Jump to content

I need some fun ideas for training youth


Recommended Posts

Part of my Wood Badge ticket is arranging for youth and adult leader training events. I'd like to hold a weekend-long training event for our newly-elected youth leaders and their corresponding adult leaders so they can work on some plans together for the upcoming year. I'd like to provide some fun and creative things for these guys to do. I've got plenty of resources for chaplain and a fair amount for SPL and ASPLs, but I can't find much help for training our scribe, webmaster, quartermaster, other than "tell their them job duties and provide necessary paperwork (such as patrol notebook)," etc. Anybody have any more interesting or inspiring ideas? Thanks in advance!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thank you. I do have the ILST stuff. I'm looking for more ideas beyond that - again, specifics for making some of the other positions cool, like notebooks, or games, or good ideas for them to help organize or interact with the troop, etc. And Sentinel947, I don't know what pm is but I would like to talk w/ you further.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

For quartermaster, have a "what's missing" game. Put out a few patrol boxes with a list of what's supposed to be in each box. Have one item missing from each box and see how fast they can figure out which item is missing from each box. Or a "what's broken" game. Have one non-working item in each box and see how fast they can figure out which item isn't working.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The mantra I drill into my leadership training has always been "Take care of your boys."

 

If you're SPL, what do you do specifically to take care of the PL's?

 

If you're QM, what do you do when two patrols ask for the one Dutch oven?

 

If you're Instructor, what do you do to help the PL of the NSP get their boys through to FC?

 

Management is specific tasks all laid out for a person to organize, prioritize and assign duties to to others. Managers fill out duty rosters from a list of available names. They don't need to care about the person doing the job or whether or not they are even capable of doing it. Their position of responsibility ends when the task has been assigned and completed.

 

Leadership is finding out what problems someone is facing and supporting them to reach a workable solution. Not knowing the task makes the management model unworkable for the most part until a solution is found. Getting to the solution requires leadership, not management skills.

 

Over the years I have worked with many scenarios that have gone well with developing leadership. Probably the most fun is when we take a hike somewhere and the boys aren't paying much attention, I have a couple of adults fall out of the hike with one of the boys who is "injured". We continue the hike until the "leader" realizes his head count is short, or thinks it's short. He has a problem to solve. As SM I tend to simply stand around "not paying attention" to their problem. Eventually they will realize they are short one person and now solve their problem. Once they find the scout, they need to apply first aid appropriately and get the boy to safety.

 

The learning begins at the AAR (After Action Review). Why did the boy get separated in the first place? How long was he "lost" before anyone knew it? Why wasn't hike protocol being used to avoid the problem in the first place? Were proper first aid techniques being followed? Who missed the boat and who stepped up?

 

Once the boys get wind of this scenario have one of the adults be the one to "get injured" and "lost". A good leader cares for the welfare of EVERYONE in the group, not just the boys! I had one adult sit in the woods for 3 hours before the boys noticed he wasn't around. The adult didn't care, he had his book and was prepared to be there for quite some time. Carrying the gentleman out on a stretcher was a Herculean task as well.

 

It was decided from that point on that "Be Prepared" mean more than just a motto. :)

 

Would I pull that stunt on the NSP when there aren't any older scouts around? Sure, why not, when does real leadership training supposed to start? Day one or a few years after the boys have developed the idea that sitting around doing nothing is a good thing in scouting?

 

Stosh

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

You are describing a Troop Operation Workshop - a weekend of fun, training, and planning for the coming year. Try Googlefu.

 

The T.O.W. was only partially replaced by the one-day (or less) Annual Program-Planning Meeting. Ol' farts are using TOW yet. Try to find them locally - or, second best, on line for advice and proven aqctivities

 

Scribe. The Scribe needs to have his job explained ("Talk in 1948-speak), and demonstrated ("demonstrate" in 1948-speak), hopefully by the functioning previous scribe . He can then take notes of the planning sessions as he is "coached" (1948-speak) by the previous Scribe if possible. The ultimate goal is to have him train his successor ("train" in 1948 speak.). (Yes, it's [GASP!] EDGE, which has been around in substance at least since the original B.S.A. Wood Badge developed by Bill and friends. I guess EDGE is sexier than TDCT in the same way that STOP sounds better than the more accurate SOTP.)

 

Same pattern can be used for other warrent officers.

 

Alternate work sessions with group-forming play.

 

Idea: http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content...edown-1706.asp

 

Idea:

 

"The Friendly Quartermaster" who guides, influences, and coaches the patrol QM's in their patrol duties and interacts with them when they draw gear and supplies from troop stores. Ideally, one of those patrol QM's will become the troop QM.

 

To the extent that part of what you want to accomplish is under the rubric of "leadership," situations where the Scouts lead would be good.

 

 

Oh, and by the way, the T.O.W. is to be planned by the PLC with you as a resource and guide. With the right questions, you should be able to get the leaders (Scouts) to come conclusions about the schedule that are within the range of the functional.

 

The SPL leads the TOW ; AOK?

