The Boy-Led Troop
David Mitchko
Mercer Area District Commissioner
Why is it Important?
•Empowers boys to be leaders
•Boys plan and participate in the activities that they want to do
•Keeps the older boys interested in the program
•Integrates 5 of the 7 methods of the BSA: Patrol Method,
Association with Adults, Advancement, Personal Growth and
Leadership
• Support Scouting’s Mission: To prepare young people to make
ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the
values of the Scout Oath and Law
The more choices you allow a boy to make, in scouting’s safe
environment, the more he will learn how to make the right ones.
Signs that your Troop is Boy-Led
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Youth Leaders and NO ADULTS telling other boys what to do
Meetings and Activities planned and run by the SPL
Youth leaders know who is in what position of responsibility
Scoutmaster or his assistants giving advice and direction to the
Youth Leaders only – no other adults giving directions.
Boys are fast-start trained by their Scoutmaster when they first
receive their position of responsibility
New Youth Leaders receive timely TLT from their SM
Every boy has access to a written description for each position
Troop has monthly PLC meetings run by the SPL
All activities on the troop calendar are decided by the PLC
The Scoutmaster’s Role
• Training the Youth Leaders – a never ending job
• What their job is
• What is expected of them
• What type of leaders the BSA expects them to be
• Evaluate the skills, abilities and morale level of the PLC members
• Provide a level of direction, coaching and support based on this
evaluation, mainly with the SPL/ASPL
• On-the-job training – “the teachable moment”
• Provide positive reinforcement of leadership behavior
• Encourage the PLC to hold Reflections
• What went well?
• What can we improve on?
• Hold non-advancement Scoutmaster’s Conferences with Youth Leaders
as needed to discuss their performance as leaders
Scoutmaster’s Pitfalls
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Taking over when things are not going well
Not training the Youth Leaders
Not providing direction, coaching nor support
Not letting the boys know that they are “in charge”
Not communicating with the “scout in charge”
Not allowing the Youth Leaders to fail and see the
consequences of their failure
• Being too emotionally involved with the program
• Not understanding why the scouting program exists
• Measuring success by how organized his troop is
What Can the Other Adults Do?
• The Troop Committee Supports the Program
– Conduct Boards of Review and Courts of Honor
– Process advancement paperwork and keep records
– Make reservations for campsites and other activities
– Organize fundraisers
– Purchase troop equipment and supplies
• Parents provide drivers, support for activities, adult
supervision at campouts, etc.
• Adults can do skills instruction, make announcements or lead
an activity in a Boy-Led Troop.
The Scoutmaster sometimes has to run interference to keep the
other adults from doing the boy’s job.
How Boy-Led Can Go Wrong
• Scouts elect an SPL or Patrol Leader who does not perform,
even after much training, coaching and direction from the
Scoutmaster
• An SPL gives a boy a position of responsibility which he
does not what or cannot do.
• The PLC picks an activity and date which none of them
intends to participate in.
• The PLC makes plans for a meeting and the boys assigned to
run the activities don’t attend or show up unprepared
If the youth leader’s poor performance if affecting the program,
the Scoutmaster must take action – not by taking over for the
boys, but by working with them.
Failure is an Option
• A Scoutmaster’s biggest challenge is to learn to deal with the
failure of the youth leaders
• Always insist that the boys have a backup plan and that they
should always be prepared to switch to it
• The backup plan does not have to be perfect
• The Youth Leaders will learn how to manage risk and who
they can rely on
• The Scoutmaster must strike a careful balance between
allowing the youth leaders to learn from their failures and
running a good program.
Steer the scouts away from the big mistakes that can
spoil the fun