New Troop, first elections

[JMHawkins]

We have a brand new troop, and our first elections are coming up after our first campout. We'll elect a SPL and then 3 PLs, for initial 3 month terms. Most of the boys are 10-11 year olds (about a third are Webelos cross-overs) with a smattering of older boys, but the only boy with any previous scouting experience doessn't seem very interested in taking a leadership role.

 

So far, some of the boys really get it and are leaping at the chance to have more responsibility, but several are just acting like a bunch of, well, 11 year old boys. In particular, we have multiple class clowns. When we discussed the elections, the class clowns were out in force. Maybe only half the trooop really understands we're not going to treat them like Webelos IIIs.

 

So, there's a chance the first elections will go badly. That's one of the reasons for keeping the first term 3 months, but among all the experience on the board here, is there any advice for helping the boys realize they ought to take this seriously, and then if they don't, for a) keeping the boys who do take it seriously from getting discouraged, and b) making the best of the three months (which will include real planning) until the troop has another chance to figure it out?

 

 

[allangr1024]

My mantra these days, especially to adults in the troop, is "Let the boys do it." Although they are young and have no idea how to go about planning a campout, call the leaders together for a Saturday morning training session, and spend the time doing the first PLC meeting. Show the SPL how to call the meeting to order, and tell him he has to do it from now on.

The first order of business is to plan the next campout. Again, no experience, so you as Scoutmaster (coach) can have some simple options prepared that cover place, theme or activity, and meal prep. Fishing trip, or fire building training, or day hike out of the camp (Something real simple, of course). You can have options prepared for them to choose from. IT IS ESSENTIAL that the boys make the decisions by voting. What to eat? Again have options this time around, like stew, pasta, or chili for dinner, eggs and beacon or pancakes and sausage for breakfast, etc. Have them fill out a menu. Show them how to break the menu down into ingredients to buy. Then tell them that next time the SPL can come up with the three suggestions for them to vote on. Where to go? Boy scout camp, state park, private land? Have three suggestions and let them decide. Next time the SPL will get the suggestions to put before the group.

When you do this, it will dawn on them that they, and not you, are driving, and will begin to take ownership of the decision making. The campout could go great, or badly. Either way, you will meet with the PLC at the end, and ask them how it went. Meet for an hour Sunday morning while the other adults are watching the other boys do games or something. Ask, how was the meal? Is this a good campsite? Do you want to do this activity again, and why? The feedback is important.

Making them make the decisions, even if you are hold their hands the first or second times, will do wonders. At the PLC, you could make a poster listing the goals of the meeting, and tell them "we cannot leave until we do these things: Find a place, plan the meals, choose the activity, figure out how to set up camp." It may take a while, which is why this time you take a Saturday morning to do it.

I think that the more times the boys go through the exercise, the better they will get. If they hear any complaint from the scouts in general, they can defend the decisions, because they are theirs.

Remember, Let the boys do it.

 

[shortridge]

Give them more than just three months. That's, what, 9-12 troop/patrol meetings max? Three campouts? At that age, that's barely enough time to get your feet steady under you, let alone show leadership.

[neil_b]

Disaster for who? For you? For the adults?

 

If you want everything to go smoothly you are in the wrong organization. A big part of Boy Scouts is to let the youth learn from their own mistakes.

[JMHawkins]

Who said anything about a disaster? Of course it's not going to go smoothly, and the boys are going to learn a lot from their mistakes. I'm not looking for how to make it perfect, I'm looking for ideas on helping boys through their first experience with this level of responsibility. (probably need to help the parents through it even more, but that's another story).

 

Allangr - yep, let the boys do it, that's absolutely the plan.

 

Shortridge, eventually yes, longer terms, but this is the first election for the troop, kind of a trial run like temporary patrols. Make the boys first set of big decisions have a little quicker turnaround time if they end up not liking the choices they made.

 

[JMHawkins]

Let me rephrase.

 

Tell me stories about your first troop elections! Tell me about how the boys came to realize they really, really were going to be running things. Tell me about the boys who were discouraged at first but you helped coach them on to success.

[Stosh]

In the three years I served in my boy-led, patrol-method program, there were no elections. Boys that wanted to step up an take lead on something were given the chance to prove themselves. If no one wanted to take lead, then that activity was dropped. I had a boy wanted to do Chaplain's Aid and stayed in that position for the whole three years I was SM, with a devotion at every flag opening and a prayer at flag closing. Another boy wanted to be SPL for summer camp so he organized the whole summer camp experience, finances, MB's, rides, equipment, etc. and assigned himself SPL for the week.

 

Downside to the whole thing, boys that do not want to do leadership will eventually sabotage the system and complain that they aren't having any fun and will in fact try and turn it back into an adult/parent run operation. The 'class clowns' will indeed show leadership but not in a positive manner. Most of those boys are more interested in getting attention than in actually leading.

 

Stosh

[Engineer61]

Wow...an SPL org'd the whole summer camp.

 

That would be a hoot!

 

...took my wife an entire week of prep to put all the paperwork from the troop in order, then a whole weekend online getting it entered and verified.

[neil_b]

Sorry. You said "go badly". I don't know where I got the word "disaster" from. Didn't mean to mis-quote you.

 

I would re-phrase, who are you afraid it will go badly for?

 

I am not trying to be smart. Just saying if it goes badly that is still opportunity for learning, so don't stress.

[Adam S]

Why not suggest to your scouts that they could invite another troop to send some boys to help guide them, or maybe the OA, or better stiill your NYLT staff, help get them organizaed and maybe see the value in beingtrained as well!

 

Let them learn from boys who have done the job!

[raisinemright]

We're in almost the same situation. New troop. In four months we're up to 14 boys. One Liufe, One Star, 1 2C, 1 Tenderfoot, 10 Scout.

 

Yep, that's pretty scary. The life scout is SPL and doing well. We broke into two patrols two weeks ago when we hit 11 boys. Three more just joined. First patrol based campout is next weekend.

 

They're not really planning anything big but it should be fun.

 

All the best. Run with it and have a great time.

[qwazse]

You also have to coach parents. At meetings after announcements have an ASM take the parents to another room and explain the patrol method and your expectations for the boys. Periodically let them know how it's working.

 

I would suggest at the three month mark having the boys decide yes/no about holding elections. They can make a decision to maintain the current slate of PL's, in which case the next election can be at the six month mark. Or, they can decide that they want some adjustments, in which case you schedule elections at the next meeting.

 

To the older boy I'd say something like "I don't care if you put a patch on your sleave or not, I need you to coach the PL's and SPL. They need you to have their back. Give them good ideas for activities and skills to practice at meetings. Let them know about the fun stuff you've done in the past couple of years. If you just help me do that, it will make things go so much smoother." Slip him in as JASM on the sly.

 

[JMHawkins]

So, a big "never mind." The boys figured it out, elections went well. Now the real fun begins as the boys start to run the show themselves.

 

I think the answer to my original question "how can we help them take this seriously" is: take them camping. Get them outdoors doing scout stuff, and the boys really come through. Hmmmm, maybe that Baden-Powell guy was on to something...