design the troop calendar from that information.

[blw2]

I posted about this in another thread, but to continue this story

we had the "troop planning meeting"

Now this meeting precedes the upcoming 1st PLC mind you

everyone was invited....scouts, parents, scouters

we had a very small sampling of scouts, all of the SM and ASM's, myself and one other committee member and a couple parents.

So the SM sort of "introduces the SPL, reminds him that it is his meeting, and after a few awkward words form the SPL kicking off the meeting, he asked so does anyone have any input.....

and then that was pretty much the last scout voice I heard. (a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much...)

 

My son on the way to the meeting said he really didn't care about this stuff.... more or less saying that he is perfectly ok with going along for the ride, and that he's too new and too young to know.

but then after the meeting he says to me before we are even out the door...."that was a waste of time"

 

uggh!!!

 

I was one of the few adults that did very little talking.  A couple times trying to draw out the scouts, but not much more really.

Once something was said about setting up some merit badge classes or themed meetings... this was all said from the adults, by the adults, and to the adults.....honestly I was trying to figure out how to politely leave the room at the time and only half paying attention because there were just way too many adults in there.... but in response the SM was went around the room asking for input..... and so i was specifically asked.... to which i just said that i think Merit Badges should be something initiated by the scouts.  It should be something that they want to do.  That they should be the ones searching this out.... and that if a group of them wanted to do it, then it would be great, and they should ask for the help.

Oh the bulk of the adults squirmed....."ah, well I think it's important for us to present the opportunities....".... like that....

I'm definitely a minority.

& I am oh so very frustrated.

[blw2]

so the PLC is tomorrow, the SM invited me to attend during the earlier committee meeting, when i was letting them know what I had proposed as an option to the scouts regarding setting up patrol accounts...and also letting them know that as treasurer I intend to push to work with the scouts and not the parents.

 

So anyway, i figure I will go

even though I really do not want to....

But I'll plan on giving the scouts a spiel about scouts is something that they are doing for themselves, not something that is done for them

that as PLC, they are not there to serve me as treasurer, but they are serving their scouts in doing the stuff that scouts do.... camping, advancement, and just plain old doing "scouting" with their friends

and that I am only there to HELP them to do that

so my standing question is this....what do you need from me?

 

and I'll present my questions:

We have this need to collect $x dues and the committee has decided to make it due by October 30.  I'm not planning to work with your parents on that......Let me know how I can help you.

and we have these bags of money you guys collect every meeting (they collect $1 per scout at each meeting that goes into a zipper bag for each patrol and to date has been kept by an adult).   What do you guys want to do with it?  How do you want to handle it?

 

I gave the PLC a similar spiel last year, but left it open ended without the specific questions.

[Stosh]

Let them know that a year has passed, $XX is in the patrol account, it's not doing anyone any good. The patrols need to get their heads in the game and put together a patrol budget this year so you know how best to help them with what they want.  Otherwise the money is going to sit in the bank doing no one any good.

 

As far as being bummed out about going.  Remember, it's for the boys and you are probably their best champion for making a boy led, patrol method program an eventual reality.  No one ever said the transition was going to be easy.  It's a lot of hard work, but worth every minute one puts into it.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Stosh

[Hedgehog]

we had a very small sampling of scouts, all of the SM and ASM's, myself and one other committee member and a couple parents.

So the SM sort of "introduces the SPL, reminds him that it is his meeting, and after a few awkward words form the SPL kicking off the meeting, he asked so does anyone have any input.....

and then that was pretty much the last scout voice I heard. (a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much...)

 

I know you know, but I'm going to say it anyway....

 

First off, there should be a limited number of adults in the room.  At our PLCs, we have the SM and me.  Second, the adults shouldn't talk.  Our rule is that we only respond to questions.  Until you get the adults to agree to run meetings that way, boy-led will never take hold.

 

Second, there needs to be a meeting or discussion before the meeting.  As you transition to boy-led, the boys need to be coached and mentored to develop leadership skills.  Your SPL doesn't have a clue as to what he is supposed to do.  He hasn't seen boy-led in action.  He knows nothing except for the adults taking over.  So he needs to work with an adult to develop an agenda and to learn how to run the meeting.  It sounds like you did this with the canoeing.  Proper planning prevents poor performance.  If the scout is prepared, there is less liklihood an adult will step in. 

 

 

As far as being bummed out about going.  Remember, it's for the boys and you are probably their best champion for making a boy led, patrol method program an eventual reality.  No one ever said the transition was going to be easy.  It's a lot of hard work, but worth every minute one puts into it.

 

 

Don't give up.  The boys need you.  Find happiness in small progress and eventually a bunch of small things will turn into something big.

[blw2]

update:  so the third in our trilogy of planning meeting happened last night.  Things went much better & I'm encouraged again, that the SM has at least a vision.   Still a few things that were hanging on too much to adult ways IMHO, but he (the SM) did an awesome job of kicking off the meeting and then leaving it to the scouts.

He even set up an adult table..... the table was right next to the scouts and not in the opposite corner or next room, but hey.... I'll take it!

 

I was disappointed though.... I could have stayed home.  The only reason i went (as treasurer) was because I had thrown out a couple points to the SPL re $ stuff, for him to consider for his agenda..... then at the committee mtg the SM invited me to the SPL, while we were talking dues and such....

Turns out $ was not on the agenda and nobody asked me anything..... I considered interjecting but then decided what's the point?

It's no big deal if the $ stuff isn't addressed right away since our dues are not due for a while

besides, they will be having an election very soon so I might as well just work with the new group since the existing council wouldn't do anything with it anyway.

 

again, yeah!  I'm encouraged....

[Stosh]

Doing this adult stuff with youth has often been compared to herding cats.  That, however, is for the pessimist because herding cats never ends or gets better.   I like the analogy of wiring a house with the electricity turned on.  It might be a slow, often dangerous, and cautious process in the beginning, but if done correctly, eventually everything is going to light up like Times Square!