When you don't have enough to make viable patrols

[kahits]

I have been struggling with this since crossing over with my son, and 2 other boys, 15 months ago. I am now SM, with a limited group of boys. The troop makeup is as follows:

 

10 Scouts:

 

1 close to Eagle and age out

1 16-year old Eagle SPL (who has become inactive since completing his Eagle rank)

1* 16-year old, ASPL, close to Eagle

1* 16-year old, close to Eagle

2* 14 year old active scouts (1st class & scout rank, his friend who just joined)

2* 11-12 year old (Tenderfoot & 1st class)

2* new crossover scouts.

 

We basically have 7-8 scouts who can be expected attend troop meetings (marked by an astericks). The 3, 16 year old scouts make up their patrol, and the 14 and 11-12 year old scouts are in seperate patrols. Obviously, there have been numerous scouts who are no longer with the troop and their patrols, which gives us this odd, current situation. I'm trying to figure out the best way to structure the troop, if there is another way, then to have 3 patrols, one being the 16 year olds, and 2 patrols of the 2 lower aged groups. It makes sense to have this make up for a viable PLC, but beyond that, I have to wonder. There is a possibility of more new scouts at the end of May, but for now, I am assuming no more new scouts, although recruiting continues. Any suggestions from leaders who have been in this low troop number situation would be helpful. My son is the 1st class, 12 year old. The 2 boys who crossed over with him have had tough times, going into Middle school, that caused one to drop out, completely, and the other to leave the state for custody reasons. He is coming back, in theory, next month, and very much wants to rejoin the troop, and I hope he does (He's the 11 year old listed above). There have been no patrol meetings since we came to the troop, which is another question about how you do that with these kinds of numbers.

[Stosh]

Gee, let me guess, the older boys once they get their eagles will all be history, but until then they need the younger boys to help on their projects so the feign interest in them.

 

Middle boys have two patrols of two members? Lot of chiefs there getting advancement credit for little or no work. Gotta love it.

 

NB's floundering with no leadership.

 

Hmmmm. We've had lean years when we had less than 10 actives and here's what THE BOYS did.

 

Toss out the troop structure rules. What they basically have is a one-patrol "troop". Define it anyway you want, but basically that's what it really is. Quit acting like a troop and start acting like a patrol. The ASPL is now the PL. Have him function as such. There's no need for a PLC, half the "troop" at this point is a patrol leader. A consolidation of boys will focus their concerns on patrol activities and program and they can ignore trying to resolve patrol/leadership/PLC structure concerns.

 

Suggest a sit down discussion with the "troop" and have them direct the discussion. A SM can suggest questions like: What frustrates them, what inspires them, are they part of the solution or part of the problem? What do THEY want to do with this situation? What do they think would work with such a small group?

 

An adult leader's job at this point is to coach, suggest, support and inspire the boys into deciding what they would like this group to be. They will purchase ownership in the process and commit to it if they feel they are part of the decision and especially the re-building process.

 

If your 4 top scouts have no group loyalty and are interested only in what they want, eagle out and leave, the troop has lost the potential best leaders. Hopefully they were trained better in citizenship commitments and given the opportunity to give back to the group enough to stick around and get this "troop" back on it's feet. If they aren't committed scouts they shouldn't be getting Eagles, but that's a different forum discussion.

 

If they are not reliable, as SM you may suggest to the boys to start working on training and organizing the program around what they want to do.

 

Don't preach to the choir. These boys are coming, quit turning everything into a membership drive. Quit designing programs for the people who aren't there. Focus on the boys you do have. They've made a commitment, support them.

 

Maybe all that you will accomplish is just going camping and having a fun time. Maybe your younger boys will bargain with the older boys, you help us with our advancement, we'll help you with your eagle projects. Let them work out the details. Create and allow an environment for change. What had been done in the past has gotten you to a difficult place in the life of the group. Do something different ANYTHING different is better than what you are doing now. What has been aimed at as a goal in the past isn't working anymore. Pick a different target, any target. Let the boys come up with what they think would be the ideal solution, trust their judgment and then work together to make it happen.

