dkurtenbach

A valiant effort. But I think the time of real patrols in the Boy Scouts of America has passed. For most troop adults/parents, the only things that they will every really know about patrols will be the explanations they hear from very young Scouts working on Scout rank requirements 3.a. and 3.b. and Tenderfoot rank requirements 2.a. and 2.c. -- that patrols are about symbols and meals. Scout rank: 3.a. Explain the patrol method. Describe the types of patrols that are used in your troop. 3.b. Become familiar with your patrol name, emblem, flag, and yell. Explain how these items create pa

Thanks.

Putting aside your own negative views about checklists generally, did that troop find them to be an effective tool?

No, my premise is that in the current troop-centric program in ScoutsBSA, patrols have very little to do as organizational units within the troop, and maintaining patrol integrity is not important. This makes it difficult for true teamwork and team responsibility -- the object of the Patrol Method -- to develop. To really develop Patrol Method, we need a Scouting environment in which each patrol has a lot of things to do that matter to them (fun and exciting program, learning skills, advancement), the patrol has to face challenges getting them done, and the patrol has to spend a lot of time

Not really, no, because it isn't about getting stuff done. This is all about planning and structure for the purpose of developing patrol-teams. It is about building the team that (eventually) will learn how to work together to get stuff done. Every month there are new troop projects for the patrol-teams to work on and new tasks they develop for themselves. Every week there are new decisions, new information, and changes in plan that the patrol-teams have to wrestle with while still working toward their objectives. Every person on the team has responsibilities that are important to success. De

Good insights. Yes, the annual/semi-annual/quarterly Troop Planning Conference is critical, and the Patrol Leaders Council has a lot of responsibility under this program. Outings and program need to be worked out months in advance and broken down into very specific assignments for each patrol. The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters have to be on top of the plan and what every patrol needs to be doing to carry out the program, as well as making reservations and arrangements that the PLC can't. And the Patrol Leader -- Patrol ASM relationship is where the rubber meets the road. An

Let me suggest the following, which could apply whether you're doing separate patrol meetings or just breaking down the troop's work into patrol-size pieces: TROOP TYPICAL MONTHLY CYCLE: Week 1 – Patrol gatherings Patrol Leaders Council Week 2 – Patrol gatherings Week 3 – Patrol gatherings Monthly Outing Week 4 – Troop meeting - Review of the Monthly Outing just held - Preview of the next Monthly Outing and other upcoming troop activities - Inter-patrol competitions Patrol Leaders Council meeting PATROL TYPICAL MONTHLY CYCLE: Week 1 - OPENING (assigned to a pa

In implementing this suggestion, it would be important that the adults who will be present at patrol gatherings (per current YPT/adult supervision rules) will enable a youth-run patrol. It is interesting that Cub Scout dens and packs are well-structured for supporting the Patrol Method but don't use it (until maybe Webelos/Arrow of Light), while troop structures and habits, as @fred8033 mentions, are not well-suited for supporting the Patrol Method. BSA's Troop Meeting Agenda webpages (https://troopleader.scouting.org/troop-meetings/ and linked pages) illustrate "Troop Method": Skill in

B-P and Hillcourt understood that turning a collection of youth into a working patrol required the members to spend time working, playing, and living with their fellow patrol members -- with minimal distractions, support, or interference from outside their budding team. It's hard for a patrol to develop teamwork when the members are continually mingling with members of other patrols and adults are standing over their shoulders telling them what to do. Physical distance from others, especially when engaged in challenging tasks, is a great way for patrol members to build reliance on each other

I think @MattR has summarized the issue nicely in a clear, real-world way. The Patrol Method in the classic sense is team-building and team performance. So if you don't have Patrol Method in your troop, the troop is missing out on the Method of Scouting designed to develop Scouts into good team players - an important life skill. Critical elements in team-building and team performance are a common goal, shared effort to accomplish that goal, and working together to overcome challenges and obstacles -- all of which generally require the participation of all of the team/patrol members. A backpa

@fred8033 is absolutely right: Focus on giving your youth great experiences. Most troops do better on some of the Eight Methods than on others, and there are a lot of troops where circumstances largely prevent the successful execution of one or more Methods. We haven't found what I think would be a good answer to the problem of variable attendance. That's why I started this thread. Some troops have tried to adapt by creating extra-large patrols so that there will be at least a few patrol members of each patrol at the activity. Some troops find out who is planning to go on a campout

In one sense, I think we are already there, and have been there for a while, in the ScoutsBSA/former Boy Scouting program. I think that the program has adapted to societal and cultural changes by promoting Leadership Development and Advancement -- both focused on individual achievement -- as the two key Methods of Scouting. Indeed, Leadership Development has been promoted to be one of the Aims of Scouting, in addition to being a Method of Scouting. See the Aims and Methods page of BSA's Troop Leader website, https://troopleader.scouting.org/scoutings-aims-and-methods/. There is also a

My point is, the notion that functioning Scout patrols will form "naturally" is a myth. It is certainly natural for people to work, play, and live in small groups -- that is the reason for organization into patrols. But lots of those groups -- especially those with goals and responsibilities -- do not form naturally; they are assembled. A Patrol Method patrol is a team of Scouts formed for the purpose of learning both skills and citizenship through the autonomous or semi-autonomous planning and execution of Scouting activities. That can't be done consistently with patrols of "friends" of w

