You lost me Beavaher

[Eagledad]

>>It takes a lot of kid savvy talent to really encourage the personal growth and friendship based stuff that makes for real independent and mutually supportive PLs and patrols. Lots more group conversations than adult-driven "mentoring" conversations. And lots more trust in da ability of kids to step up and be responsible not just for activity tasks, but for their own structure and development.

 

Beavah>Yah, OK... an update...

 

1. Outdoors at least once a month.

 

2. There is good retention of older youth who have stuck around for the program and continue to be active.

 

3. The older youth are seen to be actively helping younger scouts, managing patrols, handling problems, directing the activities.

 

4. The adult leaders successfully rein in/redirect/re-educate interference by other adults.

 

5. Well established finances/financial planning.

 

6. Parents appropriately involved in support tasks that fit their expertise/interests.

 

7. Scouts, especially older boys, demonstrate personal success in other activities and a service-minded nature. Alumni go on to successful lives with a service trend; some alumni stay as ASMs or help out occasionally when back in town.

 

8. Good SM minute focused on ideals; kids buy in. You can ask a boy about doing the right thing and he "gets it".

 

9. No provisional patrols, ever.

 

10. There is good patrol spirit, scouts identify with their patrol. There are patrol competitions or at least friendly rivalries.

 

11. Advancement should be mixed; not all kids the same age should be the same rank, different boys should have different numbers and types of MBs.

 

12. Mix of in-troop ASMs and active parents. Not just one or two active adults.

 

13. Scouts buy into the troop uniforming standard.

 

14. Adults seem committed and enthusiastic.

 

15. Program activities offer variety and change somewhat from year to year.

 

16. Troop PLC conducts an annual planning conference (or some equivalent).

 

17. Troop runs at least one TLT/JLT experience each year that is fun and at least partly outdoors. Boys (not just adults) talk about it positively.

 

 

Any more? Any edits?

 

Beavah

[Beavah]

Yah, I reckon I lost you because I'm just being a gadfly, eh?

 

The list was me compiling the summary of what other people were saying on that particular thread, eh? Trying to cut it down to short and pithy like acco's original list (which wasn't really his, he got it somewhere else). My main goal was that I didn't really feel acco's list worked very well, and that collectively we might come up with somethin' better.

 

Me personally, I agree with yeh, EagleDad. I can usually get a sense for the character of a troop pretty quickly just by watchin' what's going on. Thing is, that's a sense that comes from a lot of years of experience, eh? It's not somethin' that an average parent will "get" in their first observation. Like as not, they'll see "chaos" where I see active, purposeful fun. Da numbered list was to try to capture things that sort of parent could look for.

 

I'll come back 'round on my other thoughts either in that thread or after I finish some real work .

 

Beavah