 

Everything is relative.... you have too many boys to make a crew for a trip to the Boundary Waters. :^)

 

Stosh

 

 

[ajmako]

kahits,

By my count you have six active, participating Scouts. That makes one good patrol. Don't worry about a PLC or SPL. Don't worry about anything you don't need to worry about. Form a patrol of the active, participating Scouts and let them plan what amounts to a patrol program. Focus on that and doing Scouting. Worry about PLC's, SPL's, and all that when you have more than one patrol.

 

As far as the older Scouts are concerned you'll have to review where they are as far as advancement is concerned and ask them what their plans are. If they have the participation and position requirements done, it's a little easier. If they haven't, well then they're gonna have to participate, be active, and meet whatever expectations you have for positions of responsibility. Remind them that at some point they're gonna need those younger Scouts for a service project so it might be nice if they were around once in a while.

 

This will be a major change, but it won't be hard to sell. It's as easy as sitting down with the Scouts and asking them if they really want to own the program. Ask them if they want to find out what Scouting really is all about. Ask your 14-year-old 1st Class Scout if he would like to be they guy to show the others. Ask the other 1st Class Scout as well. What would they do first to build a patrol? If they don't know, teach them. Then let them loose to get the job done.

 

[gwd-scouter]

Kahits, your troop is so much like mine. We have 11 on our roster, but only 9 I consider to be active. Of the 2 that are not active, one is almost 18 and has only his project to finish for Eagle. He does pop in to meetings about every other week to stay in touch and has attended a couple of campouts this past year. Another inactive is 13, great kid but heavily involved in sports throughout the year. We may see him again this summer.

 

Of the nine active Scouts, five are present 100% of the time. In this past year, they have attended every campout and can be counted on to come to every meeting. They are the heart of our troop. The other four I would consider active as well, but probably only 80% of the time. Still fantastic.

 

Because of our small number, we only have one patrol - the Kung Foo Falcons! Sure, they made a flag and have a cheer. The patrol leader is called the SPL because the boys like the sound of that better. The APL is called the ASPL for the same reason. Of course, with only one patrol we don't need SPL/ASPL, but if they like the sound of the title better, that's fine. We have two guys serving as Den Chiefs to two different packs that meet on the same night as our Troop, so they are not present at every meeting. One of those Den Chiefs also helps out as Instructor to our newer Scouts. We have one guy serving as Quartermaster, another as Scribe.

 

Even though we only have one patrol, the boys do call their monthly planning meeting the PLC even though it only is made up of the SPL, ASPL, and the Den Chief/Instructor.

 

About two and a half years ago I stepped up to the SM position and began the long hard journey of changing the troop around from adult led. It has been a struggle, but what we have now are active, enthusiastic boys that are planning their meetings and outings and doing what they want to do. Yes, like you, we are a very small troop. But hand them the reins and train your boys to function as one great patrol. Hopefully, in time, those boys you have now will be the terrific leaders you'll need when your troop does grow large enough to have more than one patrol.

 

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, kahits. What jblake said in big dittos.

 

Never create a structure that isn't real and try to shoehorn kids into it. Having 3 patrols in a 10-person troop just isn't real.

 

You have one patrol. Consider yourself lucky - everyone can know everybody, the young boys get to see the example set by the old boys, the old boys get to mentor the young ones. All da things BP wanted in a patrol of boys you've got. So be happy, you've got all the ingredients for a fantastic patrol-based scouting program. Enjoy it.

 

Da other stuff with SPL's and PLC's and all that is all meant for managing bigger troops. Don't even think about a second patrol until you get above 16 active boys (and then plan that transition with care... see http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=152463#id_152988)

 

Beavah

[Volley6]

We have had this same problem.

 

We regrouped by spliting up the older scouts between patrols and creating only two patrols. We also, had to regroup for every campout or outing, because we would have a couple from each patrol. We would then have the oldest scout guide the younger scouts and they all would act as one patrol. This way everyone learned how to share and adjust to changing situtation and giving more of the scouts an opportuntity to practise thier leadership skills for a short time.

