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Boy Led - Reality check


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I'm not trying to be critical. Just pointing out the obvious lesson.

 

If a group of boys involved in an outdoor adventure program propose a trek that's safe and financially feasible, though perhaps physically challenging. but then can't find enough adults to commit, what the boys learned is that their adult mentors are basically wimps.

 

It's the job of the SM and his program team to provide enough adults for trips decided upon by the PLC. The boys shouldn't have to go begging to each adult to come along, unless there were major scheduling conflicts with work or family. And it doesn't sound like that was the obstacle here.

 

I don't mean to pick on fred and his unit, but he brought this example up in the first place.

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qwazse Ya, sure. Make the boys do more paperwork and table any real working independence. The boys will love you for that!

 

If you are going to "ease" your way into more youth leadership. Give them a serious responsibility. Choose a real route to hike. Collect real money. Buy real food

 

I believe he already does that.. From what I gathered the patrols organized & budgeted their own food (ie collecting money & buying food). They also choose where to go, (the only one nixed was the winter trek that the adults saw as grueling and dangerous.. What his troop doesn't do is have the boys execute from start to finish, mostly items that the boys really don't want to get involved with (ie paperwork & accounting ).. Things that they are normally happy to have an adult take on so they can just have fun.. Things a SM & ASM must slowly encourage them to take on for their own good, such as eatting your green beans..

 

shortridge - If a group of boys involved in an outdoor adventure program propose a trek that's safe and financially feasible, though perhaps physically challenging. but then can't find enough adults to commit, what the boys learned is that their adult mentors are basically wimps.

 

Fred8033 - ...February camp out where the plan was to hike "DOWN" a mile long steep uneven rocky path to that would be covered with ice and snow. Oh... and the path has a sharp drop off (when you can see it ... not a sheer cliff, but still a sharp angle).

 

We don't mind winter camp outs. That's fun. We just mind risking our lives. We were willing to schedule it if the scouts could find registered qualified leaders who would go with them....

 

shortridge - From what I gather from Fred.. (and I have to take his word for it not seeing the trecherous slope for myself.) The adults did find it risky (ie. not safe.) Now if I was CC of this troop and the SM and ASM were worried about their skill level for this type of trek.. It would not mean that I as CC would force them to go, and pooh pooh their skill level.. That would put everyone at risk. I would hope, that if we found someone outside the troop with the skill level to take the boys through the training and lead the activity, maybe at least one of your leaders would have an interest to take the training with them, and come to have confidence & enthusiasm to go with the group.

 

 

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One thing I found out in becoming a SM was that my troop had no concept of administration. Part of that was prior practices and part was that we have very few older more experienced scouts. For me the problem is that the Troop sees no problem with agreeing to an outing on Tuesday and with almost no planning expect it to happen on Saturday. There were never any sign-ups and they would go on outings not really knowing who was planned and what was not. And forget about any money management.

 

My interpretation of a boy-led troop is to have the troop through the PLC develop a full annual plan. Second is to develop a system where a scout leading an activity, under the guidence of an adult mentor, addresses the issues such as cost, permission slips, deadlines, etc. Is it boy-led right this moment? Not even close but it is moving in that direction and is adult-guided. I think the big question in my process and this gets back to the OP is: how prepared are you to allow the boys to fail? How much guiding as opposed to doing do the adults do? Is there a learning/growing process at work to give the boys more responsibility?

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"But if you want to really see what the 18-25yo crowd can do when given the opportunity, look to the young men and women in the military. They are truly heads and shoulders above their peers. "

 

In certain cases, yes...in others...no...

 

The case I'm most recently familiar with, the 20 year Airmen is a drunk and likes to choke his wife and chase other women.

 

'Nuff said.

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