Motivating the Guys

[CA_Scouter 11]

In the last year, we've had a disappointing response to several tasks that we've asked the scouts to do... for example, we stressed Emergency Preparedness after Katrina, asked the scouts to build a 'go bag' for their homes, and only about 3 of them ( out of 16 ) worked on it. Everyone else was 'I forgot'. This went on for several weeks until we finally stopped asking. We also had disappointing participation in our winter coat drive, and the scouts donated nearly $30 ( yes, $30 ) to the Katrina Relief effort.

 

What do you do to motivate your scouts, build Scout Spirit, and get them to participate more actively in non-advancement activities?

 

 

[ScoutNut 147]

Have it be their ideas instead of the leaders ideas of service. When it is something they are interested in, and something they have worked to put together, the boys are more likely to participate.

 

A donation of $1-2 per scout is not to bad if you were asking the SCOUTS to donate. I don't know to many 11-17 year olds with $20+ burning a hole in their pockets.

 

If you were asking the FAMILIES to donate, that is a bit different & you had a right to be dissapointed. However, if the families were donating, than you have no right to blame the individual scouts for the actions of their parents.

 

If the donations were supposed to be solicited from the COMMUNITY at large, than I have a problem with allowing youth to solicit funds, and possibly the scouts families did too.

 

[Eamonn 61]

I agree with ScoutNut. If they feel that they own the whatever it is they are doing, they will take more pride in it and want to do it.

Someone a lot wiser than I once said "Plan your work and work your plan."

While responding to things is fine, having everyone knowing what is coming up in the future will bring better results. If the Scouts know that in March or whenever the PLC has planned to hold the great Troop 123 Emergency Preparedness theme and have contacted the Red Cross to come and do their presentation (The guy who did ours for the Jamboree was outstanding). If while at camp the PL's run an emergency practice . Or some event that captures the imagination of the age groups that you are working with. It has to be better than asking, pleading, begging, nagging them to bring something from home.

Eamonn.

 

[scoutldr 739]

We had the same problem with Astronomy MB. I invited the local astronomy club to come and do sessions with the troop over several weeks. Only two out of about 12 scouts actually completed the MB because they simply would not do the homework and bring it back in. Needless to say it was embarrassing, and I won't make the effort again. If they want a MB, it's up to them to go see the Counselor.

[CA_Scouter 11]

Excellent advice guys. I just had one of those 'slap palm on the forehead' moments. Makes perfect sense to have them come up with the ideas.

 

So let me refine my problem a little more. My PLC does not really come up with many ideas. I try to encourage them to, but they seem more interested in the social aspect of getting together rather than running the meetings. I am going to do an extensive junior leader training course in Feb to see if that helps, but if you've got other ideas, I'm all ears!

 

 

[Eamonn 61]

The "Deer caught in the headlights"PLC!!

I think most of us have been there.

If you start with the idea that most of the time kids are told what they are going to do and rarely asked what they want to do. You are making progress.

One of the most important meetings of the year is the Annual Planning meeting.

I found that taking the PLC away for the weekend away from all the distractions makes this meeting work best.

At our house Her That Must Be Obeyed and myself have this on going stupid conversation. She asks me what I want for dinner? I answer what have you got? She tells me I know what we have. I say if I knew I wouldn't ask. (Then we have chicken.)

In some ways this can be like the planning meeting. Depending on the experience of the PLC. If you (Or the SPL) Ask what do you want to do? They don't know what they want.

Some ways around this are to have a Brain Storming meeting. Where everything no matter how off the wall is written down on a flip-chart or blackboard, without any comment or judgment.

Sure you are going to get some ideas that may seem down right silly but if you allow a set time for these ideas. It shouldn't get that far out of hand.

Then go over all the ideas with the Scouts. Discuss the pros and cons.

"Sure we can go to Disney World, they have merit badges, but we would need to raise $??? per Scout. Do you guys really think you can raise that much? Do you want to spent that much time raising money?

If you and the SPL have met before hand and have a couple of ideas and lots of information you can steer them in the direction, but be prepared for them to say that your ideas are lame!

Sort the ideas into themes. One theme per month.

Get some idea of who can do what.

Ask for volunteers to take charge of each month.

Explain that they are responsible for that activity and that they are accountable.

The SPL will check to see how the plans are coming along. You will check with the SPL and help and support him.

This might mean talking with a lazy little toad and offering a few words of encouragement or advise. It might mean going back to the PLC and asking "What is going on?" It might mean going to plan B or making plan B.

After each activity or even after each Troop meeting making time for a quick reflection with the PLC will really pay off. But make sure it's a real reflection and not you telling them off!!

Eamonn.

[EagleInKY 14]

i think Eamonn adequately captured the essence of many troop planning sessions. The SM and SPL have to forcefeed ideas, and so the PLC ends up not embracing the plan as their own. Then it becomes a hassle as activities come up where there is not a lot of support.

 

I also see a general lack of ability to "sell a vision" at this young age. The Patrol Leaders plan out an activity in the PLC - mostly driven by the SPL. They then go to their patrols and rattle off what the plan is like it's a sylabus for their English class. I try to get them to get excited about it, but they just don't seem to have the ability. (I think a lot of this is because I have a young troop and the PLs haven't had a lot of experience nor have they really had a good example/pattern to follow, but we're working on that).

[ozemu 10]

If they are young then maybe aim at slap stick level of interest. Make meetings snappy. Nothing over 15 minutes and lot of tests and adults obviously having fun doing Scout things.

 

For a wide game camp that my Troop planned but looked to be about to fall flat I gave Warning and Patrol orders straight from my old Army notes and wore a stylised uniform that looked a little holiwoodish. During the weekend the rules changed several times and there were neutral 'peace keeping' times to allow Scouts to stop hiding and to swim etc.

