Leadership Apprenticeship - The Canadian Path, Ireland One Programme

[RememberSchiff]

As part of a five-year revitalization of Scouts Canada's programming, a new youth-led Scouting program called The Canadian Path is being introduced.

 

"Education research has shown that learning is most successful when children and youth drive the process," said Dr. Judith Newman, education consultant for The Canadian Path and former Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. "The Canadian Path's learner-centric approach fosters an environment that gives youth control of their learning and inspires them to figure out things for themselves with the help and guidance of volunteers, providing greater opportunity for individual and team growth."

 

The Canadian Path is comprised of several components:

• A non-formal approach to learning
• The seven components of the Scout Method
• The Four Elements: Youth-led, Plan-Do-Review, Adventure, and SPICES (the six attributes Scouting aims to foster: Social, Physical, Intellectual, Character, Emotional and Spiritual)
• A balanced program in six Program Areas: Environment & Outdoors, Leadership, Active & Healthy Living, Citizenship, Creative Expression, and Beliefs & Values
• A personal journey of growth

The Canadian Path was developed by hundreds of individuals across Canada with a broad range of backgrounds and professions including educators, social workers, outdoor educators, spiritual leaders, project managers, youth members and adult volunteers. Scouts Canada consulted thousands of members throughout the process, surveying youth members to determine what they most wanted to get out of their program, and travelled across Canada to test out programming with different Scout groups to garner their feedback.

 

Although adult volunteers are still actively involved in helping to support and guide local groups, Scouts aged five to 26 are taking on more responsibility and a hands-on approach to choose, plan and run their own activities and adventures.

 

"By putting the Scouting Movement in the hands of Scouts, we're able to challenge young people in new ways by encouraging critical thinking, and provide them with a greater sense of personal progression, engagement, fulfillment and accomplishment," said Doug Reid, project lead for The Canadian Path. "Through this process, Scouting becomes a leadership apprenticeship, providing youth with tools, knowledge and skills to be strong leaders in every part of their lives."

 

The Canadian Path was developed in consultation with different Scouting programs around the world, including Scouting Ireland's successful One Programme, on which many of the principles of The Canadian Path are based.  Scouting has always been about helping youth grow and develop, and The Canadian Path sustains this tradition with a progressive awards scheme that recognizes youth for their continued growth and development in key areas of tangible skills and knowledge.

 

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/apprenticeship-for-leaders-new-scouts-canada-program-the-canadian-path-empowers-youth-to-call-the-shots-614868253.html

 

 

[David CO]

It sounds like Girl Scouts.  

[RememberSchiff]

Speaking of girls, I could not find the number or percentage of members who are female in programs of either Scouts Canada or the BSA.

[TAHAWK]

BSA seems more focused on issues other than the quality of the "product" - as if program is unrelated to success.

 

Youth-leadership, specifically, is just starting to come back after decades of neglect both benign and malignant.

[ParkMan]

 

Youth-leadership, specifically, is just starting to come back after decades of neglect both benign and malignant.

How do you think the BSA has been neglecting youth leadership? I'm curious

[TAHAWK]

How do you think the BSA has been neglecting youth leadership? I'm curious

 

Oh boy!

 

Start with SM basic training syllabus section on "Working with youth; the patrol method" from 2001-2014 lacking even a single sentence about the Patrol Method, only using the word "patrol" once.

 

How about the January, 2016 article in Scouting praising a troop for going back to adult-led when youth-led does not produce the well-oiled machine that adult leaders produced for years before the experiment with Boy Scouting (AKA "They're not ready yet." That is, the adults are not ready yet after years of leading.)

 

Eliminating district-level youth leader training in 2001.  Promised replacement never arrives.

 

No coherent explanation of the Patrol Method by BSA in forty years - not in a chapter; not in a list; not in a session; not in an article.

 

No BSA training explains the Patrol Method.  Wood Badge is said to "model" it using the DE teaching method - (sort of demonstrate by vague implication and then enable.  Never explain or guide.)  Don't tell them what your going to tell them because you never tell them, and you certainly never tell them what you told them because you never did.

 

Eliminate Patrol Leader handbook for twelve years in favor of a junior leader handbook.

 

Describe the Patrol Method as an aspect of the "youth-led troop" in Scouting.org in 2017.

 

In 2016, describe annual program planning as a consensus of: the entire troop committee; all the uniformed Scouters; the COR; the Unit Commissioner and, incidentally, the PLC.  So 3-5 Scouts and 20 or more adults coming together as peers to jointly agree on a program.  Sure sounds youth-planned to me.  Not.

 

And not a single word on patrol annual program planning, although a Scout is still said (when you find it) to "primarily experience Scouting in the context of his patrol" - "occasionally" learning Scoutcraft or competing with other patrols.

 

Troop Program Planning form that allows 5-10 minutes to the patrol instead of the vast majority of the time as in Boy Scouting.  No Patrol Meeting planning form at all.

 

Initial leader training is "Introduction to Troop Leader Training."  Since the troop exists for the administrative convenience of the units boys belong to - patrols - it should be Introduction to Patrol Leadership."  Humpty Dumpty can be an SPL with strong PLs, and visa ain't versa, except with a patrol-sized "troop."

 

Where is the recognition of the troops - the few- who follow the Patrol Method?  Where is the pressure on the adults who do not allow it?  It is said to be the most important method we have, but it is de facto treated as optional.  You can use Boy Scouting or Fred Scouting, so long as you register on time - especially if you show good FOS and popcorn results. (Sorry if there's a Fred out there.  You get the point.)