[ajmako]

Volley6,

The question arises, what is the point of reforming patrols if those patrols are just going to be reformed again for activities? You end up with two patrols that aren't real patrols. They're just groups of names on a roster.

 

The Patrol Method only really works when the patrols have permanence and independence. That is, the patrol exists beyond the paper it's written down on, and the members of the patrol identify with the patrol as their patrol. A real patrol goes to camp under its own leadership and every member of the patrol works toward the its success.

 

When you're rebuilding a unit with these sorts of numbers, the best thing you can do is focus on the Patrol Method. One patrol that functions the way a patrol is supposed to is better than two patrols that have to be reorganized every time the troop goes outdoors.

 

Focusing your efforts on the patrol establishes the patrol as the basic unit of Scouting (which it is). It establishes the Patrol Leader as a real leadership position with real authority and responsibilities (which it is). And it sets the stage for what kind of troop you'll have when a second or third patrol is added. The Scouts you start out with, having experienced what a real patrol is like, will teach newer Scouts according to that experience. The patrols will be tighter and Patrol Leaders will be better leaders, which means the troop will be better and so will the troop program.

 

If we don't focus our rebuilding efforts on the patrol the Scouts learn that the patrol doesn't matter. To them it becomes nothing more than a convenient grouping. Any Scout given the job of Patrol Leader finds he doesn't have any real authority--after all, if the patrol isn't anything the leader of a patrol isn't anything either. He also finds he doesn't have much responsibility either. Not when the thing he's responsible for can disappear at a moment's notice. The less real patrols and positions are to the Scouts, the more adults think they have to do to pick up the slack, and the end result is a troop in which adults run things and Scouts with leadership positions simply follow orders.

 

[kahits]

ajmako,

That last paragraph of your response pretty much describes what was happening in this troop, since I have been a member with my son for some 15 months now. We officially dismantled what was left of the patrols at the last meeting, and the boys came up with the new troop patrol name (chupacabras) and will hold patrol elections tonight. I appreciate all of the responses to this difficult but necessary change to the current troop structure. I want to get this in the hands of the boys as soon as I possibly can.

 

We have 2 new, but older scouts (1 joined in January and the other just joined) that are friends with an 8th grader in the troop. The one who joined in January wants to get to his 1st class ASAP. He was a few years ahead of my son's den at the Pack, but didn't go into Boy Scouts when he finished Webelos, 3 years ago. Since our lone crossover got pulled from the troop when his father, who was my CM replacement at the pack, did not appreciate that I was not running things like he thought they should be run, as in Cub Scouts and not Boy Scouts, we do not currently have any new, young scouts. I see no reason not to advance these 2 boys, quicker, if that is what they want to do, as long as they make the campouts, to go along with it. I'm curious what suggestions you/all might have on this. It won't be FC/FY, but I want them to feel they are not being left behind, just becasue we usually take longer for a much younger scout to reach FC. All three of these guys are old enough to join Venturing, but only one is currently 1st class.

[ajmako]

My only suggestion is to focus on teaching the skills and providing opportunities to complete requirements. Don't schedule advancement focused activities, schedule activities that provide the opportunity to advance. Then challenge every Scout who wants to advance to seize the opportunities as they come, and if they don't see a particular opportunity, make one. Ideally you want to run a fun program and only have to worry about advancement when a Scout comes to you (or someone designated to sign off requirements) and says: "I did this, can you sign it off?"

[kahits]

Very well put, again, ajmako. It's not about the particular skill, but how it can be accomplished doing something larger, and more fun, that get's it all done. I was told of a place that is perfect for the 5 mile hike, that involves some old ruins that are no longer shown on the USGS maps (the scouter who told me about it has an older map that does show them). The hike in and out completes the requirement, but for the boys it's all about finding the ruin, and visually examing it, without disturbing the site. I will challenge them to come up with activities they want to do, that meets some of the requirements, but to think beyond what is on the paper. Thanks, again.