Troop Leadership: Youth vs. Adult

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Troop Leadership:Youth vs. Adult

Eric SilvaFrontier District Roundtable

October 2015

Agenda

• Basics of Boy Scout Troops• Adult Leaders and Parent Involvement• Is my Troop Boy-led or Adult-led?• Advantages of Boy-led Troops• Role of Adult Leaders in Boy-led Troops• Transitioning to a Boy-led Troop• Mentoring Leadership• Lessons and Suggestions for Boy-led Troops

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Basics ofBoy Scout Troops

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Aims and Methods

Aims• Character Development• Citizenship Training• Mental and Physical Fitness

Methods• Ideals• Patrol Method• Outdoors• Advancement• Association with Adults• Personal Growth• Leadership Development• Uniform

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Importance of Boy-led Troops

• Let the boys lead

• Scouts learn by doing

• Adult leaders should guide

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Adult “Excuses” AgainstBoy-led Troops

Boys are too young.

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Boys are too lazy.

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Boys are too irresponsible.

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Boys are just not interested.

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Adult “Facts” for Boy-led Troops

• More work for Adult Leadership

• It’s harder to teach necessary leadership skills than to do it yourself

• It’s easier for adults to run things

• Adult leaders are afraid of failure

• Adult leaders want a smooth running troop

• Adult leaders may not delegate well; don’t want to give up control

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The Main Barrier

The attitudes withinthe adult leadership.

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Adult Leaders andParent Involvement

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Adult Leaders and Parent Involvement

• Adults are there for the boys

• The Scoutmaster is in charge of the Troop

• Parent Involvement

• The Troop Committee

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Adult-led Symptomsand Impacts

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Adult-led Symptoms and Impacts

Who is reallyleading my Troop?

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Adult-led Symptoms and Impacts

• Adults loudly asserting authority

• Adults jumping in with more enthusiasm than patience

• Adults operating in Cub Pack mode

• Adults enabling codependency

• Adults contributing to older boy attrition

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Signs of Over-Involved Adults Running the Troop

• All Scouts are dressed perfectly

• Adults standing with or in front of Scouts during activities

• Troop focusing only on advancement

• Troop focuses only on outings

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Other Signs of Adult-led Troops

• Who sets the time to wake up or lights out?

• Who picks the places to set up the tents, tarps, or eating area?

• Who sets the times to eat, and program activities?

• Who says when it’s time to go home from the campout?

• Who counts the scouts in the cars to make sure everyone is there?

• Who decides what kind of camping gear the troop should buy?

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Advantages ofBoy-led Troops

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Advantages of Boy-led Troops

• Boys learn critical planning skills

• Boys learn to lead in a safe environment

• Boys learn from mistakes

• Boys learn to lead others and work in teams

• Boys learn respect when treated with respect

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Role of theAdult Leaders in Boy-led Troops

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Role of Adult Leaders in Boy-led Troops

• Follow the lead of the Scoutmaster

• Train patrol leader and assistant

• Mentor the patrol leader and assistant

• Back up youth authority

• Step back and delegate

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“Training boy leaders torun their troop is the Scoutmaster’s most

important job.”-- Robert Baden-Powell

Scoutmaster’s Handbook

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“Train Scouts to do a job, then let them do it.”

-- Robert Baden-PowellScoutmaster’s Handbook

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“Never do anything a boy can do.”


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• Set the supportive tone

• Encourage the patrol method

• Make sure the rules and regulations are followed

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“Patrols are the building blocks of a Boy Scout

troop.”-- Scoutmaster’s Handbook

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“The patrol method is not a way to operate a Boy Scout troop, it is

the only way. Unless the patrol method is in operation you don’t really have a Boy Scout troop.”


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Transitioning to a Boy-led Troop

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• Get adult buy-in first

• Train the adult leadership– This is Scouting– Fast Start– Scoutmaster/Assistant Leader Specific– University of Scouting– Wood Badge

• Train the boy leadership– Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST)– National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)– National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE)

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• Get the adults out of the Patrol Leader’s Council

• Check that the boy leaders are prepared

• Don’t expect rapid change

• Treat your Senior Patrol Leader very well

• Allow failure to be a learning experience– Adult-led is NOT a Plan B!

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Ideas for Mentoring Leadership

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Senior Patrol Leader Handbook

• Keep your word.• Be fair to all.• Communicate.• Be flexible.• Be organized.• Delegate.

• Set the example.• Be consistent.• Give Praise.• Ask for help.• Criticize in private.• Have Fun.

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Use Scenarios

• On a Weekend Campout

• At a Troop Meeting

• A Troop Feast

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Lessons and Suggestions for Boy-led Troops

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Lessons and Suggestions for Boy-led Troops

• No matter what his age or experience; the SPL runs the Troop meetings

• It’s not the job of adults to take the responsibility for the scouts, but to guide them in their responsibilities

• “If the adults weren’t here, could this part of the program still run with only the scouts?”

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Lessons and Suggestions forBoy-led Troops

• The SPL runs the Troop, so there is no reason for an adult to assume the role for any reason

• All behaviors, good and bad, are the scout’s responsibility

• Adults should never lead a group of scouts

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Resources

• The Scoutmaster’s Handbook• The Senior Patrol Leader Handbook• The Patrol Leader Handbook• The Boy Scout Handbook• Guide to Safe Scouting

• http://boyledtroop.org• http://bsaroundtable.org/boyruntroop.html• http://scoutmaster.org/Boy%20Led%20Troop.pdf

Troop Leadership: Youth vs. Adult

Leadership & Management

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