First New Troop Adult Meeting

[Treflienne]

1 minute ago, SSScout said:

We were initially told the new girl Troop number could be A) any number at all,

And the papers were signed and sealed and turned in . Congratulations !  Later, we were told the first instruction was incorrect, that the charters and records would note XYZG(for Girl) and  XYZB ( for boy) Troop.   *sigh*   SO we still are the proud Scouters of Troops  XYZ  and XYZ2  . 

We were told by the council that the girls could pick any number they wanted.   They picked one. 

As we were turning in the charter paperwork we were told by the council that, actually, they had decided that all girl troops would have a number beginning in 7, that is, instead of being troop XY we would be troop 70XY.   They did say we could still call ourselves XY, and wear XY on our uniforms, but it would be 70XY in the computer system.  

Fortunately, I figured out how to use the alternate unit description on the beascout pin, so that beascout now says XY for us.   Scoutbook is still saying 70XY. (grrr.)

[HashTagScouts]

9 hours ago, Liz said:

We just had our initial adult meeting for a Ladies Troop last week! We already had the CO paperwork signed, but there wouldn't have been any reason NOT to meet before the paperwork was signed. We just didn't, other than informal chats during Pack meetings or at Roundtable.

We selected a CC. Everyone else signed up as either a MBC or a Committee Member with future roles to decide later. I am "acting" Secretary; my husband is COR so I wasn't willing to be CC unless nobody else would step up. So we came into the meeting with a COR and a SM; CC was the only thing left that had to be decided right then. We figured we'd get the Troop moving, kind of get a feel for our talents and how we work together, and then assign formal committee roles later. 

We agreed on a Troop number. Since we are the only unit chartered by our CO, we had to think of one from scratch. We agreed on a time and day of the week for meetings. We will temporarily be meeting at the Scout office as our CO's property is a rifle range and not suitable for meeting.  We discussed how to deal with initial dues since we don't yet have a bank account or a treasurer. We gathered adult and youth applications (we have 3 youth so far and hopefully 1 more by the time we turn in; our Council will allow 3 to start although 5+ is obviously preferred; our SM has a 2nd year Webelos Scout who can be Scout #5 in about 6 months even in the unlikely even that we can't recruit any more before then). We talked about camping for this summer but didn't make any decisions; the youth will need to decide whether to attend a summer camp (having had no opportunity to fundraise) or whether to plan a Troop campout toward the end of Summer where we will work on Trail to First Class stuff. We discussed and agreed to join Scouts for Equality and have our Troop listed on their website. 

We met at a park. I handed a youth application to a 12 year old girl at the park, with my phone number on it and told her to talk it over with her parents and have them call me if they want to sign up.  Haven't heard from anybody yet, but I'm crossing fingers. She was having fun playing with the daughters of the adult leaders so maybe?  I'm shameless. 

With only 3-4 youth, and if only 2-3 want to do camp this year, you are likely going to get the response of "send them as provisional" this far into the summer.  Your best bet may be to get ahold of whomever in your council oversees program, and find out if they can connect you with another girls troop who is already booked, and see if they have capacity to host you at their site with their kids/adults.

Edited June 26, 2019 by HashTagScouts

[Eagle94-A1]

I am going to go on a different tangent regarding Webelos 3, and New Scouts  

William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt wrote a 6 month plan to  teach New Scouts how the patrols and troop should be run. It could also be used to train an adult led troop's PLC to become a Scout led troop. It is in his 3rd Ed. Scoutmaster Handbook from 1929.  I don't remember which volume it is in, I lent the book out and never got it back. But based upon my memory, Bill's plan IS essentially how Webelos is suppose to be done based upon my experience as  a Webelos, and the training I have done and taught.

In a nutshell, the SM  initially acts as the PL, or if redoing an existing troop the SPL with  PLC, and explains and demonstrates what is expected. Everything, pitching tents, cooking, KP, etc  Is initially taught by the SM. Over the 6 months, more and more responsibilities are given to the Scouts until by the 6th month, they are running it on their own.

One caveat, because Bill's program is not advancement oriented, but rather skills oriented, if you have girls pushing to get Eagle in a hurry, Bill's program is not for you.

You may need to update Bill's plan to keep it current, i.e. no ditching of tents. But when I read it a few years back, I saw it's usefulness to a New SM who was having challenges, and it helped him out tremendously, He started 3 or 4 troops using the plan.

 

[Liz]

1 hour ago, Treflienne said:

We were told by the council that the girls could pick any number they wanted.   They picked one. 

