Ticket Help

[Alaina]

Good day all.  I am fairly new to scouting--my kids are scouts but I do not know a lot about the way scouting works.  I have learned a lot but have a ways to go. I am a committee member and recently did my first weekend of Woodbadge and I am struggling with my ticket items.  It was stated multiple times to "stay in our lanes" when it came to deciding on ticket items.  Here is my problem--I am a committee member for a very small troop--Only 5 members and not all of them are very active. Our committee chair verbally stepped down but not officially and our committee has only had maybe 3 meetings in the 2 years we have been scouting. What are some ideas you guys have to help me think about ticket items that stay in my lane? I know it needs to be diverse, be something I can do without depending on someone else completely, and be under the umbrella of committee member.  2 of my items are about training for myself but if someone could add some insight and direction I would be appreciative.

 

Alaina

[RememberSchiff]

@Alaina on behalf of the scouter.com moderators,  welcome.

[Owls_are_cool]

A small troop has a bunch of administrative tasks that falls on 1-2 people. Talk to your scoutmaster and committee chair to see if they have some easy tasks that they want to unload...and get a ticket on how to learn the task and complete it once. Brainstorm on what the troop needs help with administratively. If you are not a Merit Badge Counselor, maybe taking on a required merit badge or two.

[Alaina]

The problem is our committee isn’t much of a committee. The committee chair verbally stepped down and has not been involved in quite some time. 

[mashmaster]

You might want to look into recruitment activities since you are a small troop.  You might find that there are activities with helping your troop grow by reaching out to packs, schools, neighborhood cookouts, 4th of july parades.....  Growth is super important.

How is your troop Website?  Newsletter?

 

[T2Eagle]

Don't get too caught up in the idea that you need to "stay in your lane".  Your lane is at least as broad as your troop.  Think of a good way to help your troop, what do they need that you could dedicate some extra time and energy towards, recruiting, advancement, planning, finance, adult training --- that's your ticket.

[InquisitiveScouter]

Review the 2021 Troop JTE Scorecard.  There are any number of things there you could take on to build a ticket.

https://www.scouting.org/awards/journey-to-excellence/unit/

And, if your unit has not followed JTE as a guide before, even doing that could be one of your ticket items.

Edited April 13, 2021 by InquisitiveScouter

[MattR]

Just one idea, make committee meetings fun. End the meetings on a social note. We used to have a beer after the meeting was over. It sure helped end long winded speakers. We also had a quarter to a third of the families represented at the meetings, which were every month.

[ParkMan]

Hi @Alaina,

Can I ask you three questions first so that I can get a sense of your troop?

1. If you had to describe where your troop is today, what does you troop look like?  How many kids, how active, how many volunteers?

2. If you could describe what you want you troop to look like in 2-3 years, what does it look like?

3. Why did you decide to volunteer as a Committee Member?

Thanks!

Edited April 13, 2021 by ParkMan
typos

[Eagledad]

14 hours ago, Alaina said:

Good day all.  I am fairly new to scouting--my kids are scouts but I do not know a lot about the way scouting works.  I have learned a lot but have a ways to go. I am a committee member and recently did my first weekend of Woodbadge and I am struggling with my ticket items.  It was stated multiple times to "stay in our lanes" when it came to deciding on ticket items.  Here is my problem--I am a committee member for a very small troop--Only 5 members and not all of them are very active. Our committee chair verbally stepped down but not officially and our committee has only had maybe 3 meetings in the 2 years we have been scouting. What are some ideas you guys have to help me think about ticket items that stay in my lane? I know it needs to be diverse, be something I can do without depending on someone else completely, and be under the umbrella of committee member.  2 of my items are about training for myself but if someone could add some insight and direction I would be appreciative.

 

Alaina

I have coached a lot of folks on their tickets. My first question is have you talked to CC and SM. I know that you said the CC step down, but he could still advised some direction for the troop needs. Talk to the SM as well.  

I am not one to suggest being very diversified, especially if you are new. Keep it simple. Don't take on big projects that require skills you've never used. How many camporee disasters were planned by a scouter working a ticket item. Too many. 

And, instead of being a planning leader for activities like fund raising or Scouting for Food, , write your ticket to be an assistant planner for several activities. Learn from the experienced adults instead of reinventing the wheel. Then add your own little improvements as you gain understanding.

Stick to your unit. A lot of adults tend to get into district and even council stuff. Unless you plan to spend most of your time in those areas, stick with your unit.

Ticket items should be a practice of skills toward your position expectations. If you aren't given expectations, then wright the ticket to observe or assist.  But, don't do a lot of activities or you will burn yourself out and get soured by the experience. Pace yourself. Sometimes observing gains the most knowledge. One of my ticket items was visiting 4 other troop PLC meetings to observe different techniques. I've suggest new CC chairs visit for other units to observe committee meetings.  Funny enough, you will observe more of what doesn't work than what does work. But, I like the beer idea.

Good luck, and we are here for you. 

Barry

[SSScout]

"Stay in our lanes".  

Hah !  What they mean is ...  if you are registered in ScoutBSA, your tickets must apply to ScoutBSA.  NOT Cub Scouts, NOT Venture, NOT any where else.  I had trouble with that because at the time, I was registered as a ASM, but had been very active with Cub Scout Day Camp (wife was the Director !)  and many of my ideas fell in that area initially.  There are ways to accommodate this requirement, but I agree with what has been previously mentioned.  It should NOT mean it has to apply to ONLY being a Committee Member/chair.... 

Possible ideas:  Recruitment. You're in Scouting because why?  Maybe not just because your child is? but because...  Use that to fuel your efforts.  Connection to Cub Packs (Den Chief ! District DCtraining available? Good Position of Responsibility for your Scouts!),  Diversity:  Promotion to other faiths than your own (this is good for your own soul, too. As a Scout Chaplain, I can testify to this). Just because you want your home Troop to grow doesn't preclude setting seed in other areas. 

Hoot Hoot.   See you on the trail.

[qwazse]

Welcome to the forums. All of the above is sound advice. Getting specific to the needs of your troop, consider the following goals:

• Host one promotional event at a school or a public place where youth gather. Invite your troop to participate in that event.
• Identify a service project in your community that would be suitable for 3-5 scouts to undertake together while in uniform. (E.g., working a booth at a carnival, serving a community food bank, etc ...)
• Identify property owners within a reasonable distance from your troop's meeting place who would let scouts camp or pass through hiking. Provide this list to your SM and scouts.
• Learn about all of your district's activities that would be available to your scouts (either as participants or organizers), and present the list to your troop.

More challenging ones:

• Identify the most popular media outlet in your community. (Local paper, online group, etc ...) Find out what kinds of stories about your scouts would interest them. Share with your troop how to do this. Attempt to submit one story.
• Survey youth and parents in your community and find out what they know about scouting, what they like, what they dislike. Share the results with your troop.