The following information will help you get started or improve your Boy Scout Troop experience.  Coaching and Mentoring are available to all Leaders.  Please contact your local Stake Young Men’s Presidency or Josh Dart jd at joshdart.com 949-212-2014 to coordinate and find a coach for you and your Troop.

logo-boyscout_4kBoy Scout Overview:

As an LDS Scout leader, your role is to help each young man to accomplish the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood.  We do this through helping each young man:

  • Develop Christ-like attributes (found in the Scout Law and Scout Oath)
  • Develop leadership skills (which will help them in their families, mission, school, work, and future callings)
  • Learn to rely on the Lord (through prayer and accomplishing hard things, such as hikes & camping)
  • Learn to love serving others and perform Priesthood and Community service (central to Priesthood and Scouting)
  • Become independent and gain confidence in their ability to do hard things, including Choosing the Right
  • Become Physically Fit, Mentally Awake, and Morally Straight
  • Develop skills that will help them succeed
  • Strengthen each other through brotherhood, Priesthood quorums, and friendships

This is best accomplished by getting trained (LEARN), seeking out best practices from other Scout Leaders, helping the boys do as much as possible (lead, plan, delegate, fail, and succeed) (ACT), and finding opportunities to share what you have learned with other leaders (SHARE).  The Learn, Act, Share Model is central to the Duty to God Program.  As the boys are engaged and feel that it is their program, they will step up and take more ownership and initiative.  As their leader, it is your responsibility to help encourage them, love them, be an example of the Priesthood, and provide training and direction for your young men.  Active quorums meet in Presidency Meetings/ Scout PLCs.  This should be done 2-3X per month. During these meeting, you will guide the youth to plan upcoming Troop Meeting and prepare for upcoming Troop Outings, activities, as well in additional to normal Presidency Meeting agenda items.

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LDS-BSA Relations-Logo
For NEW Adults: New Boy Scout Leaders (LDS-BSA Website)

 

Scoutmaster Welcome/”Just Called” Email – (Sample Email)

Prepare for your First Scout Meeting

  • Get a Uniform
  • Use Simple Agenda (Gathering Game, Opening Flag + Scout Law + Prayer + Announcements, Activity, Patrol Games/Skill Games, Scoutmaster Minute, Closing Prayer)
  • Get to Know your Young Men
  • Use Tracking Software (Scoutbook, etc) / Get Records & Roster of Boys
  • Get to know your Team
  • Set Agenda for next Scout meeting
  • Get familiar with www.programresources.org (Awesome BSA Resource!)
  • Outings: “The What” – Activities Sample List
  • Outings: “The Where” – 50+ Places to Go

Scoutbook – is a great tool to help track advancement, attendance, rosters, and communicate with families.  It is a tool of the BSA (Boy Scouts of America).

 

Initial Goals (1st 90 Days)

  • Get Oriented (See Adult Leader – Basic Training section )
  • Get to know Troop Leadership (Assistants, Troop Committee, Youth Leaders)
  • Visit another well running Unit/Units to see how they operate
  • Join another Troop on a Scout Overnighter (learn by doing)
  • Get to a Roundtable to meet other Scouters and Scout Resources and Team Members. District Trainer & District Commissioner are your best 2 initial contacts.  Find out who your Unit Commissioner is.
  • Find your Unit Commissioner/Stake Resources (ask Stake YM) and your Stake Assistant District Commissioner (High Councilor over Scouting) or Contact Us: 949 212 2014 (Text/Call Josh Dart – Council LDS Commissioner)
  • Create Annual Calendar (with help or guidance of Commissioner or Coach and youth) – 2 Year Sample
  • Work the Plan and use your Coach/Commissioner to help you be successful
  • Go on another joint-troop Overnighter

Next Goals (Next 90 Days) (Months 3-6)

  • Identify areas of Scouting skills you like to improve (planning, camping, working w/ youth, communication,etc)
  • Complete Basic Trainings (see specifics below)
  • Meet with Scoutmaster Commissioner and create plan & goals for next 90 days

Adult Leader – Basic Training (see Adult Training Descriptions + Training Calendar)

 

Adult Leader – Advanced Training

  • HAT / HALT – High Adventure Training with Backpacking Training
  • First Aid / CPR
  • Wilderness First Aid
  • Safety Afloat (Online – 30 minutes)
  • Safe Swim Defense – Water Safety (Online – 30 minutes)
  • Trainer’s EDGE / Train the Trainer (learning to teach using the EDGE Method)
  • Mentoring (Basic / Advanced)
  • Wood Badge + 5 Goals (Ticket)

 

Start Up Resources (Best of the Best Scout LDS Resources)

 

Troop Leadership


Annual Planning (2 Years of Tradition)

About Boy Scouts: It is recommended that you add everything into a 2 year plan, that repeats every 2 years.  Each Young Man will not have to repeat anything and will have another opportunity to come back and repeat (every 2 years +1 as Varsity, +1 Venturing).   Boy Scouts (11-13 yrs old) is the best time to focus on basic leadership development, Scout & Outdoor Skills, Camping, and Merit Badges.  As the boys move onto Varsity Scouting, the focus will be Leadership Development with the focus on project based learning (creating Adventures) and planning with the help of an Adult Advisor and Coach.  In Venturing, the focus will be to continue growing towards Independence and develop life skills such as Goal Setting & Time Management, Mentoring/Coaching, Project Management,  Ethical Controversy & Dispute Resolution, Personal Development, Career Exploration, Dating Preparation, Mission Preparation, and College Preparation while still doing some Adventures.  All Scout programs have Service and Leadership Development.


Sample 2 Year – Monthly Themes/Merit Badges (24 badges in 2 years) 

  1. First Aid (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  2. Citizenship in the Community (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  3. Citizenship in the Nation (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  4. Citizenship in the World (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  5. Communication
  6. Personal Fitness (90 Day Tracking)
  7. Emergency Preparedness
  8. Lifesaving*
  9. Environmental Science / Sustainability* (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  10. Personal Management (90 Day Tracking)
  11. Swimming
  12. Hiking*
  13. Cycling*
  14. Camping
  15. Cooking
  16. Family Life (90 Day Tracking) (great to finish at Merit Badge Days)
  17. Wilderness Survival (Snow/Desert/Water) (Scout Skill)
  18. Orienteering (Scout Skill)
  19. Pioneering (Scout Skill)
  20. Moviemaking (great for Historian / Troop Movie)
  21. Backpacking (Scout Skill)
  22. Climbing (Joshua Tree / Climbing Gym)
  23. Signs, Signals, and Codes  (Operation On-Target)
  24. Salesmanship (use for Fundraiser)

Note:  When not doing Merit Badges activities, Leadership Development, Fundraising, Patrol Development: Call/Yell/Flag, Service Projects, Conservation Projects, Skill Development, and Outing Preparation are great alternatives.


Resources:

 

Continual Improvement

 


Note:

Confidence (comes from experience)+ Competence (comes from Training) + Annual Plan + Action = Success

Ways to get Confidence – Do it!, Help Others, Wood Badge Training, Roundtable, Practice, Other Units (Help Out)
Ways to get Competence – Get Trained – Basic & Advanced, Practice + Get Experience
Annual Plan – Find One, then Build One/Modify One
Action – Just Do It!  Prayer & Inner Power to Make things Happen, Magnify Calling, Make the Decision to strive for Excellence & Be Great

 

Other Notes:

For boys who want to do “more” Scouting, there are options such as Order of the Arrow (OA), NYLT Staff, Scout Camp Staff, NAYLE Training, Philmont, Sea Base, The Summit, Northern Frontier, Jamborees (National & World), and more…

 

 

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