here, there, and everywhere

[Lisabob]

We are awash in new scouts these days! This year our troop picked up 20 brand new boy scouts from 4 different packs during the month of February, taking us from about 40 boys split evenly between those over 14 and those under 14, up to about 60 with about 1/2 in 5th and 6th grade. Egads. Yes this is very exciting and we're thrilled that so many scouts chose our troop.

 

I can see some real challenges though. The troop hasn't had this many new scouts all at once in more than 5 years (probably longer, maybe never). At the last troop meeting there were squirrely (err, I mean, high energy) new scouts everywhere. They aren't acculturated yet and our SPL seemed a little uncertain how to maintain a semblance of order. Skill was...interesting.

 

Among the group of new scouts we have incredible adult resources including 3 webelos den leaders, 2 cubmasters, 3 committee chairs, several parents who were scouts, a couple of Eagle scouts. All four of the packs our new scouts come from are highly organized and effective, which is wonderful, except I have a strong sense many of the parents are going to be taken aback by the messier nature of a boy scout troop.

 

Please, share your thoughts on how to help the new scouts get acclimated, how to help our youth leadership get a handle on working with so many young guys at once, and how to help the new scouts' parents come to appreciate the beauty of "controlled chaos??" We're reeling from our recruiting successes here!

[Bob White]

Use the New Scout Patrol and First Class Emphasis program plan approach and they shpould acclimate just fine.

 

 

[Gunny2862]

Consider discussing mentorship relationships between your Life and Star scouts and the new First years. The first years think it is really cool when an older Scout will hang out with them. You should discuss your expectations of the older Scouts with them and It also gives additional actual leadership time to the older Scouts. Also recruit as many of the new adults as possible into ASM positions to ensure the new Scouts don't have lots of dead time when they are ready to test on their new skills.

[FScouter]

A troop guide for each new patrol will function as a mentor for the patrol and the new patrol leader.

[Stosh]

Our situation was quite similar to LisaBob's except we didn't have many boys in the troop to begin with. We went from 6 boys to 25 overnight. All but 3 of the new boys were Webelos cross-over scouts. Instead of putting a troop leader (TG) in support of each patrol, we chose to have 3 of the experienced boys designated as PL's of the three new patrols that were formed. This allowed the same dynamics as having an inexperienced PL with a TG, but it was focused into one person where the PL was directly responsible for the boys and we had less need for disciple control of the new boys and they accepted the older boy and his assigned authority right from the start. It worked well and with an experienced boy directly in the each patrol, leadership development through the APL position can begin immediately. We then have one TG that supports all three patrols.

 

By having an experienced scout leading the patrol, they do not have to flounder around until the PL get's enough training and experience to control the situation. Like a "DC" the experienced PL can assist a rotation of APL's during the first year and each boy in the patrol will give direct help with each boy on leadership training. There is also no election of APL's either. Each boy in the patrol takes a 2 month stint as an APL under the tutelage of the PL. It is very similar as what Lisa Bob described, but our boys prefer having patrols maintain autonomy separate from the control/direction of troop officers.

 

One of the issues that concerned our boys was the potential of the TG actually leading the patrols. The PL's lead the patrols and if the boy is elected by his peers by personality only, that patrol could flounder around for 6 months before they get a chance to elect a different PL that will really do the job. The temptation at that time of course would be for the TG to step in and take over in such a situation. All this would do would be undermine the authority of the PL position if the boy doesn't do the work necessary to actually lead the patrol. Lesson learned? If one doesn't do the job, someone else will step in and take over. That would be either adult led or boy led troop method.

 

Our boys felt that the PL position was too important to leave in the hands of most inexperienced boys in patrols and worried that the patrols that didn't start out on the right foot would tend to lose ground and possibly boys rather quickly. At the least, the new boys' acclimation to the troop would be slowed during these first months. So far we haven't seen any of that happening.

 

Stosh

[Lisabob]

Thanks for the comments so far. I imagine that my general sense of being slightly overwhelmed with new scouts is showing in my original post. Let me try to tailor the discussion a little bit though, noting that I am a committee member and not the SM or an ASM. I can and certainly will pass along suggestions for the program-side of things to our SM, who is really good about listening to different ideas and then incorporating the ones he thinks will work in a specific situation. (In general: we do use NSPs with troop guides who roughly serve as PLs for the first few months. Our NSPs tend to become permanent patrols. We're also using the FY Emphasis program as our guide this year, much more explicitly so than has been the case in the past.)

