How do I keep kids interested in Scouts?

[meteu7772]

I have been newly elected as SPL of my troop. We currently have about 20 boys in our troop. About 10-12 of these boys are actaully active. Of these 12 or so that are active, they always seem to leave meetings thinking that they are a waste of time. I myself have felt this way, this is why I want to change the way we run our meetings. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep the kids attentive and entertained for an hour and a half each week i would greatly appreciate it. The age level of the kids is from 13-15ish. Senior Leadership is around 16. Thank you to everyone who helps me and my troop!!!!

YIS,

-meteu7772

[frank10]

A great friend of mine would always remind me "The only purpose of a troop meeting is to get read for your next outdoor event".

 

It's hard to remember and so easy to lose track of. Don't make meetings about advancement or games or just sitting around.

 

Do this and your meeting will fly by and the scouts will interested again.

 

 

[Gold Winger]

Ask the Scouts what they would like to see done at the meetings.

 

Games should be part of the meeting, especially patrol competitions. Planning campouts should be done at the patrol level or by the PLC.

 

In my little mind, a metting should start with a game that emphasizes some Scout skill like knot tying, fire building, tent set-up, etc. Then maybe a little bit of instruction, better if it relates to an upcoming outing: for example, talk about winter clothing or sleeping bag selection. These work best if you have actual things sleeping bags (good and bad) or some guy dressed in layers and layer of clothing. Or what makes one knife better than another . . . with a guy with a big selection of knives. 30 minutes for the game, 20 for instruction. . . . already nearly an hour.

[Stosh]

I think you answered your own question. If you were bored and figured it was a waste of time to attend, ask yourself what it would take to make it interesting. Surely anything other than what you are doing now would be an improvement.

 

If you want more outings, go on more outing. If you want different scenery, pick a new scout camp to go to, someplace far away, etc.

 

If first aid for advancement and Merit Badge wasn't enough, bring in someone from the Red Cross and teach some real indepth stuff. It sounds like your buddies feel the same way, just get together and brainstorm your next adventure.

 

Stosh

[Gold Winger]

Don't forget that Scouting doesn't just happen at Scout meetings. Instead of meeting at the regular place, you can have a meeting at a park or at a fire house or at a football stadium.

 

The only limitations are your imagination . . . and the guide to Safe Scouting.

[Ohio_Scouter]

Start planning some high adventure trips at future Troop meetings. Ask and answer questions like Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and How Much, etc. Bring in some phototgraphs of places the guys would like to go and things they would like to do. Let the scouts brainstorm several ideas, and then take some votes. You'll be surprised how quickly a troop meeting will go when you have a detailed meeting plan. It will also pay off in better outings and better scout participation.

[John-in-KC]

Yep, plan and train skills needed for coming camps. Have a good hard game. If the adults are talking, get with your SM, and get them to hush. You youth take control of the meeting, through the PLC.

 

Ask your SM to send you to NYLT. Ask him to intervene with Council if needed. Sounds like a few tools in your own toolbox which you know how to use would be a useful thing

[Eagledad]

I have to agree about changing up your meetings a little. Some troops wear troop t-shirts in the summer. Different meeting places is a great idea. Keep the troop meeting to prep for the campouts. AND, plan fun campouts.

 

Lets all throw out a few theme ideas.

 

Triathlon campout where the troop has to pull up stakes in the morning and bike, hike and canoe to another campsite several miles away. Think about the training for meetings like preparing the bikes and taking a few small bike trips. Or, canoing at a local lake to practice strokes and loading gear.

 

A troop night camporee. Get the troop ready to competetions at night after the campfire until early early in the morning.

 

How about a night backpacking trip.

 

Fishing. Spend a few troop meetings learning how to fly fish or make your own bait.

 

 

This is a start, what about others?

 

Oh I love this scouting stuff.

 

BArry

 

But, lets thi

[meteu7772]

Yea, thanks. I've already been to NYLT. I went in 2006. So did one of my ASPL's. These are all really good ideas. One of the things that we were talking about changing was getting set menus planned out. Breakfast Lunch Dinner and Snacks. Then, when we are going to go on a campout, we'll just say, "okay this time it will be breakfast #4, lunch #1, and Dinner #7 or whatever. Thanks again for the great ideas. Structure to meetings should keep the boys interested in scouts. I hope...

[CNYScouter]

Do you use the Troop Meeting Planner?

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34425.pdf

 

Do you have 7 parts to your Troop meetings?

 

1. Preopening Activity

2. Opening Ceremony

3. Skills Instruction

4. Patrol Meetings

5. Interpatrol Activity

6. Closing

7. After the Meeting

 

I think a big factor in holding Scouts interest in a meeting is to keep the Skills Instruction, Patrol meetings and Interpatrol Activity to the suggested 15 to 20 mins. each.

 

[shortridge]

Congratulations on your election! It sounds like you know in what direction you want to go, which is great.

 

It sounds like some of your problems stem from low membership. With 10-12 Scouts, you'd have awfully small patrols, making competitions maybe a little less meaningful. How do your patrols function currently?

