Troop 120 Leaders Guide

This guide is meant as a quick reference for the role of Assistant Scoutmasters in Troop 120. Our troop aligns with the overall goals and methods of the larger Scouting organization, but this guide highlights the approaches and processes that have contributed to a healthy Troop over time. This is a living document and will change as our processes evolve.

Guiding principles:

This is a boy-led troop. The boys own it, plan it, and run it.
As adult leaders, we provide coaching, safety, and logistics.
As adult leaders, we are here for all the boys in the troop, not just to be with our son(s).
Our main goal is the development and well-being of the boys in the Troop. To equip them for life.
Advancement is one of the means of Scouting that is supported by a healthy/engaging program.
Scouts own the pace of their own Advancement.
Leaders ensure opportunities, remove barriers, and provide encouragement to support scouts in reaching their personal goals within Scouts, including rank advancement and Eagle.
Leaders live by the Scout Oath & Law as well. We model these values in how we relate to each other, scouts, their parents, and the community.

Expectations:

Assistant Scoutmasters are expected to:

Become fully registered and trained with the exception of IOLS within 30 days. Get IOLS trained within the first six months. For the specific steps to apply and get trained, see Adult Leader Registration and Training Requirements.
Be familiar with the Scout and Parent guide for how our Troop operates.
Attend most weekly meetings to support the troop and to assist with advancement.
Regularly attend monthly outings as needed to provide transportation and leader supervision.
Regularly attend service projects, such as roadside clean-up, as needed to provide supervision.
Serve as merit badge counselor for at least one merit badge.
Assist Scouts with advancement sign offs.
Model the uniform by wearing Class A when Scouts are required to. See Scout Guide.
Strictly adhere to two-deep leadership policies from Youth Protection Training (YPT).

Current structure:

Troop 120 is run by the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC), which meets once a month, consisting of:

Senior Patrol Leader (SPL)
Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL)
Patrol Leaders (patrol counts vary based on troop size)
Scribe

Assistant Patrol Leaders and Instructors are invited to attend, but they do not vote.

Scoutmaster and one other Assistant Scoutmaster attends, but the SPL/ASPL leads the meeting, and the adults are there to ask questions and to guide. Topics include all aspects of programming (meetings, outings, etc.).

The Troop is divided into patrols, each led by a Patrol Leader. Often in meetings, we divide up into patrols for activities. The patrols give a natural way to help manage a large group, with each patrol leader over their own patrols. As leaders, we always point the boys to listen to their Patrol Leader and for the Patrol Leaders to follow the direction of the Senior Patrol Leader. Pointing the Scouts to respect and follow the direction of their patrol leaders is a way to encourage discipline without taking over and directing.

The Troop is overseen and supported by the Committee, which includes various support roles such as Treasurer, Advancement Coordinator, Chairman, etc.

Growing boy leadership:

Develop boy leaders by:

Pause before stepping in (unless it is a safety / serious behavior issue). Allow for some chaos and mistakes and not-quite-perfect approaches. See if the boys figure it out.
Address SPL and Patrol Leaders with concerns instead of taking charge of group.
Coach SPL/PL by asking more questions than telling them what to do. Pulling them aside instead is a good approach if possible. This is good for minor discipline issues or getting Scouts back on task; first ask the SPL/PL to address the issues rather than directing the scouts.
When scouts ask questions, try to point them to their PL/SPL when possible. “Have you asked your Patrol Leader?” or “Talk to the Senior Patrol Leader.” If there is still a need, then step in.
Ask if they have looked in their Scout Handbooks. Help them learn to find the answers rather than telling them the answers. If they have looked, it’s OK to teach them a few extra things.
In general, when the boys can decide and lead, let them decide and lead. Offer questions, advice, and support, but don’t take away their autonomy unless necessary for the well-being of the scouts and program.

Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell said, “never do anything a boy can do.” This includes both tasks and leading. Give the boys the responsibility for both.

Rank advancement:

Scouts advance between ranks (Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle) by getting sign-offs from Assistant Scoutmasters for the requirements of each rank at the back of their Scouts BSA Handbooks. A new scout may know a lot of the requirements of the initial “Scout” rank just by having been a cub scout in the Arrow of Light year.

In Troop 120, we encourage adult interaction and mentoring by the following practices:

All scouts talk to an adult leader for sign-offs for all requirements. Patrol leaders do not sign off.
Scouts are encouraged to talk to different leaders over time.
Parents of scouts should rarely sign off their children, even if the parents are ASMs. Exceptions include the Scout rank Cyber Chip requirement and service/hiking/camping logs in the back of the handbook.

