Troop Elections

[Stosh 3452]

I think that's where the idea of election cycles might help some boys. If they know they are "locked in" for a few months ... with the expectation they do better each month, they might respond to each other a little bit better.

 

I guess my boys are a bit more "brutal".  If one aspires to a particular POR, one had better do some observant training along the way.  If you want to be a PL, watch what the successful PL's are doing, talk to them, learn from them so you can take over with knowledge of what's going on, then maybe you have a chance to win an election when a PL steps down.  Otherwise, if you're green, don't know what you're doing, got elected by popularity, or whatever, within two weeks or so, there's going to be another election.  It's kind of a you better know what you're doing before you seek out a POR.

 

During the Second Class SMC I start talking to the boy about what POR he would like to get ready for.  After getting his FC, if he's not ready, he's going to have to wait a while before getting Star.  If he's hanging out as patrol QM and the QM isn't going to step down any time soon, he might want to check something else out.  If nothing else, he's got a few months to learn to play the bugle.    I also have some boys that have done the mail-room to penthouse office route where they went into their PL election wearing their National Den Chief Award on their uniform.  That's a good recommendation for anyone looking for the PL position right off the bat.  It also bodes well for the NSP election when they pick their first PL, too if the boy has been their Webelos DC.

 

it's kinda fascinating to sit back and watch these kinds of things working themselves out in the troop.

[pargolf44067 57]

 

Our SPL many, many years ago (15+ now) started a tradition. He'd sign the back of the patch and passed it along to the next SPL, who in turn would do the same. Many years on on we've gone through four patches...all of which are framed (back-side facing out to see the signature) along with a new SPL patch. It is a shadow box so there is room for growth. This way the boys can see who was SPL and when. A cool tradition started by a scout now a real rocket scientist who has come back a few times to show HIS kids his old patch.

 

We have a rather large slice of tree trunk with a chain on the top.  It is large and heavy and each SPL signs it and passes it along to the next SPL as a sign of the heavy responsibility each SPL has to the troop and their scouts.  There are SPL signatures going back to the 1970s on this.  It is a pretty cool tradition.

[Eagledad 2779]

We have a rather large slice of tree trunk with a chain on the top.  It is large and heavy and each SPL signs it and passes it along to the next SPL as a sign of the heavy responsibility each SPL has to the troop and their scouts.  There are SPL signatures going back to the 1970s on this.  It is a pretty cool tradition.

That is pretty cool.

 

Barry