How are patrols picked?

[Bob White]

rather than encourage them to move to an existing patrol, consider encouraging them to make their own decisions. they can join an existing patro; upon making First Class or they cna stay in their existing patrol. Also encourage the existing patrol to develop a patrol program that would entice scouts to join them and encourage them to recruit friends into the patrol from outside of scouting.

 

Bob White

[FScouter]

I am very much into letting the boys make their own decisions. I may have my own opinion, but one must be careful about guiding the boys with too heavy a hand.

 

If they want to stay together, thats fine. If one or more of them want to move to a different patrol, thats fine too. I dont really have a problem with that, unless the boys start to think it is OK to hop around at will.

 

One of our committee persons says that BSA recommends that boys stay together in the same patrol from the time they enter scouting until they leave or turn 18, but cant support that idea with any written reference. It sounds like a good idea to me since the boys in a patrol will grow older at the same rate, and should advance at similar rates. But if a boy want out of his patrol, and is welcomed into another patrol, I would think the SM should not block that.

 

How do other troops handle the issue of boys that want to move from one patrol to another? Does anyone know of any written discussion in the literature?

 

[dan]

Look in the Scout Handbook, it refers to how patrols should try to recruit to grow.

[LauraT7]

Ok - so i looked in the book and it didn't say much!

 

It says "scouts who have entered 7th grade or who hold the rank of 1st class or higher" may join and 'experienced scout' patrol - on the page regarding the national honor patrol award it mentions "have 8 members or increase the patrol membership..."

 

but it doesn't say how.

 

In a perfect world, the patrols would be set up properly in the first place - you would have nice little groups of 6 - 8 friends who could become a patrol and happily work together for the duration.

 

Sounds like most of us are dealing with messes we have to fix, though.

 

So how would you handle re-arranging poorly set up existing patrols? (our patrols were assigned as they stand now - 20 boys - 2 17 yr olds who are "Voyager patrol" and into other things - don't participate much anymore)

 

we have one GOOD patrol - Wolf - gets along well, different ranks and abilities, roughly same age - has at least 8 members - including our old SPL, usually 5 or 6 on a campout.

 

We have 2 struggling patrols -Eagle and Indian. Eagle is all first class, 4 scouts, but the PL is a little perfectionist dictator. He has skills, but his way is the ONLY way. He alternately befriends and totally alienates his patrol mates. His best friend in the whole world is the PL of the Wolf patrol (if the opportunity arose, Wolf PL might leave his patrol & join with his buddy). Our newly elected SPL and ASPL came out of this patrol - they provided the only "balance" it had before

 

Indian patrol has lack of skills, lack of leadership, and 1 loud & abrasive personality. The PL is often not at campouts, this patrol has more of the "scouts" and tenderfeet in it.

 

Often these two poor patrols get lumped together on campouts, as each will only have 2 -3 members show up. This creates even more personality conflicts - too many generals. we also have some boys who REALLY want to do High adventure - Mostly in Eagle - mixed in with ones who don't.

 

I'd like to see a shift - let the boys chose to move and make the patrols a venture(Eagle), Experienced (Wolf) and - Experienced (Indian - and work on their advancements & skills) I think only a few would chose to shift - esp as we would have to put a size limit on the Wolf patrol - say 8? (can't have the bulk of the troop go in one patrol!)

 

but how to handle it?

 

have the boys submit their names to a patrol and have the patrol vote on who gets the openings they have to fill?

 

have the boy(s) who want to move apply to the SM and have him decide?

 

Leave the patrols as is and they gotta make do?