“The patrol system is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried on. It is the only method.”
—Lord Baden-Powell, Scouting’s founder
Without putting too fine a point on it our troop is terribly weak at the patrol method. This is not for lack of effort. Both Brad and Robert have tried to work with me and the Senior Patrol leader, Richard, over the last 6 months to change this, and Blake before him and Bryan too. And, we will continue to work on this. I suspect that we need to take a moment, as a larger community, parents, young men, adult leaders, and synchronize our watches, so to speak, so that we all have a better understanding about the aims of the troop.
The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.
– Sigmund Freud
Attending troop meetings is the one-seventh of the iceberg that is above the water, the vast majority of the magic of Scouting is invisible to the parents, beneath the water, so to speak. But, that six-sevenths is impossible if the young man isn’t in attendance at patrol activities.
Boy Scouts offers opportunities to your sons that no other organization provides: school, sports, band, drama, music lessons, and martial arts, are all important developmental opportunities. But, these activities are all consumed by the young man – that is some adult organizes and energizes the program they young person simply shows up and partakes. Boy Scouts is almost the only place left where the young man produces his own experience and when it is done right it is profound and magical in the maturity it creates in the young men. And when it is done wrong, we still get something for our time, just not all we could. The patrol method is our recipe for success — as quoted from the BSA web site:
The Patrol
The patrol is a group of Scouts who belong to a troop and who are probably similar in age, development, and interests. The patrol method allows Scouts to interact in a small group outside the larger troop context, working together as a team and sharing the responsibility of making their patrol a success. A patrol takes pride in its identity, andthe members strive to make their patrol the best it can be.
Patrols will sometimes join with other patrols to learn skills and complete advancement requirements. At other times they will compete against those same patrols in Scout skills and athletic competitions.
The members of each patrol elect one of their own to serve as patrol leader. The troop determines the requirements for patrol leaders, such as rank and age.To give more youths the opportunity to lead, most troops elect patrol leaders twice a year. Some may have elections more often.
Patrol size depends upon a troop’s enrollment and the needs of its members, though an ideal patrol size is eight Scouts. Patrols with fewer than eight Scouts should try to recruit new members to get their patrol size up to the ideal number.
The Patrol Leader is arguably the most important job in the troop. And it is a job, certainly a fun one at times, but always challenging. As with your job there is a job description and there are objective measures of the performance of the Patrol leader, and, like your job, the Patrol leader risks being fired, if he doesn’t do his job. A patrol leader has 3 months to accomplish the following:
- Have a patrol name, flag, and yell. Put the patrol design on equipment and use the patrol yell. Keep patrol records up-to-date.
- Hold two patrol meetings each month.
- Take part in at least one hike, outdoor activity, or other Scouting event.
- Complete two Good Turns or service projects approved by the patrol leaders’ council.
- Help two patrol members advance in rank.
- Have at least 75 percent of members in full uniform at troop activities.
- Have a representative attend at least three patrol leaders’ council meetings.
- Have eight members in the patrol or experience an increase in patrol membership.
As a troop, and by that, I mean, parents, young men, adult leaders, all of us, we are really poor at this. I’m working with the young men to turn this around, but, I need understanding and encouragement from the other side, from the parents. That is, when you son says they have a Patrol camp-out – it isn’t optional. That is, when your son tells you they have a patrol meeting – it isn’t optional. When they tell you they need their uniform – it isn’t optional. But wait, we are all adults here, and as such it is reasonable to ask “Why?” Most of us are familiar with sports so let us extend that metaphor. If you son didn’t attend practices, you would understand why the coach benched you son. If your son didn’t wear his uniform you would expect your son to be benched. If your son didn’t memorize the plays, you’d expect him to be benched. Boy Scouts is the year around sport, so to speak. In truth however, attendance and appearance are above the surface, what we are really trying to get at is much deeper.
We expect the Patrol leader to plan two outdoor activities and four service projects during their six month term. In this age of mediocrity and hand holding we worry this is too much. I assure you it is barely enough – these young men are capable of so very much more if we only asked it of them. Certainly, the first time is awkward and tenuous and they forget the toilet paper (only once), but, if they can coordinate eight peers for an overnight outing, meals, gear, transportation, and activities, what is to prevent them from starting a business, or managing the construction of a dam, or manned space flight to other planets. The fundamentals of leadership are the same whatever the activity. You say your son isn’t the Patrol leader… so; his job is to practice his follower-ship for 6 months. He learns about team play, he learns leadership by both positive and negative role modeling, he learns about delegating as his Patrol leader gives him assignments – tasks he owes to the 7 other guys (you bring the toilet paper), he learns tricks of communication and persuasion, he learns about managing from the middle – soon enough he will be elected Patrol Leader.
We are coming up on troop elections a new Senior Patrol Leader will be elected. He will have the responsibility of reviewing the patrol structure, he may leave them the way they are, or radically re-arrange, his prerogative. Certainly, I make recommendations, but, in the end it is his bed he has to lay in it. Once the patrol structure is set, each patrol has elections to select their patrol leader. And the cycle begins again. The patrol method is what makes it possible for the Senior Patrol leader to do his job, and the Scoutmaster to do his job. The Patrol method is a chain of communication and of command. The scouts tell their Patrol leader, the Patrol leader attends the Patrol Leader council and tells the Senior Patrol leader and the SPL tells me, and I dump it back on him, and he on the Patrol leaders – except for the parts that need drivers, insurance, paperwork, and coaching.
I ask, ok, beg parents to resist the whining noises your son make as you unplug the router, and drag them off the couch and out the door to their patrol and troop activities. We all know that once they get there they have a blast. Yes it is one more commitment, one more use of our time, but, there is nothing more important than raising our sons.
