Re: Board of review Members
(no name) ((no email))
Sat, 8 Jun 1996 01:08:57 -0500
Cliff Golden writes about youth-ran Boars of Review:
>>The old system had some merit though.
and Kevin Woods asked the leading question concerning
having non-Troop leaders to assist in Boards of Review.
I guess then in all of these years that I've been invited to
sit in on or be a paart of Boards of Review, that I was
wrong in doing so. I don't feel that way, and here's why.
While the main purpose of the Board of Review is to
take a "snapshot" of the Troop's program and
operation from the standpoint of the youth; I think
that a larger reasoning behind them is to provide
additional opportunities for personal growth on the
part of the Scout involved.
So when a Scout going for, say, First Class shows up
at his Troop's meeting place to "have a regular sit-down"
with "the same old folks", and "HEY!! There's someone
ELSE here....", you don't get the same reapones. You
get more candid and challenging responses to the "same
old questions" on what you have gotten out of Scouting
so far. Some of it is "for show", but someone that has been
doing these as long as I have can easily move past the
"fluff" and into the "good stuff"...thte stuff that makes
them THINK and REFLECT before answering in that
"same old pattern".
Some of the questions I ask?
* "Tell me about the first campout with your Patrol.
If you were the Patrol Leader, how would you have
made it better for the "new Scout".
* "Why do you think the BSA has Boards of Review
at each point in the advancement program?"
* "How much hiking have you done in the Troop?
What's your worst experience with that hike?"
* "Can you explain the difference between a "good
leader" and a "leader" to us?
* "Which you rather do, if you were in charge of
the Scouting organization: have more Troops or
more members in the Troops already out there?"
* "What *turns you off" in Scouting?"
* "Tell us about an instance in which you have
used some of your Scouting skills you've learned
so far."
* "If there was one thing that you wished your
Troop did, what would it be and why do you
think that's important?"
* "On a scale from 1 tot 10, rate yourself as a
Scout. Why did you give yourself the score
you did?"
These two always bring up questions which
doesn't get explained much:
* "Share with us some of the thingss you and
your Scoutmaster talked about during your
Scoutmasters' Conference."
(for some reason, people think that the Scoutmasters'
Conference is something along the lines of a client-
patient or lawyer-client priviledge kind-of-thing.
It's not. The Troop Committee has a right to know,
along with the parents, about what was discussed.
What I find out in a lot of cases, is that the
Scoutmasters' Conference is a "practice Board of
Review", is "not done until after the Board (which
makes the Scouts' appearance at the Board wrong
because the SM Conference is a REQUIREMENT
and ALL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET
BEFORE THE BOARD OF REVIEW)", or is a
two or five miuute "discussion" about thte "next
step". Nothing wrong with that, except that the
Scoutmaster should be using this chance to see where
he or she is going wrong and right with each and
every Scout. )
* "Do you feel that Scouting should be totally
free...no dues, no registatiton fees, no cost for
summer camps or anything else....why do you feel
we make Scouts and their families pay for some
activities?"
(folks, this question takes Scouts to "the time
where we paid for something and it was really
lame", or "when we went someplace and we
LOVED it", to "our dues are too high", to "we
should have more fundrasiers because some
Scouts can't afford all of this stuff we do..." and
onward to talks about saving money, to honesty
and on and on....)
These questions are NOT "STUMPERS". They
are geared to "cut to the chase", to get to what
Scouts need to share with the members of the
Troop Committee.
Sometimes, it really does take an "outsider" to
bring out the best in some Scouts (and some
Scouters, too!!). I'm glad to sit in on those
Boards and to ask some leading questions tot
the next generation of Scouters.
Even if some of you disagree with my or
your Commissioner's or Executive's prescence.
Settummanque!
Settummanque, the blackeagle (MAJ) Mike Walton
(sent from his laptop machine)
174 Chapelwood Drive, Henderson, Kentucky 42420-5036
(home) 502.827.9201 (fax) 502.826.7046 (work) 888.248.8484
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