MrGumby

I just want to make it clear that I'm not looking to change patrol method or interfere in the details, just looking for ways to influence the broader mission of the troop without looking like the new guy who wants to come in and change everything. My thoughts are that I can continually be hyping more wilderness-type adventures, but I don't know if there's anything more direct that people have had success with, such as altogether hosting it myself. In my Troop when I was a Scout, we had at least one major trip or event each year that was chosen and arranged by my dad, who was SM. Patrols would still handle meals and gear, but the itinerary was set for us. I can imagine some strict Patrol Method adherents would not approve of this, but it got us out of our comfort zone and exposed us to things we otherwise would have missed, and thereby had a lesser overall experience for missing.

Thanks for the thoughtful response 👍 I think Scouting will be a positive experience for my son even if I can't move the Troop to more a more outdoor experience. I actually think it's great that through Troop involvement he will participate in activities and outings that I would never plan for our family. That was part of what made Scouting great for me, that expansion into areas that otherwise would have been unexplored. To your final point, I don't think you are nitpicking, but I do think we have a fundamental difference of opinion. Scouting is something that I did WITH my father. I understand that is not everyone's experience, but it's a very common experience, it was a phenomenal one, and it's one I intend to replicate. Positive adult relationships and mentoring are at the heart of Scouting right along with fostering leadership skills. Patrol Method is great, but it's not Lord of the Flies and adult leadership is there to curate and guide the Scouting experience. I think there's a healthy balance between the two extremes of a Scoutmaster that parks in a camp chair by the fire and becomes an ornament or the parent that drops off in the parking lot and never gets out of the car and a helicopter parent leader who never lets the youth really try the Patrol Method. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that my adult leadership crosses over also, as that is simply the reality. I also don't think that my involvement prevents my Scout from having his own experience, that certainly wasn't the case for myself or the other Scouts who had fathers in leadership with the Troop.

Totally agree with that! For some reason I feel like that is an easier maneuver...direct intervention and guidance seems appropriate there and less so in the overall direction the scouts are taking.

I am not in Troop leadership yet, planning to join the committee this year and then take on any role needed when my son crosses over. Do you think it's a better idea to try to move the Troop into a more adventure-minded position, or just influence the young patrol and hope it catches on? I worry that we won't have any influence and we will just be voted down if we don't have a decent strategy. Ultimately, they get to decide what they do, but I feel like curating the experience to take them outside of their comfort zone is part of what adult leadership is there for...that's how it functioned when I was a Scout. Give and take, they pull us out of the wilderness to experience things we wouldn't otherwise, and we pull them out of town into nature...

I was an active Scout from 1990-2002 with my father as Cub/Scoutmaster most of the time. After 3 years as Den Leader, I will be crossing over to the Troop next year with my son. The Troop is small, but active, and functions pretty heavily with the Patrol Method...the problems I am seeing in the Troop seem to be resulting from the Patrol Method, unfortunately. There seems to be a minor culture of "earned prestige" wherein the older Scouts control everything and boss the younger kids around a bit. It doesn't seem to be mean-spirited, more like a "put in your dues" to get off dish duty kind of thing. They have traditionally only had 1 Patrol and I'm hoping with an influx of 10 or so Scouts between this year's crossover and ours next year that will change itself. Here's the even bigger issue I have with the Troop...in the last 5 years (+ next year) the Scouts have planned and executed 4 bigger, out of town trips. This is great, those are the trips that make memories that last a lifetime. The problem I have is that those trips are all town/civic/history trips with no serious outdoor activity. New York City x2, Gettysburg, and Niagara Falls. They camp on the trips, but obviously it's nothing like High Adventure. I've never heard of a backpacking trip, no canoe/kayak, biking, vertical sports, or fishing...we live 3-6 hours from the Appalachian mountains and some real fun adventure destinations like Seneca Rocks, Shenandoah, and the New River Gorge but I've never heard of a trip that didn't land in town. I don't know if that comes down from the Scoutmaster and his son or if it's just because that's just what they know how to plan. I have extensive High Adventure experience and would love to teach these youth how to put together a trip that really rocks... How should I go about guiding the Scouts into expanding their outdoor repertoire without taking over the Patrol Method and without ruffling feathers in the Troop leadership?