Youth BOR in earlier years

[skeptic]

The point about stopping youth from doing BOR's jogged a thought. What do others feel this has accomplished? To me, the boys did a better job than the adults, as long as an adult sat in to supervise and avoid hazing and unfairness. This was a major part of the leadership role for the PLC, and truly added to their development and feelings of being in charge. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing when properly applied, and in a monitored environment. We used PLC BOR's on occasion for discipline problems, and solved most problems without the need of direct adult involvement.

 

While some on this board may not be familiar with this, those of us going back a bit, remember it pretty well.

[scoutldr]

I've been around a long time and have never seen a youth BOR. BOR is the job of the Troop Committee, and is a chance for the committee adults to do a QA check on the SM's program. It also serves the method of Adult Association.

[Beavah]

I've found:

 

1) Kids on BOR's were much better at talkin' to other kids than adults are. They speak the same language. I confess I find sometimes that even I don't get what a fellow adult is askin' sometimes .

 

2) Kids on BOR's were much better at askin' practical, specific, skill-based questions. (Some of folks might now call "retesting.")

 

3) Adults on BOR's are usually better at askin' abstract Oath & Law type questions.

 

4) Kids are more blunt about dealin' with behavior/Scout Spirit issues than adults, and usually set higher standards than adults. Sometimes it even creeps up to bein' too high a standard .

 

5) Kids are usually less picky about things like uniform patches and memorized stuff than some of da picky adults are.

 

6) Effectiveness of kid BOR's depend a lot on developin' a healthy unit culture. Having an adult present, at least sometimes, helps to keep that healthy culture in place, and keep the standards from creepin' too high.

 

7) Kids on BOR's provided a lot "tighter" feedback to the PLC and youth participants about expectations. These days in adult committee BOR's it feels far looser, with the feedback bein' very weak.

 

O'course, I'm a fan of youth leadership, eh? I like to see da lads participate at all levels of the program, including' advancement reviews.

 

Beavah

 

[Trevorum]

Our troop has a tradition of holding an Instructor Conferences prior to the SM Conference. While not a youth BoR, it serves many of the same functions as noted by Beav. Those Instructors take their jobs seriously.

[Kudu]

skeptic writes:

 

"This was a major part of the leadership role for the PLC, and truly added to their development and feelings of being in charge."

 

Yes, this is closer to how Baden-Powell designed Scouting, isn't it?

 

He leaves Tenderfoot completely up to the Patrol Leader, of course.

 

Then Second and First Class candidates usually meet with the Scoutmaster to make sure that they understand the Scout Oath & Law "according to their age." No moral judgment of a boy's "Spirit" or "ethical choices" here: Just making sure that he understands our ideals.

 

The Patrol Leaders in Council then meet with these 2nd & 1st Class Scouts to make sure that they are working out in their new Patrols.

 

In some associations Patrol Leaders are required to retest Second Class and First Class candidates on the skills of the previous award. Talk about Politically Incorrect, huh? In practical terms this usually means that they prove their current proficiency by helping the Patrol Leaders with Scoutcraft training.

 

In fact this is a subject of great controversy in Baden-Powell's method: A Scout is expected to help "move the Troop along" (help others to advance) before working on his own advancement.

 

So after First Class the equivalent to a "Board of Review" is a meeting of the Patrol Leaders in Council (called a "Court of Honor") to determine on a case-by-case basis if a Scout is currently moving the Troop along before they issue what we call a blue card (permission to meet with a Proficiency Badge examiner).

 

The Scout is not present unless he is there to argue against a previous determination of the Court.

 

Kudu

 

[Gold Winger]

A Cub Scout helps the pack go! How many Cub Scouts do anything to help the pack? Most of it is done by the parents. :-(

[SMEagle819]

Yes, I remember the youth BoRs from years past. I was even given a couple when I first crossed over into Boy Scouts. I do believe that these are an asset like others have stated in previous posts. We still use the youth BoR for the Scout Badge and on occasion Tenderfoot. This helps the older scouts feel useful, and the younger scouts to learn from the older ones. Also, it goes back to the Boy led principle we hear so much about. IIRC, these were called "Personal Growth Agreement conferences" at one time.

[mtm25653]

Goldwinger, my cub scouts "help the pack go" by helping to set up and clean up at pack meetings, by leading the flag ceremony (with their leaders guidance), by putting on skits and songs at the pack meeting (with their leaders guidance). Some of them come to join scouting night in uniform and talk to the new scouts. They invite their friends to join the pack. They sell popcorn (with their parents) to help earn money for the pack. Our Webelos help with our other fundraiser (concession stand at the local univ football games).

 

They do these things with their parents and leaders, because they are cubs, not boy scouts, but the experiences they have "helping the pack go" are experiences that help them when they become boy scouts in a boy-led troop.