Re: Advancement recognition
Mike DeKrey (dekrey@PCOK.COM)
Thu, 14 Aug 1997 18:07:45 -0700
Doug,
What a great subject! I'm looking forward to lots of others chiming in
on this one.
We do NO formal advancement stuff in our troop meetings. When boys (and
their parents <G>) join, I tell them this isn't Cubs, advancement is the
boy's responsibility. Sign-offs on rank requirements are anywhere,
anytime that the BOY initiates it (pre- or post- meeting, campouts, down
town {it's a small town}, etc.). If a boy seems stalled, an adult may
show them how to tie this lashing or identify that tree or whatever, but
the requirement is not signed off until the boy shows a different adult
that he knows the stuff (in extreme cases we do a "Why don't you go show
Mr. Whosit what you just learned."). Once a month, a MB counselor does
an intro on a MB selected by the PLC. These are typically 5-15 minutes
long, just enough material to let the boys know what the MB involves and
with whom they will be dealing, and sometimes an appointment for an
outing (eg. visit a construction site for Engineering, or come to the
town's council meeting on this night).
SM Conferences and BOR's must be requested by the boy (SM for a
conference, Advancement Chair for BOR), we only schedule them if there's
a problem (very rare). A request is verbal, in person or by phone. My
only requirement is that they make sure I write it down in my calendar
(otherwise they ask on the trail, or in the middle of a discussion, or
other times when they don't really have my attention<G>). Either one is
typically done the next week, usually before (sometimes during) troop
meeting or on a campout for the conferences. The SPL recognizes rank
advancement immediately, typically just before the SM minutes. For
either MB or rank, we formally hand out the badge at the first meeting
after getting it from the Scout Office (come to the front,
"Congratulations on ...", handshake, applause). At the next Court (4X
per year), we do a longer ceremony and hand out cards.
I'm very comfortable with the format, BUT I don't like our advancement
rate. A very few boys are driven enough to rip right through, virtually
every boy that joined 16 months ago is still Tndft or 2nd Class. That
seems 'way too slow, but they don't seem to care. Our drop-out rate is
miniscule. Most of those that do drop-out, do so within that first month
or because the family moves out of town. Under previous administrations
one of the primary drop-out reasons was too MUCH pressure to achieve (and
that probably is a big reason I've gone to the current format).
I'm also very comfortable with the quality of the boys. They are good
kids. They LIVE the Law and Oath, they just don't advance very fast.
Anyone have any suggestions?
BTW, we have a fantastic summer camp program!
--
Mike DeKrey
SM, T-56 WDL, P-53 FOX, SR-149
mailto:dekrey@pcok.com, Will Rogers Council, Ponca City, OK
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
