Patrol JTE

[MattR]

Here's my idea for Patrol JTE. I'm sticking with the Troop JTE Bronze, Silver, and Gold. My apologies. The scoring is a bit confusing but it's similar to the Troop JTE and not worth the words to explain it.

 

Please be constructive. I'm going to have my patrols do this.

 

Patrol JTE: done over six months, (twice within the year for Troop JTE)

 

Number of scouts in patrol at end of 6 months. (25pts): (Best: have 6-8 active scouts, Better: 5 active scouts, Good: 4 active scouts. An active scout is one that has gone on at least one campout.

 

Camping (250pts)

-Long term camping: same as troop JTE (100pts)

-Short term camping: same as troop JTE, with the addition that a minimum of campouts are by patrol (cooking and main event) (80%: Best, 65%: Better, 50%: Good) (100pts)

-Challenge campouts: A percentage of campouts are a challenge: backpacking, hiking, snow, water, desert …. (Best: 50%, Better: 30%, Good: at least one) (50pts)

 

Service: (125pts) Have at least half your patrol participate in a number of service projects that include:

-Your community (25pts per project, 75pts max)

-A pack (at least one) (25pts)

-The CO (at least one) (25pts)

 

Advancement: (100pts) Each scout decides what he wants to accomplish for advancement during the six months. Score based on the patrol teaching 1^st class skills, MBs being done individually or groups within the patrol.

-Good: at least half the scouts meet their goals.

-Better: 2/3 of the scouts meet goals and half the 1^st class skills taught within the patrol.

-Best: 80% of scouts meet goals, all 1^st class skills taught within the patrol, at least half the MBs earned individually or by a group within the patrol (not at MB fair))

 

Patrol Meetings: (100pts) Have a plan for each patrol meeting that has been reviewed by the PLC at least a week before the meeting.

-Best: 80% of meetings run this way

-Better: 50%

-Good: 25%.

 

Patrol Development: (100pts)

-Everyone has a job: (50pts) For every patrol based campout every scout has a designated job and is trained to do it or is trained while doing it. At least half the jobs will give a scout an opportunity to lead his patrol. (Best: 80% of campouts, Better: 60% of campouts, Good: 50% of campouts)

-Reviews: (25pts) After every patrol event the patrol gets together and reviews the event and also how the patrol worked together. (Best: 80% of events, Better: 60% of events, Good: 50% of events)

-The APL acts as PL for at least one campout and all meetings related to that campout and has taken a troop level patrol leader training (25pts)

 

Budget: (25 pts) The PLC and troop treasurer decide awards for each patrol for accomplishing overall Gold, Silver, or Bronze. This is done within the first month.

 

Scoring:

For each category: Best: earns all the points, Better: half , Good: quarter

Overall: Gold: earn 365 pts, Silver: earn 185 pts : Bronze: 100 pts. (out of 725 possible)

[blw2]

thinking "out loud"

the definition of "active scout" seems a bit light to me.  1/6 of the campouts and none of the patrol meetings and none of the troop meetings..... hummm

 

It speaks of "patrol based" campouts.  What does that mean?  Anything beyond the "job" thing?... I don't see much that encourages anything beyond KP as a patrol (like our troop does)

Nothing encouraging setting up tents in a patrol area, patrol activities, etc...

 

Patrol spirit?  maybe that could be wormed in there someplace.... patrol yell, flag, etc...

 

Regardless, i applaud your efforts in thinking about strengthening patrols.

but all that being said, I'm not sure that developing another checklist really helps a program any..... (somebody else made that statement in another post today, sorry don't remember who it was...)

[NJCubScouter]

MattR, that looks good and you must have spent a lot of time on it. Off the bat I have 2 questions:

 

1, Patrol size, doesn't the size of a patrol depend too much on factors outside the patrol's control? For example, a young man of Scouting age walks in the door and joins the troop. He needs to be assigned to a patrol, but he doesn't know anybody, so he has no preference. Presumably either the SM or the SPL are going to assign him to a patrol. Are they supposed to consider the impact of this new member on the patrol's "score"? Are they supposed to "rotate" patrols each time this happens? Is there a potential for "unfairness" here? And on the other side, patrols also lose members for reasons outside their control, such as aging out or members being elected SPL or appointed ASPL.r example. Would you account for that.

 

2, Budget, is that what you meant to say in that section?

[MattR]

Thanks blw2 and NJ.

 

The point of the patrol size is to get the patrols to take on some responsibility to help recruit scouts. I agree it is sometimes out of the scout's control.

 

I would not count a scout that has only gone on one campout in 6 months as active. What I'm trying to get at is that there are 6-8 scouts that are interested in scouts. We seem to have one or two scouts every year that are officially on the books but not the least bit interested and it just screws things up. Maybe a better way is to let each troop define what active means and leave it at that.

 

About the budget, good point NJ. I just want a patrol that worked hard to get the recognition they want. Some want pizza parties, some want new gear. As for having a patrol treasurer and they deal with their own money, I like it! Obviously I didn't think of that, so thanks.

[Stosh]

You are on the right track @@MattR

 

If left alone a lot of the concerns brought up would simply disappear. 

 

Patrol A has 7 scouts.  No problem

Patrol B has 8 scouts.  No problem

Patrol C has 5 scouts.  Problem

 

Patrol C needs to negotiate another scout away from one of the other patrols.  They ask one of the older boys from Patrol B to be their PL.  Wow. he jumps at the chance, problem solved.

