How to Encourage Attendance at Courts of Honor?

[Cubby's Cubmaster]

I've noticed that attendance at Courts of Honor is linked to whether the scout got an award or not. Not surprising. So way less than half the troop might show up for any Court of Honor.

 

My question to the forum is this...how to increase attendance at Courts of Honor? Or is unrealistic to expect scouts not getting an award to attend?

 

Regards,

CC

[dg98adams]

Attendance to a COH is a Patrol function, so you should have Patrol responsibilities, like Flag Ceremonies, planning, supporting those in the Patrol, etc. Get the scouts involved in the planning whether they get recognition or not. It can be used as a requirement to "chair the event for the Communications MB"....

 

Our Troop also has other recognitions not ties to rank/MB (home made certificates, Year of Celebration recognition, Eagle Project announcements, parent recognition... as well as a time for food and fellowship after.

 

I know at least 1 time a year, it's at the same time/place of our meeting anyway.

 

You could have an announcement hand out a week or 2 before to extend participation to ALL SCOUTS.

 

Do you have other attendance issues?(This message has been edited by dg98adams)

[Eagle92]

Don't understand that one as you were expected to attend COHs whether you were receiving an award or not. Heck I remember on two occasions I had leave the COH as soon as the ceremony ended and the reception began in order to make HS functions, specifically Ring Dance and Christmas Dance. both occasions I had my date with with and had a suit on a hanger waiting to change into.

 

 

A few thoughts.

 

1) Who is presenting the awards youth or adults?

 

2) Who is MCing the event, youth or adults?

 

3) Who is talkign about the troops activities?

 

The more the youth are involved, the better attendance you will get.

[Stosh]

In our troop COH attendance is not optional. Just like any other event, you are expected to be there. We hold it on the 5th Monday of the month when it occurs and being on scout meeting night, there should be very little, if any other conflicts with it.

 

My boys show up whether they are getting anything or not. The only difference is we have a half hour ceremony followed by refreshments. It is totally run by the boys who set up chairs, set up the program, MC the event and present all the awards by patrol leaders to their patrol members. The SPL awards to PL's. As SM I am offered a few moments to make any comments I wish to make. Other than that, the Advancement ASM hands me the cards to sign and then my comments followed by a cup of coffee.

 

Stosh

[Mike F]

Ours are held periodically on a meeting night. All scouts are expected to be there and most show up.

Getting parents there is another challenge.

 

Keep it snappy.

Don't let any leader (youth or adult) get long winded.

 

Consider special things like slideshow from the last few months of activities. Parents and boys love to see this and it includes all the guys - not just the ones getting awards that night.

 

Snacks and social time are a great time to recruit more volunteers to help with a little project to get them involved.

[Eagledad]

Most of my observations is attendence is a lot better when the scouts plan and run the courts of honor. Our scouts like to plan food and fun in our COHs. There goal is to have enough fun that brothers and sisters will have fun as well. Bingo was a big night.

 

For you troops that force attendence, how are scouts punish when they don't show.

 

On a side note, forcing scouts to do anything hides problems. If scouts aren't coming, something is wrong. Its like punishing scouts when they don't wear the expected uniform. If a scout doesn't wear a uniform correctly, 9 times out of 10 the scout has some personal problems outside of scouting. In general most scouts aren't bad, but they tend act out when something isn't right. Freedom to choose is the best way to indentify problems whether the problem is personal or in the troop program.

 

Barry

[Stosh]

I suppose it all depends on the way the process is perceived.

 

The boys that receive perks for wearing the uniform correctly is not the same as punishment for those who don't.

 

I had a boy show up for a SMC with no necker and no book. Do I postpone it until he gets his act together or deal with those issues in the SMC? Those that come prepared usually have shorter SMC's than those that don't. No one gets punished, but there are certain advantages for doing it right.

 

None of the boys are punished or penalized for not attending a COH or meeting, but those that do, usually end up getting perks over those who are truant.

 

Stosh

[CalicoPenn]

Courts of Honor were held on the same night, at the same time, and in the same place as Troop Meetings. If Scouts didn't attend the Court of Honor, chances are pretty good they weren't attending meetings regularly anyway.

 

[Cubby's Cubmaster]

To answer a few questions...

 

1. COH is boy-led but not very exciting. It should be thrown back on the PLC how they want to make it more interesting.

2. Scouts getting awards show up and others do not.

3. Like the COHs, attendance at troop meetings is more common for the newer scouts than older scouts...a common trend.

4. We are a large troop so COHs can take a while.

 

Regards,

CC

[Lisabob]

It sounds like your problem isn't attendance, but rather, content. Scouts who are bored out of their gourd aren't going to show up if they don't have a very immediate reason to do so. From what you are describing, the boys who are a little further along in the program (when the newness and relatively quick rank advancement have worn off or passed) have largely opted out. That suggests to me that those older/senior scouts don't have much stake in the program. They obviously aren't running it, since they're not there.

 

Figure out how to return ownership to the boys and help them plan a program they actually want to attend.

[IM_Kathy]

keeping them fun helps. The one after summer camp tends to be the funnest because they have all the boys tell something funny that happened at camp.

 

keeping them short helps too. my son's troop hands out the actual badges as they are earned and then they get the paperwork at the CoH.

 

having food is the best way though... my son's troop they have boys or parents volunteer to bring treats.

 

and then the true best way is to have an active troop where all the boys are active whether with rank, MB, or projects to show off. If they only show up when they get award then keep them working so they have something to get.

 

Now Eagle CoH are totally different - when my son is not one of them doing something for the ceremony he'll go when it's his friends and when it was a project he enjoyed working on.

[Stosh]

Eagle COH's and COH's aren't a whole lot different in our troop.

 

ECOH might be held on a weekend so that relatives and outside guests can make it. COH's are on meeting nights.

 

Planning, running, and attendance expectations remain the same.

 

Stosh

[evmori]

A CoH should be just like a Troop meeting - attendance expected.

[Eagledad]

>>A CoH should be just like a Troop meeting - attendance expected.

[acco40]

What do they do at the academy awards? If they just handed out awards, very few would watch. They hire entertainers to be the master of ceremonies and also separate entertainers to sing, dance, etc.

 

Do the same at the COHs. Have the boys put on a skit. Utilize a very good public speaker as MC. Make sure each scout has a role. Have food. Hand out $100 bills. Lots of ideas come to mind.