From: Anthony Mako (ajmako@NLS.NET)
Date: Wed Jan 19 2000 - 10:55:54 CST
<Ted Aamland wrote>
Got a bit of a problem here. We are in the transition phase of getting a
new set of troop leadership. We've been in the same phase since september.
The old adult leadership was run by one man who planned everything. Picked
his own leaders and completely disregarded the wants and needs of the boys.
And this man went to woodbadge!!
</Ted>
Ted,
Going to Wood Badge, or even completing your ticket and receiving your
beads, doesn't mean a Scouter will do things they way they're supposed to.
Some of us are really egotistical, pay only lip service to what we are
supposed to do, and always believe our way of doing things is superior. Most
of the time we start out being very open to suggestions, intent on letting
the boys do their thing with as little interference from us as possible.
Sometimes, we forget the purpose of "Scout Led" or some other aspect of the
program, and start down a different path. It's difficult to find our way
back to the right path after that because it involves admitting we were
wrong (something that goes against our instinct).
<Ted continued>
Well anyway I don't want to get into all that. But here is our position
now. We have a brand new scoutmaster who loves to help so much he's doing
everything by himself. We have 10 other adult leaders without positions of
responsibility. Four of which are from the old regime and will be damned if
any punk kid gets to run things. And then there is myself a 20yr old eagle
scout trying desperately to improve the program but my suggestions are
falling upon deaf ears because they all still look at me like I'm some punk
kid trying to take away their power.
</Ted>
Of course, the most dangerous person in that group is you! You are still
close enough to the Scouts in age that you understand how they feel and what
they want, but you're not "old enough" in the eyes of the rest of the adults
to know even the first thing about Scouting (I always found that to be a bit
strange, seven years as a Scout apparently doesn't mean much).
I have some suggestions on what you can do to fix the situation. The first
thing you should to is put a leash on the new SM. By that I mean, you need
to sit down with him and explain your concerns. Impress upon him the fact
that you're close enough to Scout-age to know how the Scouts feel. The next
step is to help the SM delegate his SM responsibilities to the other adults,
and to start letting the Scout's run the show. If I was the SM I'd get rid
of any SA or other adult leader who thinks my Scouts are "punks." That's a
real good clue that those adults will never be satisfied with a Scout-Led
situation.
You may have some allies. Frustrated Scouts who want to have more say in how
their troop is run and what it does can help, so can members of the troop
committee who may not know how the troop is run, or that it's not supposed
to be run that way. District volunteers like Unit Commissioners and the
training staff would most likely be on your side. The trick is to work to
change things and NOT step on anyone's toes. That's why you should start by
talking to the SM. If that doesn't work, or works only for a short time,
talk to the troop committee. If no one else in the troop sees the problem,
bringing in a UC or other district volunteer to "help" will only cause more
problems.
Identify the adult leaders who have been to training (something more than
FastStart). If you haven't been to Scoutmaster Fundamentals, sign up for the
first available course and try to get other adult leaders to go with you. If
you have been to SMF, work on getting the other adults trained (or
"refreshed" by taking the course again). A slightly more devious approach
would be to work behind the scenes with the Scouts to take over the troop
(only as a last resort though).
<Ted continued>
What I ask the list Is this could you please respond with some responses
about why a boy-run troop works, what adults do in scouting, how the troop
is supposed to be organized, stories from your own troops anything that can
help the to see the benefits of having a boy-run troop.
</Ted>
Scout-Led units may not look any different that adult-run units to the
casual observer. Both ways of doing things can produce a highly functional
troop with a good program. The problem is that the end product of a
Scout-Led unit is a Scout who is self-confident, self-motivated, knows how
to set goals and achieve them, and can not only be an effective follower,
but an effective leader as well. The end product of an adult-run unit is a
Scout who
needs to be directed, doesn't have the self-confidence to take on hard
tasks, may be able to set goals, but can't achieve them without prodding
from others.
The adult's job in Scouting is to take the little spark of confidence each
Scout has and nurture it into a blaze. By giving guidance, showing
confidence and trust, and letting Scouts make mistakes, adult leaders
gradually build each Scout into a man with the confidence to know that
failing at a task isn't the end of the world. We look out for the Scouts'
safety, boost their morale, and stand by to catch them when they fail. Doing
the job for them doesn't do any of that. It simply teaches a Scout that
someone will always be around to do things for him, so why bother even
trying.
I have plenty of anecdotes about Scout-Led vs. adult-run. As this reply is
already too long, I won't burden the list with them (everybody say
"HURRAY!"). I will, however, burden anyone who asks - privately (everybody
say "HURRAY!" again).
YIS
A. J. Mako, ajmako@nls.net, SM Troop 381 http://www.Scouts381.org/
Old Portage District, Great Trail Council, BSA
Home of the Win95 & Win98 Boy Scout Desktop Themes
"I used to be an Eagle (C-7-97), but I'll always be an Eagle (1981)"
