Innovative Troop Planning Strategies for Scout Troop 1345
Explore new approaches to troop planning for Scout Troop 1345 based on lessons learned from traditional scheduling challenges. Discover the benefits of a structured organization with established patrols and regular elections. Find out how this troop maintains a dynamic schedule with a focus on camping trips, leadership development, and inclusive initiatives like adding a girls troop.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
Quarterly Troop Planning: Lessons Learned Based on Article by Clarke Green http://scoutmastercg.com/a-new- approach-to-scout-troop-planning Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Traditional Cycle (Semi-annual) JAN FEB MAR Spring sports & activities APR Spring Break MAY JUN School ends Summer vacations JUL Summer Camp AUG SEP School starts OCT Fall sports & activities NOV DEC Holidays Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Define the Problem With a traditional schedule, patrol sizes can fluctuate wildly and can fall below critical mass for a particular event Six months may be a long time to ask youth to commit School extracurricular activities can limit Scout participation for the season Bottom line: The Patrol Method can break down Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Troop 1345 Organization Three established regular patrols Three feeder patrols for new scouts Senior Patrol SPL ASPL Senior Patrol Arrow Ninja Trojan Spartan Eagle Jackalope Viper Jaguar Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Troop 1345 POR Elections SPL ASPL PLs Senior Patrol TGs and DCs Voted by scouts SPL nominates, SM approves ASM nominates, SM approves About 18-20 PORs Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Traditional Schedule (6-month Cycle) All PORs serve 6-month term Elections in May and November ~3 Courts of Honor each year April, September, December Annual Planning Conference in July PLC Retreat in December Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Other Notes Diverse annual camping schedule 4 car camping trips 4 backpacking trips 4 other trips: ski trip, summer camp and high adventure, family camp, PLC retreat High emphasis placed on NYLT candidates, develop future PLs/leaders OA elections in Nov/Dec Reinvigorating Venture Scout patrol Adding girls troop in February Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
3-month Cycle (Quarterly) JAN Winter sports FEB MAR Spring sports Spring sports & activities APR Spring Break MAY JUN School ends Summer vacations JUL Summer Camp AUG SEP School starts OCT Fall sports & activities Fall sports & activities NOV DEC Winter sports Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Lessons: 3-month Cycle 3 month PORs Too quick for SPL and QM Never got into a 3-month routine Didn t Try Yet: Combined parent meeting and CoH Quarterly payments & permission slips Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
4-month Cycle (Seasonal) JAN FEB MAR Spring sports & activities APR Spring Break MAY JUN School ends Summer vacations JUL Summer Camp AUG SEP School starts OCT Fall sports & activities NOV DEC Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
4-month Cycle (Seasonal) JAN FEB MAR Troop Elections Planning Meeting Family Meeting / Court of Honor APR Spring Break MAY JUN School ends JUL Summer Camp Troop Elections Planning Meeting Family Meeting / Court of Honor AUG SEP School starts OCT NOV Troop Elections Planning Meeting Family Meeting / Court of Honor DEC Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Parent Meeting and Court of Honor About 3 weeks before the next quarter During regular troop meeting time (1 hr max) While Scouts prepare for CoH, parents meet with SM and Committee to go over next season s plans (20 minutes max) Parents asked to bring family calendar and checkbook, prepare for commitments One permission slip for all trips Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Combined Permission Slips Eliminates continuous stream of permission slips (60 vs 240) Required from each Scout, whether attending events or not Pre-payment creates further incentive to participate (not refundable ) Important to know who is going/not going to create a seasonal roster Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Seasonal Roster Generate rosters for the next four camping trips Having a roster that far in advance simplifies planning In turn used to build the next season s plan for leadership development Volunteering for SPL/PL/TG means you intend to maximize attendance and participation for that season You can t lead if you re not there Summer season = summer camp (?) Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Seasonal Planning Meeting About 3 weeks before the next quarter ILST for new leaders New PLC reviews next 4-month schedule High level of details: places, dates, activities, primary planners, etc. All activities on the Troop website Completed permission slips produce rosters for each event Then reviews following 8-month schedule Medium level of details Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Solving the Problem 4-month (seasonal) cycle Reduces long-term commitment from Scouts Minimizes interference with extracurriculars Provides predictable schedule for families Provides predictable attendance for events Allows PLC to review/revise Troop schedule (both season and annual) Maximizes chances for Patrol Method to work more consistently! Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
Questions? Questions? Troop 1345 the Best Troop Alive!