As we were turning in the charter paperwork we were told by the council that, actually, they had decided that all girl troops would have a number beginning in 7, that is, instead of being troop XY we would be troop 70XY.   They did say we could still call ourselves XY, and wear XY on our uniforms, but it would be 70XY in the computer system.  

Fortunately, I figured out how to use the alternate unit description on the beascout pin, so that beascout now says XY for us.   Scoutbook is still saying 70XY. (grrr.)

It's the same in our Council. All the girl troops are 4 digits starting with a 4. We will only be using 3 digits on our uniform though, mainly because we couldn't really think of any meaningful numbers that were 4 digits beginning with 4. 

I think just from what I've seen all the packs in our council start with 0, boy troops 1, and venturing crews 2. I will make a wild guess that either sea scouts or explorers start with a 3. But only the venturing crews actually use all 4 digits on their uniforms. 

[Liz]

1 hour ago, Treflienne said:

Why have the adults choose a troop number?  Why not let the girls choose it?  (Assuming the C.O. isn't set on matching numbers to existing units.)

Because we have to have a troop number on our paperwork to turn in, and the 4 girls haven't met yet. It's just a matter of practicality. 

[5thGenTexan]

2 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

I am going to go on a different tangent regarding Webelos 3, and New Scouts  

William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt wrote a 6 month plan to  teach New Scouts how the patrols and troop should be run. It could also be used to train an adult led troop's PLC to become a Scout led troop. It is in his 3rd Ed. Scoutmaster Handbook from 1929.  I don't remember which volume it is in, I lent the book out and never got it back. But based upon my memory, Bill's plan IS essentially how Webelos is suppose to be done based upon my experience as  a Webelos, and the training I have done and taught.

In a nutshell, the SM  initially acts as the PL, or if redoing an existing troop the SPL with  PLC, and explains and demonstrates what is expected. Everything, pitching tents, cooking, KP, etc  Is initially taught by the SM. Over the 6 months, more and more responsibilities are given to the Scouts until by the 6th month, they are running it on their own.

One caveat, because Bill's program is not advancement oriented, but rather skills oriented, if you have girls pushing to get Eagle in a hurry, Bill's program is not for you.

You may need to update Bill's plan to keep it current, i.e. no ditching of tents. But when I read it a few years back, I saw it's usefulness to a New SM who was having challenges, and it helped him out tremendously, He started 3 or 4 troops using the plan.

 

As far as I know right now all of our girls are going to be AOL and maybe a couple who have no experience at all, but all 11 or 12 years.  No rush for Eagle.

[5thGenTexan]

3 hours ago, Treflienne said:

Why have the adults choose a troop number?  Why not let the girls choose it?  (Assuming the C.O. isn't set on matching numbers to existing units.)

I was told we will have the same number as the Boy Troop due to same CO.  It makes some sense...  the Troop was one of the very first formed in Texas, So it may be good to be attached to that history.

[Eagle94-A1]

Typically the CO has a number, do all units it charters have the same #.

Only time I knew a CO with 2 numbers was when their troop merged with another, and they decided to keep the other troop's number.

[5thGenTexan]

3 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Typically the CO has a number, do all units it charters have the same #.

Only time I knew a CO with 2 numbers was when their troop merged with another, and they decided to keep the other troop's number.

I can not tell you why but our Pack has a different number than the Troop.

[perdidochas]

54 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

I can not tell you why but our Pack has a different number than the Troop.

I'm sure its somewhere in history.  In the case of my CO, I know exactly why the Troop has a different number than the Pack.  The Troop with the same number as the Pack was chartered by a different organization than the Pack (maybe at one time they were the same, not sure about the whole history).  A group of adults in the CO of the Pack didn't like how the same numbered Troop was being run, and they didn't see that they could change it.  They then started their own Troop at the CO with a different Troop Number.  The first Troop ended up being disbanded after losing most of their leadership in a YPT incident--a prank war between the Troop leaders and the local camp's aquatics staff, which ended with the troop leaders ductaping the aquatics staff to their bunks. Needless to say, that was an automatic expulsion for all adult leaders involved.  The old Troop only had one leader left, and he didn't want to be the Scoutmaster (he ended up starting a Venture Crew for the older Scouts as well as his daughter), so they disbanded. Our Troop took the remaining boys in, but none of the leaders.  

[John-in-KC]

Use Green Bar Bill’s method, but move them away from adults teaching/learning to youth doing it. 

