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Is your unit effectively using BP's Patrol Method?

For those who missed our earlier newsletter, this  is a follow up to
invite
you to evaluate how well your unit puts the Patrol Method to work.
We are only accepting responses for two more weeks, so get your vote in.

See http://www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrol_method_survey.html
and read the rest of the newsletter below.

The Holy Grail for Troops, the Patrol Method
White Stag Newsletter Vol. 1, No 2

We're asking the questions, do your youth belong to a patrol in name
only?
Does your unit really use the Patrol Method the way it's intended?
Do you wonder if there are some things you can do to improve your unit?

This newsletter focuses on the Patrol Method, that sometimes elusive
concept that determines whether your unit is really youth-run or not.

Before reading further, answer ten short questions. These will tell you
how well your unit is implementing the Patrol Method. You'll find an
interactive survey form on the White Stag web site at
http://www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrol_method_survey.html .
All survey participants who choose to will  receive a summary of the
results.

Once you've completed the survey to see how your unit is doing, then
read the rest of this newsletter for more in-depth information on the
"Holy Grail" of troop success, the Patrol Method.

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This newsletter was excerpted and adapted in part from the leadership
sourcebooks, "Follow the White Stag"
[http://www.whitestag.org/follow/index.html] and "Resources for
Leadership" [http://www.whitestag.org/resources/index.html] which
together contain over over 100 pages about developing the patrol method
and patrol spirit. Thanks also to Lew Gardner (see "Credits" below)  for

his research and contributions. These books can be ordered at
http://www.whitestag.org/order/order.html .
=======================================================================

What is the Patrol Method?

Are you sure you fully understand the Patrol Method? Baden-Powell
described it most succinctly. In 1888, BP wrote,

"The formation of the boys into Patrols of from six to eight and
training them as separate units each under its own responsible leader is

the key to a good Troop." [1]

But it's not enough to just put boys into a group and give 'em a name.
If they are patrols in name only, your program will fail. What then, is
this magical thing, the Patrol Method? How do you know if your troop has

it?

Perhaps the surest diagnosis of it's absence is what you find in troops
without it. If some of these symptoms are present in your unit, watch
out. You may need to make some quick adjustments to your program..

Enthusiasm

You don't see enthusiasm among the boys--or adults. For example, boys
don't care which patrol they belong to. You don't hear patrol yells.
Meeting start times begin to creep forward. Tardiness at meetings is on
the rise. Campouts are happening less frequently, or are already few and

far between. Camping participation is spotty. Uniforming is inconsistent

and sloppy. There is little pride in belonging. Advancement is slow.
There is no competition between patrols.

Organization

Boy attendance is spotty or inconsistent. Troop and patrol meetings are
irregularly held. Meetings sometimes consist of extended periods of
games interspersed with something resembling a troop meeting. There's no

corps of boys in charge, but perhaps a single Senior Patrol Leader
backed up by the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster is frequently seen to
issue instruction to the boys collectively, or is called on to
discipline individuals who are out of line. Patrols are organized
haphazardly, by age group, or without consideration to a mix of senior
and junior Scouts.

Training

The older boys are inadequately prepared to train the younger boys. The
older boys have not attended any district or council JLT training. The
Scoutmaster has not attended adult leader training or Wood Badge.

The ONLY Method Now that we know what the Patrol Method is not, we need
to know what is it. As one writer put it, "The Patrol Method is not ONE
method in which Scouting can be carried on. It is the ONLY method!"
(Roland Phillips)
..
In sum, it's the Scoutmaster acting as a guide and counselor to the
boys, helping the boys by word and example to lead one another, to
influence one another, to encourage competition and excitement so that
the boys grow as a group and as individuals. Baden-Powell wrote,

"The Patrol is the unit of Scouting always, whether for work or for
play, for discipline or for duty. An invaluable step in character
training is to put responsibility on to the individual. This is
immediately gained in appointing a Patrol Leader to responsible command
of his Patrol. It is up to him to take hold of and to develop the
qualities of each boy in his Patrol. It sounds a big order, but in
practice it works. "

Then, through emulation and competition between Patrols, you produce a
Patrol spirit which is eminently satisfactory, since it raises the tone
among the boys and develops a higher standard of efficiency all round.
Each boy in the Patrol realises that he is in himself a responsible unit

and that the honour of his group depends in some degree on his own
ability in playing the game."[2]

When you come right down to it, Patrol Spirit and the Patrol Method are
joined at the hip. The Patrol Method does not work without the
invigorating tonic of Patrol Spirit. As BP points out, the way to create

patrol spirit is through "emulation and competition."

