Great Units

[gpurlee 247]

I hope to start a conversation about high performing Scouting units. Any of us who have been around Scouting for a while can probably name a troop or a pack that really stands out in our area whether we define the area as a community, district or council. Those are the units that other units often look up to as the example of "Good Scouting."  The ones that they strive to become.  And often, year after year, they seem to stand out.

So, what is a high performing unit? For the moment, I am focusing on troops although many of the same qualities apply for great packs. Well ...  All of us can probably name some qualities. Perhaps good retention? Maybe great recruitment? Skilled and passionate adult leadership? Boy-led? Strong advancement? Tremendous high adventure opportunities? And what can we learn from these units?

While there is no rigid criteria, there certainly have been efforts such as the Journey to Excellence to focus on a few common key characteristics. In another posting, I hope to share what some research and some of the "best minds" in Scouting suggest. For this post, to begin the conversation, I want to pose a couple of questions:

(1) Have you personally observed a "great unit - pack or troop" (using your definition of greatness )?

(2) If so, what made it great?

 

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by gpurlee

[InquisitiveScouter 1653]

1. Yes.  Our current unit is at a level of "greatness."

2.  Many things, but these stand out:

A.  Dedicated adult leadership that understands and pursues the Patrol Method!  They seek to become skilled themselves, maintain those skills, and cultivate a mindset of continuous, thoughtful, directed improvement of adult support to the youth-led program.  There is no "resting on your laurels." 

- Dedicated adult leadership that understands and pursues training and adherence to BSA policies and procedures! 

B.  A commitment to have an outdoor camping experience monthly.  Even if you have only two Scouts who want to go.  And I mean camping, not staying in a cabin 😜

C.  A vision (and perhaps a mission statement to support that.)  "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  And it is best if this vision comes from the SPL!!  Here is our current one:  "Troop XXXX is the best Scouting experience in our community!"  And the mission statement, developed by the PLC, to support: "Troop XXXX is Scouting at its best. We use the patrol method to develop youth and adult members with an in-depth knowledge of Scout skills. Our Scouts and Scouters are trained leaders who consistently strive to improve ourselves and make our Troop better while striking a balance between work and fun. " 

D.  JTE is a good system of metrics.  We use it to help set goals for our annual program.  We have achieved Gold in the last six years.  This year, we have aimed to score Gold in every category.  I have never seen that accomplished, but we are on track to do it this year!  I know some don't like it, but it works for us.

E.  A robust relationship with the Chartering Organization.  Our COR has two Scouts in the Troop, participates in many events, and is on the governing body of the church that sponsors us, so the relationship is very strong.

F.  A varied program that recognizes "ages and stages" and provides multiple opportunities for older Scouts, to include one unit-run "high adventure" trip per year.

G.  A good relationship with your Unit Commissioner!  Although we do not have a Unit Commissioner just now.  The UC can take an impartial look at your unit and recommend improvements.  

H.  Use Order of the Arrow as part of the Troop program to recognize Scouts who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law.

I.  Meetings that are planned (including a game!!!), and the plan followed, as conditions permit.  (This is one we struggle with, as youth do not want to spend the time planning.)

J.  Growing the ability to remove reliance on district/council/national for support.  Our biggest areas of consumption from these are uniforms and insignia (national), literature (for program and training) (national), Summer Camp (council-level, but not our council; with national standards and accreditation) and registration/advancement tracking (council/national).  It is easy (for us) to live without the district.  I would submit that we have the technology to do away with the council.   Or, at least, the multitude of councils we have now.  The primary raison d'être for councils now is to run a Summer Camp (and to raise money to pay their own salaries.)  I would submit this could be done from a State/Regional/Service Territory type of system.   This topic is a whole other discussion, but I think the mindset  of becoming as autonomous as possible in our unit has made us more successful.

There are more, but I'll stop at 10!!!

 

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by InquisitiveScouter

[qwazse 4342]

Lots of great units around here. What they need …

• Youth willing to hold themselves to the Scout Oath and Law and Outdoor code. Rest assured, that everything else will collapse if enough youth in your unit let this slip.
• A sponsor with space for meeting and storage who is in it for the long run.
• A community enthused about scouts to the point that they provide use of some property, opportunities for service, opportunities to fundraise, and the occasional cash donation.
• Teachable adults who enjoy each other’s company, and have time and talent to spare for scouting.
• A council and region with scouting pros who can identify when, where, and how to muster all of the above.

There’s a lot of detail in all of the above.

[MattR 2659]

I like @InquisitiveScouter's list but I think those are tools rather than fundamentals. They will help a troop fulfill the promise of scouting but there are a few things that need to be in place first. My troop once had the fundamentals needed to be a great troop but it has slipped and is no longer the troop everyone looks up to.

