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How Scouts’ friendships strengthen patrols

Experts weigh in on how friendships could actually strengthen development, especially when it comes to Scouting in patrols.

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Scouters’ advice on how to encourage slower hikers

What do you do when a Scout is struggling during a group hike? Scouters’ share their tried-and-true tips on encouraging a slower hiker.

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Five tips for great troop leader elections

He’s right, and like the election for a state governor or U.S. Senator, proper planning is needed to make troop elections run smoothly and ensure that all candidates have a fair shot.

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What Would You Do? : Leading the Leader

How do you work with an inexperienced and uncommitted SPL? Scouters speak out.

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Scoutmaster’s Toolbox: Want a Great Program? Plan Ahead

The program planning conference lets your patrol leaders’ council brainstorm possibilities for a calendar full of exciting troop outings.

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Preparing Boys for Leadership

A three-level training continuum provides progressively sophisticated tools for developing youth leaders in your troop.

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Let Your Scouts Lead

Want to achieve a youth-led unit? Find the balancing point between helping them succeed and letting them flounder. Here’s how.

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This is Not a Test

A board of review should gauge the quality of a Scout’s troop experience and encourage future advancement, not ask him to pass rank requirements — again.

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Peer-to-Peer: The OA Scoutreach Mentoring Program

Some young boys grasp basic Scouting skills within a short time of joining a troop. Others need more time and someone to look up to. The Order of the Arrow’s Scoutreach Mentoring program tries to fill that gap.

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Creating functional Boy Scout patrols

Scouter A.S.’s troop has two patrols: the “chaos” patrol of new Scouts and the “I’m too cool” patrol of veterans. He asked for ideas on creating a better unit structure, where older Scouts teach younger ones.

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