 

And they loved finding me. All cammed up and sitting against a banana with dead leaves drapped over me. We used radio's to let them get advice if things went stale or wrong. And the weekend worked despite it being an almost first camp for many.

 

But I feel your pain. Doing what I describe takes a lot of prep time and effot from the adults. I have a similar thread asking for ideas to hook the Scouts into the program. Got a couple of good ideas there from the forum.

[Eamonn 61]

I think I really ought to spin off?

But what the heck.

Trying to keep the Guys motivated all the time, is not going to happen. (Sad but true).

All sorts of things come into play as to why some activities are better received than others and why some Scouts go wild about something while others think it's like watching their finger nails grow.

I found that it helped if at times I stopped and took a long hard look at what wasn't working. Really looked at the things that just didn't work.

Some of the things that were on top of the list were:

Nagging, Complaining, long announcements. Doing things because we always do that thing. Poor equipment.

I have to admit that right now I'm a little upset at myself!!

Our Boatswain hasn't called a quarterdeck meeting for over a month. I was a little upset. I'd tried giving the other youth members a little "Nudge" to get him to call the meeting. In the end I sent him an e-mail. I laid a big guilt trip on him. I hit the send and really wish that I hadn't.

When we finally got to talk on the phone last night. He was very apologetic and I could sense that he knew I was upset when I sent him the e-mail. We are meeting later today to plan the agenda.

I'm mad at myself because I know this isn't the way I should go about getting things done. I'm mad because I would be upset if he tried this on the other youth members. I have set a really bad example. Sure we have got to where we need to go, but this wasn't motivating. It was really bad leadership on my part.

The bright side is that I know it and I really hope that I will learn from it.

I owe him an explanation and I need to let him know what I did was wrong.

Eamonn.

[Lisabob 13]

Eamonn writes "At our house Her That Must Be Obeyed and myself have this on going stupid conversation. She asks me what I want for dinner? I answer what have you got? She tells me I know what we have. I say if I knew I wouldn't ask. (Then we have chicken.) "

 

Eamonn, I had no idea we lived in the same house! Ha ha!

 

This does about capture the brainstorming problem though, doesn't it. They don't know what they want. They don't know what the options really are. So they do whatever they did last year. (which gets a little boring)

 

To kick-start the brainstorming session, how about going to different troop websites to see what kinds of things other troops have done? It might get your guys thinking of new activities that could be adapted to their locality. Also I'm in favor of asking ahead of time for each participant to come to the planning meeting with X (number) ideas for things they'd like to do, rather than on-the-spot brainstorming only. That way you are less likely to get so many blank stares. Ask them to bring in brochures, pamphlets, internet downloads, etc. from a couple of places too - or supply a whole bunch of these yourself, I guess, if you really need to crank the gears.

 

Lisa'bob

A good old bobwhite too!

[Beavah 205]

Kids often don't know what resources/opportunities are available or where to look.

 

Try "seeding" some ideas in the 2 months before your annual planning conference. Tell just a few PLC members about a cool possibility; give a couple of others literature on a great backpacking trail; etc. Those ideas will percolate around and some will come back with modifications as "their ideas."

 

Occasionally plan half-day adult "side trips" on other campouts, or even an occasional "adult run" trip to introduce them to a new activity or area.

 

Be an active partner in their game.

 

[CA_Scouter 11]

Thank you all for your input. I especially like the ideas about researching other troop activities and being a 'part of their game'.

 

I will do my best to implement these ideas as soon as I can recover from my severely broken and bleeding heart ( see my PRAYERS NEEDED post ).

 

:-(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Herms 10]

Eamonn you cracked me up with the "At our house Her That Must Be Obeyed and myself have this on going stupid conversation ...

 

What you say is very true. A common theme among our youth today is one of apathy.

 

CA_Scouter, another suggestion is give them a theme for the month that they can use to generate ideas.

[Beavah 205]

A common theme among our youth today is one of apathy.

 

I wonder if anybody really feels that somehow kids today are any different than when we were growing up. Do we really think that evolution or the intelligent designer has changed the genetic code of "boy" in the last 50 years?

 

If we're truly seeing more apathy and adolescent depression, then we have to look to environmental causes... and that means, we have to look squarely at ourselves. What are we doing differently to kids that has made them more apathetic?

 

Overprotective? Lack of independence? Constantly being directed and never allowed to explore? People become apathetic when they never have any experience of their own choices being valued.

 

Every time we criticize da kids the criticism rebounds back on us.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

"Every time we criticize da kids the criticism rebounds back on us"

 

reminds me of a song, anybody remember:

 

 

Times have changed,

Our kids are getting worse

They won't obey their parents,

They just want to fart and curse.

Should we blame the government,

or blame society, or should we blame

the images on tv

No!

Blame Canada! Blame Canada

 

With all their beady little eyes,

their flapping heads so full of lies

Blame Canada!

Blame Canada!

We need to form a full assault,

it's Canada's fault!

Don't blame me, for my son Stan,

He saw the darn cartoon, and now he's off to

join the klan!

 

Well, Blame Canada!

 

It seems that everything's gone wrong since

Canada came along

Blame Canada!

Blame Canada! They're not even a real country anyway.

My son could of been a doctor or a lawyer, it's a true

Instead he burned up like a piggie on a barbecue

Should we blame the matches?

Should we blame the fire,

or the doctor who allowed him to expire.

Heck no!

Blame Canada!

Blame Canada!

With all their hockey hubaloo

and that singer Anne Murray too

Blame Canada!

Shame on Canada!

 

The smut we must stop

The trash we must smash

Laughter and fun

must all be undone

We must blame them and cause a fuss

Before somebody thinks of blaming us!