WB spirit to the Patrol

[Fuzzy Bear]

This sounds funny for me to say but I was in WB last century. The one thing that stuck out among many wonderful things was the Patrol Spirit that we developed. We were adults acting out the Patrol method and gaining Patrol spirit all along the way. By the end of out stay, we were building things, cooking things, singing songs, writing our own newspaper, carving our own flag in leather, on and on. The further we went the more we gave and planned for the group. It was fun.

 

I have to believe that even in this new century and WB that the same kind of Patrol spirit lives and thrives. My question is one of implementation. Do we return to our units and instill the same kind of atmosphere and knowledge that allows Scouts to be awash in the Patrol method and spirit? Do we know how to do this or can it only come from knowing the world of the young and being adults at the same time in a WB program? FB

 

[SueM]

Fuzzy Bear...if you can figure that out, I'd bet you could make a bundle sell the formula!..I'd buy it, that's for sure! It would save me a heck of a lot of aggrevation and frustration as I try to help the boys understand it!

 

sue m.

[Eagledad]

I think we adults don't carry the baggage of adolescences like competing for position within the group and working past the urge to sit when voluntarily helping a patrol mate cook or do KP makes the patrol method more fun for the group. It is easy for adults because we want a functioning team and we are willing to make that happen. Youth struggle with the idea of their friend telling them what to do.

 

I think what is really important is taking the feeling of the experience and working to find that within your scouts. Dont duplicate your experience, but instead work the patrol the boys method until they achieve the same excitement and satisfaction with their patrols. I had a discussion with a professional scouter who told me one big reason they change WB was because they saw too many problems with adults going back and trying to duplicate their experience of WB on to the boys. Instead of using the independence designed into the patrol method, the adults unintentionally were restricting patrol method by forcing the boys to function like thier WB experience.

 

Have a great day.

 

Barry

 

[CNYScouter]

I haven't experianced WB yet (I'm going next month) but I have seen the same thing at SM Specific/Outdoor Skills.

 

In my council 2 cources are combined and taught on 1 week night and a Friday night to Sunday afternoon.

The group is split into patrols. By the end of the weekend the idea of the patrol method has been pretty well presented and most patrols are working together as a team.

 

But I've seen very few adults that have taken this idea and implimented it in their Troop.

[OldGreyEagle]

One of the best things about a Wood Badge class is you are surrounded by people who are as nuts about scouting as you are and in such an environment Patrol Spirit is almost a natural outcome. When you transplant yourself from training, whehter Wood Badge or Scoutmaster Essentials and go back to your unit, you may or may not be surrounded with people who are as nuts about scouting as you are so it may be tough to bring in the same spirit as found in Wood Badge classes

[scoutmom111]

being a bear my self... a Charmin Bear... I am proud to say that our patrol has really worked hard together. We are between weekends in our wb course. While it was suggested that we have 2 patrol meetings, we have already had 4 and plan 3 more before we go back next weekend!!

 

We do bring the patrol spirit back to our boys. They are already excited seeing our flag. We even have the adults in our troop called the dragon patrol (that may have to change to the bear patrol so I can continue as Mama Bear!) We have 4 adult leaders taking wb together (and one cubmaster that we are really recruiting!!!) We have the SM the QM and the advance chair there plus one very involved committee member. The boys see us working hard and know that we really get it. OUr Cubmaster's Pack is making a log with an axe in it and 5 candles so he can light a candle each time he completes a ticket!!!