Scouting is mostly about people (look at the scout law) and so people are what make a troop great. A troop with scouts that mostly want to be in the outdoors and also live the scout law are critical. In order for that to happen the parents have to be like minded. A couple of scouts that don't fit this is fine, they will either change or leave, but when a majority of scouts are more interested in video games than going for a hike or, worse, don't treat others well, then greatness is off the table.

A young scout with a good heart and that is eager to take on the outdoors needs to have older scouts they can look up to. Eventually the younger scouts will take on that responsibility. Also, younger scouts need to see other younger scouts like them. That's the backbone of a great program. It doesn't need to be all the scouts but if the younger scouts have nobody to look up to, if what they mostly see is self centered, crude, scouts that don't want to be there then they will leave.

Now, how to implement that? That's tough. I've had really helpful adults whose kids were horrible roll models for younger scouts and also fantastic scouts whose parents didn't do much. I never figured this out but encouraging greatness is probably part of it.

[DuctTape 1230]

What I observe in the highest performing units:

Patrols planning and executing outings independently (and sharing/advising via the PLC.)

Scouts taking personal responsibilty for their own advancement (and encouraging/helping others in their Patrol)

SM/ASMs using the Socratic Method to help a PL, SPL, etc. make decisions. (and recognizing the instances when these questioning techniques need to be at the  SM request).

Regular, ongoing SM conferences throughout the year, not just as an advancement check-off. (Every meeting conferences are happening.)

Troop Committee has multiple members who fulfill the responsibilites without interferring with the scouts program.

[BetterWithCheddar 121]

I grew up in what most would consider a great Boy Scout Troop.

Without hesitation, the reason our program was so successful was our dedicated Scoutmaster. I cannot say enough good things about her. A secondary reason for our success was a high number of dads willing to go camping every month. While my Scoutmaster was the glue that held the Troop together, we were never short on parent volunteers. My father wasn't an active Scouter, but he was on the Troop Committee, helped with BORs, and chaperoned some events. Lastly, our district had a strong program. District camporees were staples of the Troop calendar and we often camped with neighboring troops.

Also, here's an intangible I don't think most folks consider: The mix of Scouts. As leaders, we have limited control over the types of Scouts and parents that join our units. My troop in the late 1990s was made up of mostly decent, friendly kids. Interpersonal conflicts were rare. I'm 7 years older than my brother and he lasted about 6 months in Boy Scouts because the mix of kids around his age was more eclectic. He wasn't interested in spending time with them outside of school.

You can put loads of time and effort into programming, but in my opinion, it still comes down to people. 

[InquisitiveScouter 1653]

34 minutes ago, BetterWithCheddar said:

You can put loads of time and effort into programming, but in my opinion, it still comes down to people. 

Yes, this is true in any endeavor.  I said that of my 25+ years in the military:  

The best thing about it is some of the people you meet and work with.  The worst thing about it is some of the people you meet and work with.

Scouting is very much the same.

[RememberSchiff 3655]

Great units have great adventures.

[qwazse 4342]

On 10/22/2022 at 9:00 AM, RememberSchiff said:

Great units have great adventures.

I'm gonna tweak 'schiff's observation a little because folks these days equate adventure with "big ticket" scouting.

Great units find great adventure.

This the "magic" of my SM growing up. He was amazed by local history, so we went on a lot of town hikes. Even in our country hikes, if someone let us take a water break on our lawn, he'd welcome them to share what they knew about local native lore. If a scout overheard some debate about which side of the state line a local landmark was, he picked up the USGS map from the Agricultural Office and arranged to take us there to see for ourselves. On a routine campout, he handed me tube, out of which unfolded a WWI canvans box kite, which I proceeded to fly for hours. (In retrospect, I think it was a scheme to keep a young SPL from nagging his PLs. ) The town hike involved a visit to the county lock-up. One meeting each year was a hobby night ... we learned to pay attention to the interests of other scouts (none of which involved activities that could get us locked up, fortunately).

[fred8033 1589]

8 hours ago, qwazse said:

I'm gonna tweak 'schiff's observation a little because folks these days equate adventure with "big ticket" scouting.

Yep.  100%.  Adventures does not mean expensive.  Perhaps it's a rarely used local/regional spot (museum, park, etc) that has a related open area where you can also grill hot dogs for lunch.  I view adventure as getting away from "meetings" to do something.  Be active.  Often, the adventure is waiting to be discovered.  

[qwazse 4342]

7 hours ago, fred8033 said:

… Often, the adventure is waiting to be discovered.  

 After CoH last night our SM and I were talking with our COR, and she asked if any of the boys had visited the nuclear power plant where she used to work. I asked if she knew anyone we could contact, and then the SM says, “Wait a minute, I have a colleague who works there!”

That next adventure could be in someone’s contacts list.