Scouts BSA is unique in how it is runs it’s program. At the heart is a program crafted by the boys.
Show Notes:
- Lessons and Suggestions on Boy-Run troops (BSAroundtable)
- Tips for encouraging a large troop to be boy-led (Scouting Magazine)
- Boy Led Troop (BoyLedTroop.org)
Transcript:
In the boy scouting program, boys are supposed to lead the troop. Depending on the troop you are in, this is open to interpretation.
Having been Scoutmaster for many years I have been through many Senior Patrol leaders. All have had strengths and weaknesses.
The Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters are there to guide. How much guiding really depends on the Senior Patrol Leader. It’s very easy to take control of the program. To tell the boys what to do, when to do it and how to do it. This is easy. Especially if you have been in a troop for a while, and things naturally flow into patterns. Being an adult, you’ve seen these patterns and can avoid the frustrations, and mistakes that the boys might make.
This all seems reasonable, but it’s really the wrong approach.
You need to let the boys make mistakes.
That being said, as someone who has been with the program for a number of years, you do need to provide certain continuity.
In my opinion (yours may vary) I set up a framework for the boys to make decisions in, based on the concepts of how I feel a troop should run.
We need to have service and program patrols. These patrols need to have specific responsibilities for the meetings. Meetings need to have a learning aspect, and a fun aspect. We need to camp, or minimally have an major activity every month. We also need to attend certain district wide events. Assigning Merit Badges, requirement sign off and extras like totin and firem’n need to be done in a specific manner.
How the SPL interprets these limitations is really up to the specific SPL and the boys.
I could assign the service & program patrols. I know what has worked best. I could lay out specific weekly programs, I’m pretty good at that. I could also tell the boys where to camp and what they are going to do there, and based on past experience I know they will have a good time doing it.
The reason you don’t do these thing is that the boys are in charge.
I’ve seen programs on both sides of the fence. On one side I know of a leader who would not lift a finger, saying any task you do, it taking away a job for a boy. And I’ve seen the other side where the adults will actually run the program, leaving the head boys with nothing to do but watch.
I belive it’s better to let the boys do. You can offer options, but let them make their own choices. Unless their plan was to build flame throwers and test them in the meeting space, it’s most likely going to be ok. But this is what works for us.
Take what you like and leave the rest, and as we say in Woodbadge, feedback is a gift, leave yours below in the comments, with the hope we can all learn together.
I’m Scoutmaster Dave, and this was the boy led program.