So, the secret to the Patrol Method is to stand back and let the magic happen? Please, tell me more about how the magic unfolds to get to Patrol Method. The first step, it sounds like, is to leave the youth "to their own devices" and they will form themselves into groups. How long does it take to get to separate, identifiable groups this way? I assume that this "natural inclination" somehow accommodates the shy kids, the loners, the new youth who don't know anyone else in the troop, and the unpopular kids. Do these natural groups end up being pretty much the same size? You don't have a c

I've written the following or something similar a few times here: The Patrol Method is about teamwork and citizenship. Teamwork in that all patrol members share responsibility and divide up tasks so that each member contributes. Citizenship in that the patrol is a miniature community in which the members need to learn how work with each other peacefully and productively to carry out the patrol's shared goals and responsibilities. The Patrol Method and the notion of patrol spirit are largely extinct. BSA is totally oriented to the troop as the basic operational unit of ScoutsBSA

Yep. A result of turning the neckerchiefs into little hankies to decorate the uniform and then making them optional in troops. But using them as Scouting identity items when not otherwise in uniform has some merit. I am seeing more Scouters wearing neckerchiefs over the collar and tied at the ends with a friendship knot, in the fashion of many of our international Scouting cousins, often when not in the official uniform.

Interestingly, Troop JTE Objective #9 reads: "Patrol method: Use the patrol method to develop youth leaders." The various levels are likewise phrased in a way that paints the Patrol Method as a method of leadership development. This shows how far astray BSA has really gone in diminishing and muddling up the Patrol Method into something unrecognizable. The real, classic Patrol Method is about teamwork and citizenship. Teamwork in that all patrol members share responsibility and are involved in decisions. Citizenship in that the patrol is a miniature community - a gang - in which the membe

"Class N." BSA finally came around to the idea of allowing neckerchief wear with activity uniforms and non-uniform clothing. The purpose is to make it possible to identify youth and youth groups as Scouts when they are out being active -- camping, hiking, working on service projects. That is, to raise the visibility of Scouting in the community even when youth aren't in recognizable uniforms. And as RichardB notes, it is a widespread practice around the world. If we want to promote the practice of wearing neckerchiefs when we're otherwise not in BSA uniform, giving that practice an unoffi

The Boy Scout Handbook -- the 2016 pre-girl printing -- page 21, says: The official Boy Scout uniform (sometimes called the "field uniform") includes a Scout shirt, Scout pants or Scout shorts, Scout belt, Scout socks, and shoes or hiking boots. ... Proudly wear your uniform to troop meetings, special ceremonies, and other troop functions where dressing up is appropriate. When you're headed outdoors to do something active, you can pull on a T-shirt with Scout pants or shorts, or wear other clothing that is appropriate for the events of the day. This is sometimes called an "activi

Sadly, the Patrol Method and the notion of patrol spirit are largely extinct. BSA is totally oriented to the troop as the basic operational unit of ScoutsBSA, and has been for decades. Patrols in ScoutsBSA are for administration (collecting and distributing information and resources) and a nod to tradition, but not for operations -- by which I mean planning, preparing for, and carrying out campouts, hikes, service projects, etc. A big factor contributing to the near abandonment of the patrol as the basic operational unit in ScoutsBSA is modern society, in which families have a wide variety

The photos you are seeing in the "camping" category are right in line with guidance from the Handbook (or at least, the 2016 pre-girl printing of the Boy Scout Handbook, page 21): The official Boy Scout uniform (sometimes called the "field uniform") includes a Scout shirt, Scout pants or Scout shorts, Scout belt, Scout socks, and shoes or hiking boots. ... Proudly wear your uniform to troop meetings, special ceremonies, and other troop functions where dressing up is appropriate. When you're headed outdoors to do something active, you can pull on a T-shirt with Scout pants or shorts

Don't judge the troop leaders harshly; they were probably never trained in what the Patrol Method actually is and how it works. That is perfectly understandable, because BSA is totally oriented to the troop as the basic operational unit of ScoutsBSA, and has been for decades. Patrols in ScoutsBSA are for administration (collecting and distributing information and resources) and a nod to tradition, but not for operations -- by which I mean planning, preparing for, and carrying out campouts, hikes, service projects, etc. In particular, the smaller the troop, the less need to subdivide the tro

A lot of the language may look the same as that of decades ago, and BSA may honestly intend that the real learning and leading should begin in patrols. The big difference is in what is not said: In the old days, patrols decided for themselves what they were going to do for themselves, and coordinated with other patrols for troop-wide meetings and activities. Now, decisions are made at the troop level, and patrols are assigned roles and tasks to carry out those decisions. The patrol is still an organizational necessity, but in an entirely different way than in the old days.

Far too often these days, I see troops and adult leaders who are really only conscious of one method: Advancement. Advancement as one of the eight Methods is the concept of youth gaining skill and confidence by overcoming progressively more difficult challenges. But for many, understanding the theoretical underpinnings for the Scouting program set out in the eight Methods is largely unnecessary because all the Methods are represented in specific rank and merit badge requirements and advancement procedures. Advancement is now understood by many to be a single complete, practical checklist f

Yeah, GSUSA HQ probably had a conniption. These local Girl Scout folks were doing to Mr. Momoa's intellectual property (as well as that of DC Comics and the movie studio) what the Girl Scouts accuse local Boy Scout folks of doing to Girl Scout intellectual property. And in this case, there was no question that their ploy was successful and the Girl Scouts profited directly from Mr. Momoa's name and image (in his Aquaman role). Check out the discussion on the Facebook page of the Girl Scouts of Colorado. The Council's comment included the following: "This all started as an inside jok