Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops

Training boy leaders is the Scoutmaster’s most important job, and that process has now been revised and updated in BSA’s new publication Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops.

ILST, as it’s known in the acronym-crazy world of Scouting, succeeds Troop Leadership Training after only a few years in use, and improves on it in a number of ways. TLT, as you recall, took us away from the step-by-step training course that was provided to us in Junior Leader Training. Continue reading “Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops”

Fulfilling responsibility

The new BSA Guide to Advancement lays out and clarifies what it takes for a troop to evaluate whether a Scout has satisfactorily served in a position of responsibility as required for the ranks beyond First Class.

While this is primarily handled by the Scoutmaster and assistants, the final evaluation takes place at a board of review. In most cases, the Scoutmaster conference will determine whether the requirement has been satisfied, and the Board of Review can concentrate on other areas of a youth’s development. Continue reading “Fulfilling responsibility”

Dealing with troop election results

This month’s What Would You Do? question in Scouting Magazine comes from Scoutmaster D.M. of Ft. Myers, Fla.:

We recently had our troop leadership elections, and the Scouts elected a senior patrol leader who is inexperienced, uncommitted, and has no real sense of responsibility. I am worried about the direction of the troop, but I want to respect the boys’ choice. What do I do? Continue reading “Dealing with troop election results”