Active Scouts?
Charles Batteau (B3ZAATN@CPSLSOPS.BELL-ATL.COM)
Thu, 1 May 1997 20:23:20 -0400
I've been following the thread about active scouts / leadership
requirements with some hope of seeing a great solution. I doubt that
there's a troop in existance which hasn't had the problem of a boy
"holding" a leadership position for the requisite time, but doing
almost nothing while in that position.
I agree that we can't add to the requirement (such as rewording it to
say "Serve as a leader in one of the following positions ..." and then
ourselves defining what constitutes active service. However, there ARE
a couple of ways to do it, while still letting the boys run the troop:
1. If a patrol believes that the PL / APL is not doing his job, they
are free to call for an election BEFORE the regularly scheduled
election. Likewise, the PLC can call for election of a new SPL/ASPL
if that boy is not doing anything. (Note: if the APL and/or ASPL
are appointed positions, the PL / SPL can remove them at any time.)
Also, positions such as Librarian, which are typically appointed
by the SPL, can be changed by the SPL if the boy is doing nothing.
Finally, SM-appointed positions, such as JASM or Troop Guide, CAN
be changed by the SM, although I think he should have at least two
SM conferences with the boy before doing so.
2. Typically, troops hold elections every six months. The PLC could
decide to hold elections every THREE months, although there should
be some understanding that a leader would be voted out only if he
was not doing his job. This method would put the onus on the boy
to justify his patrol / troop reelecting him to the post at the
three-month point.
We have NOT tried either in our troop, so I can't say how well it'd
actually work.
We need to remember that this is a BOY RUN program -- if they are
willing to elect boys that don't do the job, we must let them do so.
YiS
Chuck Batteau -- SM, Troop 751, Glen Allen VA USA
-------------------------------------------------
CHARLES.R.BATTEAU@BELL-ATL.COM
I used to be an Eagle ...
maybe they meant an hour a DAY! :-)
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