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I know troops are different but the thing I've noticed for our troop is the normal every month stuff the boys have down by the time they take a position. As when we have a scout taking over a position for first time ever doing that job we have out-going scout take them aside and go over the stuff. For us it's the uh-oh what now moments... How should PL or SPL handle scout not wanting to do jobs or participate in patrol activity that's been planned. What should patrol do when they realize all their eggs got broken in transit. etc... basically the things that happen that aren't normal or haven't been planned for and the boys have to scramble and until trained will look to adults to solve until they realize the adults will just ask what do you think you should do or what are your options and what do you think is best.

 

With what you are bringing up though for webmaster and even a bit historian if posting pics online... if a troop is beginning to want to go online would be to have some sites, how they work, how to get one started, benefits and disadvantages of each, etc... some that I know some use: google groups, facebook, and the one from troopmaster.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If all one is doing is training boys for specific jobs, then any management program will work. Basically all management is FOLLOWING directions on getting a job/task done. It doesn't require any LEADING in the process. This works just fine until as IM_Kathy points out, something deviates from the norm. So add a bit of problem solving and now you have a real leader??? Nope, all you have is a manager that can solve problems. One can do that all by themselves and needs no one to follow.

 

Leadership implies people following the person, not a just a set of steps to accomplish a task. It involves people and having them willingly follow. This is where the management training falls apart. You have a responsibility to run the patrol as PL. You set up the duty roster and plug in names. The boys only elected you as you were previously popular, but now that PL has gone to your head, they have resolved themselves to tough it out until they get a chance to elect some other person. The PL has managed his task well and has posted his roster on the campsite bulletin board. No one even bothers to look at it. Nothing gets done and so now the only recourse if to start handing out demerits and punishments for not following orders.

 

On the other hand another boy is the Grubmaster this weekend. He's in the kitchen area whipping up breakfast for the boys and realizes the guys have used up all the water and the jugs empty. He calls out to his buddy nearby and says, "Hey, Joe, need some water. Wanna be a sport and get me some so I can get breakfast out right away?" Joe's hungry, he knows the Grubmaster is doing his best and so he pitches in.

 

So, who demonstrated more leadership and still got the task done without any management skills whatsoever? If the Grubmaster had good management skills he would have made sure he had water before he started making breakfast. :)

 

Stosh

Link to post
Share on other sites
The mantra I drill into my leadership training has always been "Take care of your boys."

 

If you're SPL, what do you do specifically to take care of the PL's?

 

If you're QM, what do you do when two patrols ask for the one Dutch oven?

 

If you're Instructor, what do you do to help the PL of the NSP get their boys through to FC?

 

Stosh

Amen.

 

I say the top three rules: "Take care of your boys, Take care of your boys, Take care of your boys".

 

I have only seen a few PL's who do this, but some movement on the PL's being aware that they should reach out to absentees, seek out help on advancement, and make sure guys have tent buddies, etc. A few more Patrol only activities so some progress being made...

Link to post
Share on other sites
hmmm if you want to relate with youth then you need to attach with them you need to mix up with them ' date=',,,that is the only way you will get thier coorporation..[/quote']

 

:) People are all basically inherently lazy and will hang out with people who meet our emotional and physical needs. One sees this going on all day every day but usually don't think much about it.

 

I go to work to either receive emotional gratification or at least a pay check, the bigger the better.

 

I take classes because I want to learn something.

 

I hang around people because their company is satisfying to me.

 

If one is aware of this dynamic in the human psyche, they can capitalize on it in terms of leadership. Tyrants and dictators have been using this ploy for years, but it can be worked for both good and evil, depending on the leader.

 

If I want boys to pay attention and cooperate, I have to provide something they want. If I am not providing that, their minds, if not bodies, will wander off finding something more rewarding to their needs. The judgments I have about the world around me revolve around this as well. Sports are fun, so coaches tend to be people we like. They train me, they praise me, and they work hard at making me a success. I can get to liking that.

 

My advanced math teacher? Yeah, right, my best buddy in the world....NOT. :)

 

So if one wishes to "relate to the youth" one has to cater to their needs as say, maybe, a servant leader? What is it that they want? Adventure? Okay, Follow me, boys, lets go to the same-old, same-old camp we did last year and see if there's any new adventures there. But alas everyone's busy with other things that week???? No, they have all found something else that meets their needs better than the 6th trip to the same old council camp yet again this summer. This is something that is NOT unique to youth of this age. Everyone follows this same dynamic.

 

I'm 63 years old and still "relate" to the youth because I know after 40 years what excites them, what inspires them, what rewards them, etc. and they will pay attention so long as I provide those things for them. For the younger boys, fun and games work well, but the older boys aren't looking for fun and games anymore, they want challenge and adventure. Big difference! Try satisfying that dynamic in a mixed patrol.

 

So, if people are looking for "fun ideas" maybe instead of asking the everyone else in the world what that might be, why not ask your boys what they will be wanting out of the program. Some may say, fun and games will make it interesting. The next boy seriously wants some hard-core training on the subject. Some are merely curious about what it would do for them in the long run. Some don't even want to be there but their parents said they had to be. There's the situation. Now, as leader, figure out how to make it work for everyone. :) Oh, and by the way, isn't this the same dilemma facing every PL as we speak? My new scouts want fun and games, my older boys want challenge and adventure, and then there's little Johnny who doesn't want to do anything and hates to camp, but his mom thinks scouting is good for him, and then Peter's got a girlfriend and a new job and doesn't come anymore.

 

Stosh

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...