 

Piggybacking off Ohio_Scouter, another good trip planning resource is tourism/visitors' bureaus from the various states. A lot of them have outdoor- or ecotourism-oriented marketing materials. Do a Google search for state + tourism, fill out their online form, wait a couple weeks, and voila - you've got instant reference materials, with cool photos, maps, calendars, etc.

 

Do the same thing for gear. Pick up a copy of Backpacker magazine - or similar publications for canoeing, fishing, etc., whatever your troop's passions are - and fill out a Reader Service Card, circling as many items as you can. Drop it in the mail, wait a few weeks and manufacturers will send catalogs, brochures, etc., right to your door.

 

Also, there's no rule that says meetings have to be an hour and a half long, or held at the troop meeting place. The summer would be a great time to have a meeting outdoors, at a state park or campground. Try having a cookout - foil dinners, anyone?

 

Do you have a dedicated meeting space for your troop? Are you able to change things around and personalize it? Then go gung-ho - bring in posters (exciting ones, not boring advancement charts!), photo displays of past outings and former Scouts (especially older Eagles!), put up knot-tying racks, etc.

 

If you're like many troops and only get the space an hour and a half once a week, you can still adapt the space within reason. Make it *yours* during those meeting times, not the church's or Legion post's or Elks lodge's.

[Hoohaa310]

Okay I'll step in here meteu7772 and help you out a little.

 

 

Me and meteu are in the same troop, I was SPL a couple years ago, and right now I'm kinda the ASM (my dads the SM).

 

 

I'll answer some basic questions i've been hearing to clear the air a little.

 

First off: Yes we only have about 12 active boys. The reason I believe this happens is we had a horribly week scout pack for something close to 5 years. It is my belief that boys dont join boy scouts. I'm sorry but in our area it just doesnt happen. An 11 or older boy will NOT join boy scouts (there has been maybe one exception to that observation). EVERY other boy we have had join the troop has come up through cub scouting. Last year, our pack numbered 11 boys. Thats it. Now, since we have changed out the Cubmaster, the pack has grown to 35-40 boys. (not to brag but the cubmaster is my mom, who is a retired teacher at the local school so all the little kids and their parents know here, which helped alot). In a few years, the troop will get back up to its 20-25 active members.

 

our meeting spot/time: We meet at our local fire dept's banquet hall. Its a wonderful space that they have graciously allowed us to use. that being said, its not ours. which is something the leaders have talked about changin (we have no where near anough money to buy that place, but there have been other places looked at for purchase). As far as the hour and a half meeting time, I think if it were any less people would think it is a waste of time to go and then not show up at all.

 

another big problem our troop encounters is school sports. During sports seasons, practice is everynight and on nights there arent any practices, theres a game in some far away land. our last SPL was a 3 sport athlete, which basically crippled our troop. We've tried to change the meeting place and time, but we've been met with so much resistence (mostly from the grey haired leaders who argue "well we've been meeting here at this time since forever").

 

 

as far as games to play and whatnot, i'll have to dig out my JLT syllabus (yea, thats right, JLT) and get some sweet games going this fall when we start up again. Keep those suggestions coming people we appreciate it!

[OldGreyEagle]

Perhaps your recruiting would go better if you thought of prospective scouts joining the Troop, and not the BSA. Its not the BSA they will be camping with, its not the BSA who will plan and develop the program/activities that you will be doing, its the troop and its resources.

 

Dont ask the youth to join the BSA, ask them to come and share the adventures you are planning, the scout stuff then follows

[John-in-KC]

You also do not need to own your facility. You need some secure storage space for gear.

 

Inviting peers to share a campout is a good older boy recruitment tool.

 

As far as the greyheads go, the Troop is small. The troop as a collective should determine what the best date/time is as a matter of Program. They present that to the Scoutmaster as a recommendation. The Scoutmaster approves. He consults with two people... the Committee Chair and the COR... hopefully the youth will be the ones explaining WHY. Everyone else gets to say "got it."

 

Send youth back to the Pack to be den chiefs. That will aid the downstream development of the Pack/Troop relationship (your parents won't be CM/SM forever).

 

It's fully reasonable for the SM to set obligations upon the SPL/ASPL/PLs/QM/Scribe... whatever... and they include "I expect you to be there and to do your job." We grownups have had a lot of conversations about the current leadership advancement policies. To my way of thinking, expectations start before leadership gets selected, and continue all the way through the term.

 

HTH...

[ozemu]

I sympathise about the meeting place. Our troop has been operating for all its life (16yrs) in a local hall. We have nothing on the walls and only a little store room.

 

So we hang strips of calico on a wire that is stretched across the stage. They are five banners. One with the Scout badge, another with the Oath, the Law, honour board and a recent events board. Well not a board just clips sown to the banner. We write with a big pen the honour board names etc. use a stencil or caligraphy page. Some printing of Scout stuff - Norman Rockwell would be good. They strecth across one end of the hall and the place is instantly a Troop hall. Looks great. We just roll them up after each meeting. We use a broom handle across the top and bottom of each banner (sleeved) so they hang straight.

 

Otherwise - get outdoors every month. Doesn't have to be a camp but put the 'out' in Scout whatever you do.

 

Good on both of you for recognising the problems and planning to do something. It's what you have been training for all these years.