Scouts can get sign-offs before the Troop meeting starts by approaching any leader. We have started to have leaders available at 7:15pm so scouts can come early for sign-offs before the 7:30pm meeting start-time. They can also get sign-offs during the meeting when there is extra time for working on advancement. And they can approach a leader at the end of the meeting for a quick signoff.

Leader tips:

Follow the requirements as written. If it says, “demonstrate”, then have them demonstrate. If it says, “create a written plan”, ask to see the written plan.
At the same time, it is OK to be creative in what demonstrating means (in person, a video, the PL verifying they saw them do it on a campout, etc.)
Don’t add to the requirements to make them harder. This is just discouraging.
Don’t demand perfection. We’re encouraging the scouts to keep learning.
If they are a little shaky, ask them if they read the pages pointed to by the requirement. It’s OK to say to go and look at the book again and then come back and see if they know the material better. Perfection is not the goal, but we don’t want to sign off if they are guessing.
If you’re not an expert on the subject, look up the pages in the book pointed to by the requirement before they start telling you what they learned.
Scouts can sign off on any of the requirements in the first four ranks simultaneously, but you earn them one at a time. Star, Life, and Eagle must be worked on sequentially.
If you see a scout do something in their books, ask them if you can sign that off for them in their books. They should come to us with most requests, but we can also give them a hand and encourage them with what they have already done.
Once signed off by a leader, always signed off.

After a scout completes all the requirements for their rank, they can ask the Scoutmaster for a Scoutmaster Conference. The conference is NOT a retest of the material but an encouraging conversation about their experience in the Troop, what they are learning, and their interests and goals. After the Scoutmaster Conference, the Scoutmaster will take a picture of the sign-offs in the book and provide it to the Advancement Coordinator. The Advancement Coordinator will record the sign-offs in Scoutbook and also schedule the Scout for a Board of Review.

All ranks except Scout rank require a Board of Review, usually held once a month. This is a board of three adult leaders (usually committee members) that review what the Scout has learned, get their feedback on the Troop, and other questions about how the Scout is living out the Oath and Law. The Board of Review is also NOT a retest of the requirements. Out of respect and formality, scouts should come to Boards of Review in full and correct uniform.

The scout has now advanced to the next rank and will be awarded their earned rank at the next Court of Honor (held 2-3 times a year).

As stated above, advancement is not the primary goal of the Troop, rather it is the development and wellbeing of the boys. No scout should ever be pressured or shamed into advancing. But scouts should be encouraged to advance as part of learning new skills, and there should be plenty of opportunities to get sign-offs and progress through the ranks.

Although advancement could be seen as an individual achievement, you should encourage the boys to use what they have learned to help the troop. An obvious example is to encourage them to help others who need to learn the same skills, or to use those skills in practical ways on outings. We should mentor the boys on giving back to the troop and making it better, not just achieving personal goals.

For more information, see BSA guidelines on advancement. The authority on all advancement questions is found in the BSA Guide to Advancement.

Merit badges:

Scouts earn merit badges by working with a merit badge counselor, on their own, and at merit badge classes (given both by fellow scouts/parents, summer camp, and programs in the area). Scouts must complete 14 required badges for Eagle and 21 overall during the entire course of his journey. Troop 120 is currently working to recruit a merit badge counselor for each badge, especially the Eagle required badges. We ask each ASM to sign up as primary or secondary contact for several merit badges. Committee members are also encouraged to consider signing up to be an MBC. Unless there is a need, please limit yourself to one Eagle badge as they will be more common.

More information, including blue cards, MBC responsibilities, and sign-off procedures, is available in our Troop 120 Merit Badge Guide.

Outings:

Scouts plan the outings, the activities, and the meals. They operate in patrols for meals and tent setup, and we come together for activities like hiking. Adult leaders provide coaching, questions, guidance, safety, and logistics (transportation, etc.) to support the outings.

Patrols can change on an outing based on who is coming. So, it might not be exactly the same patrol that they have in a meeting.

In Troop 120, we try to have a leader site and allow the patrols to setup their areas nearby. We eat in our own adult site and let the scouts figure it out. However, it is good to walk around the sites at times to make sure that the Scouts are being safe, eating safe, and doing well.

As part of the boy-led model, the SPL and PLs should lead any activities. If it is a hike, they should be looking at the map. It is OK to let them make a wrong turn and not immediately say anything. They are not going to lead as well as adults, but that’s why we’re giving them a chance to make mistakes in a safe space, learn from them, and grow.

Summary:

Respect the boys, root for them, serve on their behalf, and be patient. Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell stated that scouting was a “game with a purpose”. Let’s be the best coaches we can in this game.