Youth-Led

Teaching leadership skills

The Scouts in a Scouts BSA unit have many opportunities for learning. They may learn something completely new. They may also refine existing skills. However, nearly all of the skills they will learn center around one item… Leadership. This is what makes the BSA’s youth-led approach so important.

One of the primary goals of the BSA is to teach the Scouts how to be good leaders. If you examine the various aspects of Scouts BSA, you will see that they all touch on at least one leadership skill.

Here’s the best part… Learning leadership skills isn’t just beneficial for the Scouts while they are in the troop. The leadership skills they will learn will benefit them throughout their lives. That’s why many people treat Scouts, especially those who reach the rank of Eagle, in such high regard. Scouts not only know how to work with one another. They know how to lead.

The “Patrol Method”

Scouts BSA is centered around something called “The Patrol Method”.

The Scouts in our troop are divided up into smaller “Patrols”. This was briefly explained on the page that describes the differences between a pack and a troop. Each patrol has a leader, elected by the patrol, who is also a Scout in the patrol. While the patrols are all part of the troop, they are really their own entity, in that they can make their own plans. They are also responsible for their actions, behaviors, and accomplishments. They function under the direction of their Patrol Leader (PL).

At the troop level, there is a Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). This position is also held by a Scout, and the Scout is elected to the position by the other Scouts in the troop. It is the SPL’s responsibility to help the PLs to ensure that they have what they need and that they are accomplishing their goals. The SPL normally does not work directly with the Scouts. The SPL works with the PLs, who in turn work with their Scouts.

These youth leadership positions, as well as others, make up the organization that is the troop. It defines how the troop functions, and it is centered around the Scouts.

Patrols with mixed ages

There are many differences between Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA. One of the biggest differences between a Den and a Patrol is that, in a Patrol, the Scouts are not all the same age. A given patrol will often have a mix of younger Scouts that might have just started, and older Scouts that might be close to aging-out when they turn 18.

Not every troop works this way, but this is how we’ve organized our patrols. This approach was very intentional and plays directly into the youth-led approach.

As Scouts get older, they likely will have progressed through the ranks and completed many merit badges. In short, they have fewer personal requirements to work on. This again is intentional, because as they get older, they will have more time to lead the younger Scouts. They can focus more of their time teaching the younger Scouts what they have learned over the years. It all feeds into the goal of teaching them leadership skills.

How the adults fit in with the youth-led approach?

While our Scouts are capable of handling many tasks and situations themselves, the Scouts are still youth. Therefore, the BSA requires each troop to have adult leadership. That leadership is provided by the adults and other family members of current and past Scouts.

As with the youth, there are various adult leadership positions. One of those positions is the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster is the adult responsible for working directly with the Scouts, providing direction, coaching, and support.

The Scoutmaster has 3 basic roles:

1. Provide the junior leaders with the tools and skills needed to run the troop.
2. Make sure the rules of the BSA and the chartered organization are followed.
3. Be a good mentor and a positive role model.

Notice that the Scoutmaster works with the youth leaders, not all of the Scouts. The Scoutmaster works directly with the SPL and other troop youth leaders to help them become good leaders. This includes stepping back and allow them to actually lead. Sometimes it works well, and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, this approach results in a good learning experience for the Scouts. Regardless, and the Scoutmaster is always there to help if needed.

Of course, the Scoutmaster has numerous other adult leaders to help with the many behind-the-scenes tasks of running a troop. You’ll often hear the term “Scouter” used to describe these adult leaders. These positions are incredibly important. In fact, in order to hold a position, adults must complete the required BSA training. Even if you are unable to hold an official position, we still encourage all of our parents to participate and help out because there are always things for them to do. The more help we get, the better our troop will be.

Despite their desire to help, adult leaders must remember is that the Scouts run the troop, not the adults. So, the adults need to LET the Scouts run the troop. This is often easier said than done, but the benefit to the Scouts make it all worth the effort.