The Scoutmaster's most important job is to create an environment that
fosters boys' natural desire to compete and in the process, better
themselves.


=======================================================================

ABOUT THE PATROL METHOD

Green Bar Bill, the Scout's Scout of the 20th century, wrote extensively

about the Patrol Method. For his writings and more, see all of  these
articles on the White Stag Web.

<A HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/index.html">LINK</A>
The Patrol Method
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/index.html

<A HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_11.html">LINK</A>
CHAT 11: The Patrol Method
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_11.html

<A HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_14a.html">LINK</A>
CHAT 14--The Working of the Patrol Method--Patrol Work
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_14a.html

<A HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_14b.html">LINK</A>
CHAT 14--The Working of the Patrol Method--Troop Work
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/chat_14b.html

<A
HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrol_method_quiz.html">LINK</A>

Patrol Method Survey
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrol_method_survey.html

<A
HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrols_in_action.html">LINK</A>

Unit of Training for Patrols In Action
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/patrols_in_action.html

<A
HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/the_senior_patrol_leader.html">LINK</A>

Unit of Training for the Senior Patrol Leader
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/the_senior_patrol_leader.html
<A
HREF="http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/working_through_boy_leaders.html">LINK</A>

Unit of Training for Working Through Boy Leaders
http:/www.whitestag.org/patrol_method/working_through_boy_leaders.html

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COMMENTS? QUESTIONS?

Head over to the Leadership Forum on the White Stag Web at
http://www.whitestag.org/ws_forum/index.html .

=======================================================================

FOOTNOTES

[1] Baden-Powell, Robert. A Guide to Scoutmastership. A Guidebook for
Scoutmasters on the Theory of Scout Training. 1888. The complete text of

this book can be found on Lew Oran's excellent web site, PineTreeWeb
[http://www.pinetreeweb.com/aidstosm-4.htm]. Also found in selections
from The Scouter, edited by Lord Somers, Baden-Powell's Outlook. London:

C. Arthur Pearson Ltd., 1941.

[2] ibid.

=======================================================================

CREDITS

Lew Gardner, born in 1910 in Oakland, California, is the youngest
recipient ever of the Silver Beaver, having been recognized with this
award at age 28. He has been Editor of the popular high-adventure
patrol_method *Boots and Blisters* for many years. He has served in a
wide variety of Scout roles, including Scoutmaster, District
Commissioner, Training Chairman, and RoundTable Chairman, among many
others. He remains active in Scouting today in the Tri-Valley District
of the San Francisco Bay Area Council. He is still called on regularly
to lead sessions of adult leader training in the San Francisco Bay Area
Council.

=======================================================================

ABOUT WHITE STAG

The White Stag Web at http://www.whitestag.org/ is devoted to Junior
Leadership Training, and specifically contains the web's largest
collection of information about the eleven leadership skills of
Scouting. The White Stag program was the origin of the 11 skills back in

the 1960's (see The Historical Background of the Eleven Leadership
Skills. http://www.whitestag.org/history/skills_history.html). We are
still going strong, putting on two, soon to be three, summer camps for
over 200 youth each summer.

The web site includes over 500 pages devoted to leadership, so perhaps
you will find some info of use to you. If you think other Scouters might

find the information on the White Stag Web of interest, we invite you to

add a link from your web site to ours.. Let us know so we can return the

favor!

=======================================================================

SUMMER CAMP APPLICATIONS

The 1999 Summer Camp Application is available online in Adobe Acrobat
format. Just head for the White Stag Web http://www.whitestag.org/ and
look for the Adobe Acrobat icon at the top left of the page. All Scouts
and Explorers age 11-18 are welcome to apply.

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FTWS,

Brian Phelps
Webmaster
btphelps@NOSPAM.whitestag.org
[remove the obvious]
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White Stag Leadership Development for Youth