 

Of course Patrol D was the older boys and they have only 2 boys now that the current lot of boys are aging out.

 

The NSP is coming in with only 4 new boys,   Patrol D jumps at the chance, one becomes PL and the other TG and they get by with the NSP Patrol D with 6 boys, 4 newbies and 2 older boys.

 

Lone boy come into the troop.  He can basically join any patrol he wants to except Patrol B which has 8 boys already.  Let the recruiting begin!

 

No problem, time for coffee, the boys will figure it out.

[NJCubScouter]

Matt, on the "Budget" point, I was confused because it looked like you were giving the patrol points based on something the PLC and troop treasurer are doing (or not doing.) Maybe I am reading it wrong.

[Stosh]

My troop has it's budget and do does each patrol.  This % of money taken in on a fundraiser is like an ISA, but as a individual Patrol Account.  We do not have ISA's.  If the patrol doesn't like the junk stove they have, they can buy a new one.  If they want to have a patrol pizza party, they can.  If they want to buy a canoe, they can.  If they decide to use their money as a scholarship for one of their members who can't afford summer camp, they can. 

 

If the boys over-spend their budget, they can appeal to the troop treasurer for more funds and if justified it can be arranged. 

 

One of the side-affects of this system is that no one ever says, I have raised enough money for myself to go to Philmont.  If he does say that he has the money stashed in his own personal account in the bank, not with the troop/patrol.  On the other hand, WE as a patrol have raised enough money for us all to take a nice week long canoe trip next summer.

 

For me this process works nicely into the patrol method and goes a long way to build esprit-de-corps.

 

Keep the patrol budget in the JTE but as a valid financial consideration, not a carrot on a stick to get the patrols to go along with the program.

[Eagle94-A1]

I'd tweak it a bit, but it is similar to the National Honor Patrol Award, what some of old fogeys know as the Baden-Powell Patrol Award.  Looking at the current requirements, it can be done in 3 months. I though it used to be 6 months.

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/512-021_WB.pdf

[MattR]

Okay, I replaced two sections

 

Number of scouts in patrol at end of 6 months. (25pts): (Best: have 6-8 active scouts, Better: 5 active scouts, Good: 4 active scouts. The PLC defines what an active scout is.

Treasurer: (25 pts) The patrol has a treasurer. Good: The patrol treasurer ensurers that expenses are handled for at least 50% of the campouts. Better: The patrol treasurer ensurers that expenses are handled for at least 80% of the campouts. Best: Same as Better but there is also a budget that has been approved within the first month.

 

Eagle94-A1, I've had a few patrols earn the national honor award. I like it but it doesn't do that strong of a job of encouraging the patrol to take care of its members or develop leadership, One patrol leader decided to do it and he just drove the whole process. When he was done it was over and they went back to where they had been. They did stuff as a patrol but they didn't share any of the responsibility.

[qwazse]

Why not divide everything by 5 and make the scale that much simpler?

Also, I think there should be away to incorporate the uniform inspection sheet ... Average score divided by 10?

 

Anyway the proof will be in the pudding. I think you're close enough for a road test. Have the boys give it a try and ask them how they'd tweak it.

[qwazse]

Rescucitating an old thread because:

1. I'd love to hear from @MattR about how his scheme flew or flopped.
2. If you want to spout off your great idea to the JTE task force, you have a week.Click here for instructions at Bryan's Blog.

Write them. Let us know what you said. Even if they don't use it, maybe we will ... just for fits and giggles.

Edited June 5, 2018 by qwazse

[Eagle94-A1]

Sadly effective October 1, 2019, the Patrol Method will be no more. They can no longer do any activities,i.e. meetings, day hikes, grocery shopping, service projects, etc by themselves. They will need 2 registered adults over 21. In essence the Patrol Method is being replaced by Cub Scout dens.😡

[MattR]

On 1/19/2017 at 12:33 PM, MattR said:

I'm going to have my patrols do this.

Liar liar pants on fire! People that say that nonsense should just go away. ... Oh, wait a minute. Sorry, my bad.

I seriously did try to get it started. The scouts weren't too interested. And a few months later I stepped down as SM.

On 1/19/2017 at 1:09 PM, blw2 said:

I'm not sure that developing another checklist really helps a program any

This really is a good point. If it's not motivational then it's just busy work. One thing I've realized over the past year is that I've never been externally motivated. Grades, salary, those things never did much for me. To be honest, I also ignored JTE until about a week before we had to turn it in. So I had to ask myself why I should expect any different from the scouts. But things that I found a challenge - internally motivating - that's a completely different thing.  I think a lot of scouts are the same way. They get so much external motivation that they probably become numb to it.

What I have read is that if scouts have some say on the goals then they're much more likely to work towards them.

So how about this: Each patrol, with respect to size, camping, advancement, training, service, meetings, teamwork, and budget, make goals, present them to the troop, and score yourself. Troop JTE is just some combination of the scores for each patrol. In essence, this is a step back towards the old days of set your own goals.

But this implies that all of scout JTE is based on districts and troops supporting each patrol's ideas. I like it but I'm not sure how that would go over.

[ItsBrian]

You should’ve had an incentive. Food, something that would’ve embarrassed a leader, meeting with only games, etc...

[MattR]

Really good point, @ItsBrian. In fact I offered them the option of deciding their own reward and I'd get the committee to pay for it. I even gave them some ideas to choose from. Adults would cook them something good for a campout. Pizza party. A campout without any adults around. I think they saw the check boxes and stopped right there.