 

When you are at a district or council event and a "leaders meeting" is called for, do only Scouts attend?  They, not adults, are supposed to be the leaders.  Yet what does BSAcall the new handbook for Scoutmasters?  Troop Leader Guidebook.  The SPL is the troop leader, not the SM.

 

"Scoutmaster"

"patrol leader"

 

All these adults taking the "balls" and "bats" away from the team members and making the team watch the coaches play instead. Nuts!

 

To quote the then-national leader of training ("Information Delivery"!) for BSA, some at BSA "lost track of the Patrol Method."  When you don't know the destination, it's easy to get lost - and not even know it.  Some at BSA today know the destination.  They are striving to get us back to Boy Scouting.  

 

The new Handbook says a troop is a group of patrols.  That is a powerful statement only if the Scouters know what it portends.  It hearkens back to BP's advice on how to become a Boy Scout: join a patrol or raise one.

 

BSA should return to chartering patrols.  They did it for about half its history - the better half - the more successful half.

Edited March 25, 2017 by TAHAWK

[Stosh]

Try registering one's boys in summer camp as a patrol.  GASP!  Unheard of.... breaks with the camp structure.... etc. etc. etc.  I have only one patrol in my troop of 6 boys.  The world didn't end when they registered for summer camp.  It can be done, it just means the adults would be too thinly spread to retain control of the situation in a larger troop.  Why not enlist the boys to do the leadership instead.  It's a novel idea, but it does work.

[ParkMan]

Thanks so much for the very detailed answer! I've been involved in the troop for about four years now, but was not aware of much of what you wrote.

 

I've been on a three year saga to encourage the troop to leverage patrols. Our troop has been pretending to use patrols, but really has not. This helps me to understand that we're probably more typical than I realized.

[SSScout]

It comes when the SM , in his role as a "suggester" and "coach"  insists on WAITING for an answer when he asks the SPL , "well, what do you want to do?"

 

My favorite quote , ever, was from a nascent SPL who, at his first PLC, asked the SM, "you mean I can decide that?"  

[fred johnson]

Lots of dead-on aim comments. Some stronger than others. ... My apologies for re-grouping.
 

And not a single word on patrol annual program planning, although a Scout is still said (when you find it) to "primarily experience Scouting in the context of his patrol" - "occasionally" learning Scoutcraft or competing with other patrols.

Wow. Why haven't I ever thought of that. Great comment. Why isn't it there? Too often we give lip service to patrols being the fundamental unit without actually creating a structure that makes it happen.

 

BSA should return to chartering patrols.  They did it for about half its history - the better half - the more successful half.

Never knew that. Interesting. I've always heard that BSA started by organizing troops and the first troops were numbered <city> #1, City #2, etc.

 

In 2016, describe annual program planning as a consensus of: the entire troop committee; all the uniformed Scouters; the COR; the Unit Commissioner and, incidentally, the PLC.  So 3-5 Scouts and 20 or more adults coming together as peers to jointly agree on a program.  Sure sounds youth-planned to me.  Not.

BSA had a VHS video on how to do annual planning from the 1980s. It showed youth step-wise planning.  It was a good video.  Now, I can't find great instructional material. But then again, I don't digest all the BSA documents as much as before. Perhaps I've missed the new guide. It used to be something that I was very proud of our troop for doing well.

 

... more good comments ...

BSA's documents have not been consistent over the years. Too many different authors more focused on getting the document out then on creating a consistent program across all printed materials. Then once printed, the bad information says around for decades. My opinion is BSA should have just a few "printed" materials and the rest should be PDF online so they can keep fixing and improving. Printed the Boy Scout Handbook. As for the rest, it would be better to just have on-line docs and a contract with a on-demand printing company. It would be much cheaper and much more consistent.

[TAHAWK]

"BSA had a VHS video on how to do annual planning from the 1980s. It showed youth step-wise planning.  It was a good video.  Now, I can't find great instructional material. But then again, I don't digest all the BSA documents as much as before. Perhaps I've missed the new guide. It used to be something that I was very proud of our troop for doing well."

 

The on-line blunder on annual program planning was removed within a week of my pointing it out to a guy at BSA who is a true champion of Boy Scouting.  Why the nonsense about Patrol Method as as aspect of "boy-led troop" is still there is a mystery.  Perhaps it has a powerful champion who is still seeking to end the Patrol Method.  If so, he's swimming up-stream, I think.

Edited March 27, 2017 by TAHAWK

[Col. Flagg]

"BSA had a VHS video on how to do annual planning from the 1980s. It showed youth step-wise planning.  It was a good video.  Now, I can't find great instructional material. But then again, I don't digest all the BSA documents as much as before. Perhaps I've missed the new guide. It used to be something that I was very proud of our troop for doing well."

 

Are you talking about this video?

[TAHAWK]

The video describes a Scoutmaster-driven process with the Leaders only having "input."

 

The troop leader, that is the SPL, with the SM's input as coach, counselor, and resource, is to develop the objectives and plan/agenda for the Conference and to lead the Conference.   He is then to present the proposed annual program to the Troop Committee, which has no place at the conference.

 

Instead, the SM is told in this AV that "The flow of your troop's program is up to you and should be driven by your goals."  Wrong, Boy planned.  Bot led.  Centered on the patrol.)(Instead, notice that the planning described is about troop, troop, troop - nothing about the patrols where most of the program is supposed to take place.) Adult influenced, but not to the extent that it is not boy-led.

 

The described Troop Method planning conference - with leaders heavily outnumbered by adults, is the one described on Scouting.org until it was removed in 2016 due to vast inaccuracy.  

 

If you don't know what the Patrol Method is, it is easy to misplace Boy Scouting.