Tag: Adult involvement

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Q&A: Requiring adult involvement, can Scouts go soaring?

questionmark_200This week, a couple questions from readers:

Requiring parents to register

Can a troop require that parents of Scouts register as adult members? Our troop insists that one parent of each Scout register as an assistant Scoutmaster or a troop committee member, and charges the adult registration fee as part of the Scout’s registration.

The BSA doesn’t really rule on this one way or the other, but leaves it up to the units to determine the need for adult leadership beyond the minimum requirements: Continue reading “Q&A: Requiring adult involvement, can Scouts go soaring?”

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Succession planning for Scout units

recruitment_200On Scout Sunday, I visited the Blue & Gold Banquet of a Cub Scout pack that I am the commissioner for. The pack is well-run, with exciting and interesting activities planned in advance throughout the year. Most of the Scouts received advancement recognition or awards of some kind, and all dens took part in the entertainment segment of the program. Each den has a den leader and parent help. The most important observation I made was that the boys are having a great time.

None of this came about by accident, of course. Den leaders have stayed with their dens throughout. The Cubmaster has only been on board with the pack a couple years, but having been an active leader in other packs and troops before moving to our community, he naturally fit right in.

During the course of the evening, the Cubmaster made an announcement that there would be a parent meeting this coming week. Continue reading “Succession planning for Scout units”

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How to help young leaders grow

mechanics-fourstepsOne of the most fascinating and fulfilling things about being part of the Scouting movement is watching our young people grow and develop as individuals, team members and leaders.

Every time I sit on a board of review (as I did for two new Eagle Scouts last week), I’m reminded that, in one way or another, the adults of our troop helped these young men grow. We did it, not by doing for them, but helping them see what’s important and how to handle it when they see it. Continue reading “How to help young leaders grow”

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How many coaches does a team need?

Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel

Despite the differences in aim and scope, we often make the comparison between Scouting and team sports in order to clarify the way something less familiar works (Scouting) in terms that most people can understand (sports). Each has the equivalent of players, coaches and spectators. Each has the rules and boundaries of the game.

Take a baseball team, for instance. The usual size of a team’s roster is about 35 players, divided into categories: outfielders, infielders, batterie, and reserve (relief pitchers and designated hitters). One of the players is usually chosen team captain by his teammates. Teaching and guiding these players are the various position coaches: the pitching coach, bullpen coach, hitting coach, base coaches, and the head coach or manager coordinating.

A Boy Scout troop has a very similar structure. Continue reading “How many coaches does a team need?”

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Selecting volunteers

raised_hands_200As we get back into high gear with our pack and troop programs, we may find that we’ve had some “churn” in our adult commitments. Perhaps a family moved away over the summer or decided on a shift in priorities. When that happens, an adult who made a commitment to volunteer in our unit is no longer available. This churn is most common in Cub Scouting, as den leaders move up and new dens (particularly Tiger dens) form, membership in the various den levels gets redistributed, or an adult in a key role has experienced a change in outside commitments, such as work or other involvement, and can’t continue in that role.

You might thin the term selecting volunteers is a bit strange – Continue reading “Selecting volunteers”