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scheduling boards of review


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How does your troop schedule boards of review?

The week after a campout we do not have a regular meeting, but a PLC and advancement night. Younger boys can just show to get sign-offs or help while the PLC meets in another room. Committee members are regularly reminded to be present for BoR's this night. We can do as many as there are boys needing them. They have also happened on campouts if the rigt number of adults are present.

 

Do these occur at troop meetings or at separate designated times?

During PLC meetings on a regular troop night.

 

If not at troop meetings, how often are BORs offered to the scouts?

Once a month but more can be added if needed like after summer camp.

 

Who handles the scheduling?

There are 2 clipboards on the table at every meeting. On the first one a boy signs up for a time slot for his SMC. Typically just before or just after a troop meeting so he can have the SM's full attention. these have also been known to take place on campouts. After the SMC, he signs up for a BoR on the next scheduled night.

 

Who sits on the boards?

Committee members

 

How are BOR members recruited?

If you are on the committee and present, be prepared to be asked to take part.

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How does your troop schedule boards of review? - Held monthly on committee meeting nights. We will make other arrangements if needed.

 

Do these occur at troop meetings or at separate designated times? Mostly held towards the end of the meeting or after

 

Who handles the scheduling? After the SMC he or an ASM will inform the committee that we need to conduct a BOR.

 

Who sits on the boards? Committee members. With the change in the Guide to Advancement, going forward other scouters or parents might be involved.

 

How are BOR members recruited? Committee members in attendance will work it out among themselves to see who will do it.

 

Thoughts anyone? Monthly works well for us, and if for some reason a scout cannot make it, we will usually hold one within the next week or two just for him.

 

 

 

The new rule for board of review composition from the Guide to Advancement:

 

"8.0.2.0 Particulars for Tenderfoot Through Life Ranks (or Palms) ..... 1. The board is made up of three to six unit committee membersno more and no less. In units with fewer than three registered committee members available to serve, it is permissible to use knowledgeable parents (not those of the candidate) or other adults (registered or not) who understand Boy Scoutings aims."(This message has been edited by click23)

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Buf,

 

Actually it said "In units with fewer than three registered committee members available to serve, it is permissible to use knowledgeable parents (not those of the candidate) or other adults (registered or not) who understand Boy Scoutings aims"

 

Non-Committee members can serve on a BOR if your troop has fewer than three registered committee members.

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To add a bit to what perdidochas said, I believe it even applies if you need a board of review for a scout and at that moment you have "fewer than three registered committee members available to serve" on the BoR, irregardless if you have 3 or 500 committee members registered, you may use other people as long as they fall under the guidelines.(This message has been edited by click23)

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Follow on question: How are your BOR memebers trained?

Jump in and wing it?

Attend several as an observer, and then serve?

Advancement chair give a brief overview to whichever CM or parent is available at the time?

Advancement Chair gives formal instruction?

Formal training class at a scouting university?

Other?

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Engineer61 wrote: "I, in fact think it imperative this not be the case... it's a bad lesson to teach that the world revolves around an individual. Most of our politicians have that view."

 

Yeah, that's where we differ. IMHO, object lessons, such as people not being available to do a BOR, should be a natural situation and not structured into the process. Designing it into the process penalizes all scouts and teaches a multitude of poor lessons both for the scouts and the adult leaders.

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"Designing it into the process penalizes all scouts and teaches a multitude of poor lessons both for the scouts and the adult leaders."

 

I don't think it's "designed into the process" at all ... you can't have a BoR at the drop of a hat...if you don't have the people there to do it.

 

But I'll challenge the notion ... name those "multitude of poor lessons".

 

There are barriers in everyday life in everything we do. I'd like to see those taught early, rather than have the rest of society do it for the kids.

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Engineer61 wrote: "I don't think it's "designed into the process" at all ... you can't have a BoR at the drop of a hat...if you don't have the people there to do it."

 

Cool. I'm okay with it occurring naturally. "Sorry Timmy, we don't have three committee members free right now to do the BOR. How does next week work for you?" I'm even okay if troops hold BORs at a designated time/date (at least once a month and with a bit of sympathy/flexibility for the scout).

 

Engineer61 wrote: "But I'll challenge the notion ... name those "multitude of poor lessons"."

 

The following are the type of poor lessons that I think come from establishing rules such as "we don't do BORs the same night requested."

- "People exist to serve processes" instead of "processes existing to serve people."

- It's okay for a leader to design rules/processes to box in options and teach a lesson instead of supporting those they are responsible for.

- It's okay for a leader to design rules/processes that damage their followers if it's only a really small amount. (Small effects add up and can cost scouts future ranks / opportunities.)

- It's okay for a leader to design rules/processes to address a problem that may or may not exist.

- It's okay for a leader to design rules/processes based on the worst view of those they lead.

- It's okay for a leader to design rules/processes based on a "tough love" concept. (i.e. we gotta wipe this boys into shape.)

 

 

I'm 100% okay with saying we do our BOR's once a month because it helps keep the meetings more structured or eliminates distractions during meetings or because we don't have enough committee members normally.

 

I just don't like it when I hear things such as we don't do BOR's the same night because we want to teach scouts a lesson. I think it's cold heart'ed and I don't want to be associated with it.

 

Our troop does BORs on request if the situation and the people allow.

 

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When I first was part of a BOR, I was a PL and a brand new FC scout, getting it the month before. I was informed when I showed up to handover my patrol to the APL, 'cause they needed me to sit on a BOR. I essentially winged it. No formal briefing or training.

 

 

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Looking through the Guide to Advancement on this topic, I found a few realtive bits:

 

8.0.0.2 Boards of Review Must Be Granted When Requirements Are Met. - A Scout cannot be denied this opportunity. When he believes he has completed all the requirements, including a Scoutmaster conference, it is up to the unit leader and committee to assure a board of review is held. Scoutmasters, for example, do not have authority to expect a boy to request one, or to defer him, or to ask him to perform beyond the requirements in order to be granted one.

 

After this section there is a box that states "...the Scout or his parents or guardians shall not be responsible for requesting that a board take place."

 

This makes it very clear that the scout has no place in requesting a board of review.(This message has been edited by click23)

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I think it is pretty much the natural order of things that when we complete our SMC with the boy, we walk him over to the AC so she can record it and line up a BoR. The older boys know this drill and will do it themselves.

 

As far as training is concerned, we prefer that parents observe a few. Time training should be spent on more challenging material.

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We actually use a slide show (MS PowerPoint) that I found on this web site to train BoR sittees. I put "Skip this slide" in the notes on slides that don't pertain to a basic rank, local BoR. I also put "Skip this slide" in the notes on the slides that explain "how the scout gets to a BoR." I figure, if the Scout is appearing for a BoR, he's done the stuff that's covered in those slides. My CC, who has done scads of BoR, uses it to train adults just before a round of BoR. It takes about 10 minutes.

 

"Skip this slide" has been inserted in about 2/3 of the slides; the presentation as a whole (not skipping slides) could be used in a Global training session, say, at a roundtable or a Univerisity of Scouting, where the trainees aren't about to do an actual BoR right then, and have time to learn "How a Scout gets to a Bor," and details about an "Eagle Bor."

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In the Troop I served,

 

As CC, I never gave a BOR that evening. Never. I'd tell the Scout "A Scout is Courteous; I need the time to ask people and have them come with their heads in the game."

 

I deferred a couple BOR's an addiitonal week ... the Scout came in grimy from athletic practice. "Let's clean up just a little, shall we?"

 

Otherwise, BOR's were on request, most often set for 1/2 hour before opening the following week.

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