Troop Meeting and Annual Planning Peter Berck 1302016
Troop Meeting and Annual Planning Peter Berck 1/30/2016 at LEAD
Long term and Short term planning • Long term planning (covered later) results in – Monthly themes (e. g. cooking, citizenship, 50 miler) – Monthly outdoor activities (camps, trips, hikes) • Short term planning – Troop meetings to go with the activity and theme
The Month’s Program: PLANNING THE TROOP MEETING
Senior Patrol Leaders Work Through the Patrol Leaders to run the troop.
The Patrol Leaders Council Makes the Troop meeting and Monthly Plan PLC Support people: Not on the PLC • SPL is in charge • PL’s are primary participants • SM is the primary resource person. • All others are support people, not primary participants. • Older scouts except for their patrol leader • JASM, Instructor, Quartermaster, Scribe, etc • ASM’s • Troop Guide-backs up PL of a new scouts patrol.
When We Talk They Can’t
Why Troop Meetings? • • 1. Prepare for cool outdoor stuff 2. Learn Skills 3. Exercise Leadership 4. Strengthen Patrols 5. Promote advancement and personal growth 6. Inspire Scouts 7. Have Fun.
The 7 Parts of a troop meeting • Preopen (15 mins) – Game or project, set up (flags), last minute prep. • Open (5): the SPL’s show. – Flags. Change it up—sometimes law and oath • Skills (15 -20): scouters and older scouts – New scouts—basic skills and scout rank – Experienced scouts– 2 nd and 1 st class skills (e. g first aid) – Older scout patrol. Their own outings, projects and advancement. (e. g. Emergency preparedness). They are not 10. 5 years old.
…parts of a troop meeting • Patrol meeting (5 -20): this is the PL’s meeting. – Menus, outing plan, equipment, dues, permission slips, … – Empower the PL, put business here. • Interpatrol Activity (15 -20) – E. g. Game with a purpose: the lashed chariot race • Close: SPL’s show – SPL makes necessary announcements – Scoutmasters minute. Short and Sweet. – Closing ceremony. • After the meeting. – Clean up by service patrol – PLC meeting to debrief
Sample TM’s Outline • Month Theme: Citizenship • Month Outing: Hike the Bay Trail to the Red Oak and stay on the ship overnight. Cook on the pier. • The patrols hike 4 miles but • The Older Scouts bike 50.
1 st Week. • Preopen: Nautical Knots. Bowline and for the advanced, Bowline on a bight. • Open: Flags. The Oath. • Instruction – New: meaning of the oath – Experienced: Meet a lawyer and discuss rights and obligations of citizens (1 st class requirement) – Older: Safety aspects of cycling merit badge
1 st meeting • Patrol Meetings – Head count for hike, distribute permission slips – Assign cook (chance for 1 st, 2 nd, and Merit badge ) – Will the patrol bike or hike? – Plan a patrol dinner get together(just older scouts) – Later in the month it will do the rest of the hike planning – Start Stop Continue (aka thorns and roses. ) • Interpatrol activity: – Race to tie bowline on a bight and hoist a scout up a tripod. (ambitious—but with preparation…)
First meeting end • Closing. – We do a circle, a scoutmasters minute, and the benediction… May the Great Scoutmaster of all good scouts …. Bonus for Citizenship month we sing God Bless America • After: – PLC meets. Start, Stop, Continue – Service patrol puts the room back in order
More ideas • Are in the last half of the packet on the table.
Zot! You are now the PLC
Your Assignment • Choose an outing (would be in long range plan) • And a theme (would be in long range plan) • And plan several meetings for that month. • There are blank troop meeting planning sheets on your table. • To note: The role of the SM here is an advisor, if needed.
THE ANNUAL PLAN
5 Steps • • • SM homework Patrol Input Planning Conference Troop Committee Announce the plan
Homework • Make a background calendar—holidays, finals, sponsoring orgs events… – Add in council and district events (LEAD, CHECK, Roundtable, Camporee) in case you want to go. – Deadlines for Philmont, Natl or Intl Jamboree and other big adventures – And whatever else is helpful in planning (we always go to summer camp the same 3 weeks)
Goals • What are the goals for the year? Examples: – A hike a month – Every scout a rank – Go ahead and think of a few more – Out of town hike alaska/increase % participation – Fundraisers – Merit badge achievement – Service project – At least 3 seniors only events (1 st week camp, snow, trans-sierra) • SM and SPL work on SM’s goals presentation
Make a flexible draft • When are the overnights • What are ideas for other adventures (aim for 1 overnight and 1 adventure or more per mo. ) • Take a look at the 36 Features in the planning guide. Or invent your own. • Fundraising activity (popcorn ) • Discuss with your SPL— • There should be plenty of choice and flexibility left for the next step
2. Share the draft • With the PLC, and they share with the scouts. • Best possible case: they think of 20 great things you never even dreamed of.
3. Planning Meeting • PLC + ASM’s+JASM. (In some literature troop committee and others as well) This is a bigger meeting but remember the PL’s not the ASM’s are closest to the scouts. (But the ASM’s drive…) • Scoutmaster presents the years goals. PLC votes them in and out. • Fill out the months! Choose among the features! • The PLC votes features in and out
Ex: 49 ers Month • We have two outings, an overnight in the gold country where we pan for gold, and a visit to the train museum in Sac. • Our troop meetings further our features with (among other things) – Map and compass – reg, new ptls – Geocaching ventures – Pioneering miniatures, venture ptl – Lashing and rustic table /knots reg/new – Pioneer food cooking flapjacks/dutch oven reg /v – And so on
4. Troop Committee • Needs to approve. • And buy in and help make it so.
5. Announce • Distribute to all, – Scouts – Scouters – Troop Comm. – Chartering Org Rep – (a great plan is great publicity and a great recruiting tool-don’t be shy)
Let’s make a plan • Middle pages of your handouts have a template. • Features are monthly themes from the guide like Citizenship, Aquatics, etc. • Notice the plan template asks you to consider what new scouts, reg. scouts, and venturers are doing separately. – Especially if you have good/excellent retention or want that, you have to think about the 14+ scouts. • A T 6 plan in calendar form is in your folder. You can use it for Council and District events if you want some realism.
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