Pack Trainers, why no Troop\Team\Crew Trainers?

[gcnphkr]

We have the Pack Trainer position, which is nice as he helps make sure that the leaders in the pack have the training they need. So why isn't there a Troop\Team\Crew Trainer as well. It seems that all the reasons that a pack needs a trainer still exists in the older units.

[eagle90]

One of our Assistant Scoutmasters takes on the responsibilities of coordinating the training in our troop.

[resqman]

I can only guess.

 

Cub Scouts are run by Adults. Adults do all the planning, teaching, coaching, hand holding, everthing. The boys just attend and have fun. To walk in to a volunteer position and have to become a full fledged teacher of a wide range of topics over night as well as learn all about the scouting program as a whole, and herd cats is quite a lot to ask. Sure there are Leader specific training but that really is insufficent to a newbie. Den leaders are basically on their own for the den meetings and have no experienced help.

 

The other units the lads do most of the work and the adults are just kinda looking over stuff. The adults are there basically to keep scouts from injury or dying. The experienced and newbie stand together to watch the event. There is less seperation of the adults from each other.

 

Certainly all units should be encouraging all uniformed leaders to attend and complete all of their position specfic training as quickly as possible.

[John-in-KC]

I served as Training coordinator on my Troop committee. My big job was to encourage folks to attend training, and to find resources for training. Seven years agao, BSA didn't have as many resources deployed to support Scouter training of the Boy Scout program as they do now.

 

I didn't need a special patch to do that. I could just be a Scouter and Member of Committee.

[Twocubdad]

Because in Boy Scouts you're not expected to take essentially the same training course every year or two?

 

We have one committee member designates as our "Personnel Department" who handles volunteer recruiting and training. Basically he just keeps up with what's posted on the council web site and let's folks know when courses are available.

[SctDad]

I think that it may be because there are three types of Den Leader training. Tiger, Cub Scout, and Webelos.

 

Boys typically stay in Boy Scouts longer than Cub Scouts. Five years vs. 8 years. (Roughly) And when parents sign up to be Troop/Crew/Team leaders they finish the training once and that is it. There is a higher need for more training and a position to help coordinate that training is helpful.

 

There is a higher turnover of Cub Scout Leaders. Boy Scout leaders tend to stick around longer, sometimes for Decades.

 

The is my 2 cents

[gcnphkr]

Good points. It has just seemed that it is harder to get the Boy Scouters to go to training. Cub Scouters tend to know they need it so it is not as hard of a sell. Of course, doing the DL training again and again gets old. We do have a training chair.

[HICO_Eagle]

It has just seemed that it is harder to get the Boy Scouters to go to training. Cub Scouters tend to know they need it so it is not as hard of a sell. Of course, doing the DL training again and again gets old. We do have a training chair.

 

It seems to me you may have some self-selection bias affecting your sample populations. My experience has been that adults involved in Cub Scouting are far more likely to NEED the training. There seem to be far more adults in Cub Scouting who were not involved in the program as Cub Scouts and even those who were have dimmer recollections of what it was when they were Cubs.

 

In contrast, you have a lot of former Scouts getting involved with Boy Scouting. Far more of them remember the Patrol Method, knots, first aid, camping skills, etc. from their days as Scouts. I have yet to learn much of anything from the mandated training and I know others who felt the same way (but didn't have the effrontery to say it outloud) during my SMF and TDC courses.

 

Having said all that, the Troop Committee should be looking at all the adults and recommending training that would help the individual. Some troops have a Training Coordinator, others leave it up to the Committee Chair to suggest helpful training.

[SctDad]

HICO_Eagle

 

I agree with you on that. Many parents who put their kids into Cub Scouting do so because they think that it is interesting and that they want their son to try something different.

 

as for boy scouts, you find many parents (Mostly fathers) that were scouts themselves and they remember a lot of the things because it ws drilled into them as a youth.

 

If someone is that concerned maybe they should bring up to national a Troop/Crew/Team trainer position. But do you really need a patch to do your job. I wear my Cubmaster patch. But I also serve as den leader for my sons Wolf Den. I will be his Bear Den leader soon. I am not going to change patches because all the dens need to see that there is a pack leader.

[Eagle92]

I have to echo the Eagle comment. I've known Eagles who have left scouting for extended periods who, might not be able to give you the book definition of how to do something, i.e Safe Swim Defense, they did nkow all the elements. Actually thinkingh thinking about it, everyone knows BALLSPDq, I mean Safety Afloat (This message has been edited by eagle92)

 

 

EDITED: I also believe that because CS does have a higher turnover, they renamed DL Coach into Pack trainer, to give a better description of what the job entails.(This message has been edited by eagle92)