 

But personally, my focus will be on working with the new scouts' parents to help them understand what in the world is going on. With 20 new scouts, I am expecting a good bit more chaos than these parents were used to seeing at a cub scout meeting. And I know for many adults, chaos is a definite turn-off! What do you think they need to know and how can I help them gain a solid understanding of what we're about so that they'll be happy to weather some initial chaos?

 

 

[Gunny2862]

First, that unless they are registering, and going to training, and then functioning as Assistant Scoutmasters that they need to meet someplace other than where the Scouts are trying to integrate into the troop. This is so the new Scouts CAN integrate into the Troop rather than possibly continuing in Cub scout habits of leaning on Mom and Dad.

 

Secondly, get the new parents training in Committee activities and how the Troop functions. Give them the terminology that you and Scouting use and that they may not have been exposed to. Give them the web addresses to the online training and encourage them to at least look at it. They don't take long and if you have online access at and during your meeting place and time can be completed during the Scout meetings.

 

Thirdly, NOW is the time to build your Committee, flesh out any open positions you may have had, give help to any Committee members who were struggling and build your Assistant Scoutmaster pool, you'll need them for outings and transportation with this many new boys. Congratulations, you've successfully recruited the boys!, now recruit their parents!

[Eagledad]

Hi Lisa

 

Ah the memories. We learned to talk a lot to the parents. I talked about the process within the chaos. Even just an outsider watching a patrol walking from the opening to the patrols corners looks chaotic to an outsider because the scouts are joking, laughing and even poking at each other. You know boy stuff. But once you get that parent to look at how they are walking together to the next activity and that the patrol leader truly is respected as the leader, you can start to melt away some of the chaotic fog. Show them what they arent looking at.

 

It is very important that you discuss boy run independence. Many of the adults are used to seeing and hearing organized progress. Stuff like organized advancement classes, letters from the adults and calls. They are going to get a lot less of that now and it will stress the parents a little. So you need to explain that developing independence is part of putting responsibility on their son. The program is still going on, they just arent hearing as much about it. If their son doesnt seem to know what all is going on, then they should call the troop guide or older scout. If that doesnt seem to answer the questions, dont get stressed, call the adult adviser.

 

What you want to head off is the adult getting so frustrated that when they do eventually say something, they arent venting on a scout. While you are saving a scout from that situation, you are also saving the parent.

 

We eventually developed a new parent program that required the parents attend three meetings. The meetings were basically an hour of explaining the troop program, aims and methods, PLC and PLC meetings, advancement, merit badges and MB counselors and youth protection. While at these meetings, we would visit a PLC and Patrol Corners meeting for a few minutes. And again, we would explain that while at first it does appear chaotic, there is process happening, it is just a youth age.

 

As for getting a lot of new scouts, we spend a lot of time training all the scouts how to have patience with the new scouts and how to talk to them when they are little out of control. New scouts are your least disciplined and most likely to get out of control. New scout parents like to see adults jump on that, but that doesnt help the new scout learn who the youth leaders are. So we worked on procedures for all the scouts to stop new scouts running around out of control by stopping them and talking to them about proper behavior. No yelling or forceful touching, just walking over to the scouts, asking them to stop. If they dont stop because they think you are just another scout and dont care, then ask for help, but do it all respectfully with a smile. That is what the parents must see.

 

You are right to understand that the parents are the difficult side of this situation. Many troops are so overwhelmed that the put all their energy on the scouts, but the parents are the ones that need to feel safe. Teach them your program.

 

Also, you are in a new level of your troop. These familes joined because you have a pretty cool troop. However, the troop may take a little step back in performance for a little while until everyone gets their feet under them, so ask them for a little patience. Ask for their help also by asking questions instead of waiting and maybe get more frustrated. If little Johnny is frustrated but to shy to ask for help, then while Johnny isnt looking, talk to his older scout leader or adult so that we can find a way to work with him. Give us a chance before things get to frustrating.

 

One other thing, I found that adding more then two brand new scouts to a patrol at once can really upset the patrol dynamics. Your patrols may be fine, but when we had enough new scouts that would add three or more, we did new scout patrols for six months then mixed them in existing patrols. I can add more detail if that becomes a consideration. But you know how much I hate NSPs.

 

You will know how well you have done by the end of summer camp. That is when the scouts will not come back if they dont like the program. But I expect you guys will do very well.

 

Hope this helps. We were where you are at many times.

 

Barry