As you teach, train roses and thorns ... share the pluses and minuses. 

I wish these young ladies well. 

[fred8033]

@Eagle94-A1  Post a link to Green Bar Bill's ideas on how to start a new troop.  

One challenge always is for the kids to figure out who would be a good leader and getting to know each other so they can vote on who would be a good PL (or SPL).

• I'd suggest the first meeting include one or two get to know you games.  And, run the games so that the girls start asserting their personality.  You will quickly know who would do well standing up in front of others and helping keep things moving.  
• I'd also start PL (SPL) early, but keep it simple.  Then continually grow their role as they are ready.  Continually though, focus on them having positive experiences as a leader.  Otherwise, it can be intimidating and will scare off future scouts from volunteering to do.  

 

[Eagle94-A1]

27 minutes ago, fred8033 said:

@Eagle94-A1  Post a link to Green Bar Bill's ideas on how to start a new troop.  

One challenge always is for the kids to figure out who would be a good leader and getting to know each other so they can vote on who would be a good PL (or SPL).

• I'd suggest the first meeting include one or two get to know you games.  And, run the games so that the girls start asserting their personality.  You will quickly know who would do well standing up in front of others and helping keep things moving.  
• I'd also start PL (SPL) early, but keep it simple.  Then continually grow their role as they are ready.  Continually though, focus on them having positive experiences as a leader.  Otherwise, it can be intimidating and will scare off future scouts from volunteering to do.  

 

 

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Seriously though, I will be looking to see if anyone has posted Bill's stuff to the net. Again I lent my copy of the 3rd edition SM handbook, to a Scoutreach SM to help him out. He used it to start 4 troops that he was the SM for. Sadly when he left the area, no one in the troops stepped up to the plate, and they folded.

 

And I didn't get the book back either.

[Eagle94-A1]

Ok here are some links I have found. And I want to give  a shout out to @Kudu and his Inquiry.net website. It has a wealth of information there. And I want to apologize about the wrong year for the 3rd edition of the SMHB, it was published in 1936, not 1929.

 

Ok here to the links that can help.

http://scoutmastertroop56.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/8/6/16867144/the_patrol_method_helps_for_scoutmasters.pdf  links to a 1938 pamphlet to help SMs. While Bill is not credited, he probably wrote it.

http://inquiry.net/patrol/index.htm Is a ton of resources on the Patrol Method.

 

I believe this is Hillcourt's training regimen. @Kudu, please correct me if I am wrong.

Start of the training http://inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/index.htm

1st meeting http://inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/1st.htm

2nd meeting http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/2nd.htm

3rd meeting http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/3rd.htm

Hike http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/3z_hike.htm

4th meeting http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/4th.htm

5th meeting http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/5th.htm

6th meeting http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/6th.htm

PLC Camp Out http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/6z_camp.htm

As I stated previously, not advancement oriented, but establishing a youth run troop oriented.

Kudu also has posted other materials on training Scouts as well.

Another source of info  is http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/nonfict.html Looks to be Canadian in origin. EH!

 

Hope this helps.

 

[5thGenTexan]

More than Webelos 3, I guess this is what I was going for.

 

 

Starting a New Troop 1. With only a small group of boys available. The Scoutmaster-to-be who finds himself with a small group of boys wanting to be Scouts is most fortunate. He will be able to devote his whole time to getting that individual touch with these boys, which a large number would make impossible. And, at the same time, the nucleus of a fine growing Troop with a real esprit de corps is being formed and the Scoutmaster can look forward to watching it become a full Troop with thirty-two Scouts. Lord Baden-Powell was once asked why a Troop should not exceed thirty-two members. His reply was that as a young man he found it impossible to get a personal touch and satisfactory results in sound training, with more than sixteen fellows. He went on to say: "Assuming that every other, Scoutmaster is twice as capable as myself, it is best for a Troop not to exceed thirtytwo." When the Scoutmaster is starting a Troop with a small group his immediate objective is to put into being the Patrol Method. At first, before the boys have passed their Tenderfoot requirements, the Scoutmaster-to-be may serve as temporary Patrol Leader, meeting with the boys once a week for a month (longer, if necessary) to train the boys thoroughly in •the fundamentals of Scouting so that they may pass their Tenderfoot requirements with a complete understanding of what Scouting is and what it means to the Scout just entering. As this preliminary group grows in number to, say, ten, twelve, or fourteen boys, the time comes when it is ready to take the shape of a Scout Troop of two Patrols,