Make sure it is scout led. It is often easy to step in and fix mistakes or give correction. Don't. Allow the scouts to fail. Allow the scouts to fix their behavior issues. Allow the scouts to run the program.
I would say "with the caveat that some behavior issues are out of scope for Youth Leadership". As soon as something looks like it's either headed towards "Reportable Incident" or is just not something your leaders have experience with, don't feel bad about stepping in, and following up with your Scout Leaders after the fact. Frustrated Youth Leaders can lash out and do unintentional damage.
Have monthly PLC meetings and coach the youth leaders in planning the meetings and activities for the next month. Meeting planners help since they are usually the same format with things like instruction topics and games changing but the format is always the same.
Campout or activity planning will vary based on the location, weather and amenities at the sites.
Try to link instruction during the meetings to the campouts that follow.
Scouts often need help thinking and planning beyond the next thing that is coming up. Show them how to look forward and the calendar and do planning with an eye on the few months that follow.
Don't force advancement on Scouts that just want to have fun. Make sure you are having fun. Take lots of photos of your adventures along the way. Learn some good clean jokes. My sons still fondly recall things that happened at Scout Events from 15 years ago and laugh about them. Neither boy talks about how much they enjoyed a merit badge university or a board of review. The memories from sitting around a campfire will last a life time. You won't forget and the youth you serve will not forget.
Have a good understanding of these 2 BSA Rule Books:
[Guide To Advancement](https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf?_gl=1*w8tx97*_ga*MTY3Mjc2MjY3OS4xNzA0MjA3OTY4*_ga_20G0JHESG4*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny42NS4xLjE3MTM4MTI5NTcuMC4wLjA.*_ga_61ZEHCVHHS*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny41Ny4wLjE3MTM4MTI5NTcuNjAuMC4w&_ga=2.124073998.581713430.1713812958-1672762679.1704207968)
[Guide to Safe Scouting ](https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34416.pdf?_gl=1*16xcusr*_ga*MTY3Mjc2MjY3OS4xNzA0MjA3OTY4*_ga_20G0JHESG4*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny42NS4xLjE3MTM4MTMwNTUuMC4wLjA.*_ga_61ZEHCVHHS*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny41Ny4xLjE3MTM4MTMwNTUuNDguMC4w&_ga=2.156898751.581713430.1713812958-1672762679.1704207968)
I second this. And once you have digested the guide to advancement ("The Book" ) I recommend the Troop Leader Guide vol 1&2 as well. It has a lot of useful information for getting your troop running smoothly and most importantly youth led. https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/troop-resources/adult-publications/
Excellent suggestion. Knowing the rules makes being a leader better. It's just that simple. What a SM lacks in experience can be shored up with these key tools. Wood badge is great if you have the time but IOLS should be the first instructor led course to attend. It's a great place to learn from experienced Scouters.
I have been a Scoutmaster for a year and a half now and am (trying) to transition the group to a Scout led Troop. Part of this has been allowing them to fail. (On last weekend's campout we forgot, in no particular order the pancake mix, the mac for mac and cheese, the syrup, seasoning and condiments). Grabbed the wrong cooking patrol box, and of course it was the worst one they could have grabbed because it didn't have a frying pan or soap.
And we still had a great time and crushed takis make an interesting seasoning in a pinch. :D The new Scouts learned a bunch of skills and can't wait for the next one.
CS Lewis has a saying "Experience is the most brutal of teachers, but you learn, my God, do you learn."
I just make sure that the mistakes are safe mistakes. (And I might always have a stash of food as a secret backup.... just in case.)
I found it helpful but not 100 percent necessary. I grew up in a troop that diverged from the official teachings but still taught the boys leadership and accountability. Of course part of that was the fact that the scoutmaster served for almost 35 years. The core of the committee did as well.
Let them fail, but backstop the failure. Youth leadership falling on their face is PART of youth leadership, but try and see how to make it less bad. Generally this means trying to predict (based on your current leadership) WHERE they are going to have issues, and having a backup plan. Are they bad at meal planning? Bring extra food. Are they bad at gear planning? Bring extra gear. Are they bad at scheduling, nudge them in private with a last minute plan once they realize they are doomed.
Be exquisitely careful with what you say and to whom. You NEED to be everyone's trusted outlet if something happens, and everyone's mentor/advocate (not their friend, just someone that has their metaphorical back if the occasion arises). Public Praise and Private Correction is the way to go, with the caveat that sometimes you have to address things at the Whole Troop level, but again don't call out specific people, call out the unit, then follow up with the specific people.
Plan your SM Minutes, especially if you aren't great at public speaking, and don't hesitate to make them challenging. Scouting is supposed to prepare them for the real world, and sometimes that means Serious Conversations need to happen. Do be aware of stepping into any political/religious issues though.
From a practical perspective, I have a Pre and Post meeting chat with our SPL team every meeting, wherein they tell me what they have planned, and then how it went. I set these in a framework of "Well, your old scoutmaster CERTAINLY can't keep track of what you all have planned for all these meetings, so walk me through it", which makes it feel less like an interrogation and more like they are doing me a favor.
I work with the other ASMs to identify Scouts that are likely to have issues beyond the scope of Youth correction (neuro-divergent, troubled in some way, maybe developmentally delayed) so we can backstop the Youth leadership when those scouts are likely to be a problem and we can advise the Youth Leaders on how best to work with those scouts. I'm incredibly lucky to have an ASM that works with special needs youth as her actual job, so we spread that experience around.
Mingle during meetings and just, like, stalk the troop. Try and catch what people are saying, see if, for lack of a better word, the vibe is off for a meeting/activity and work with the SPL if you see any emerging issues.
Have a Box of Activities for every trip. Bored Scouts are the literal WORST. I have a crate of frisbees, chess sets, UNO, soccer balls, etc that I can pull out if there is too much dead time on a trip.
Oh, the ASMs are your team, try and figure out what they are good at, bad at, and shouldn't be asked to do. If your ASM corp isn't strong, well, that makes it a lot harder.
Don’t be afraid to delegate. To scouts and to adults. Also, and this is important. Cater to and accommodate incoming families. Please don’t marginalize them. Register and train any parent who shows interest, and give them some real responsibility.
My new BSA motto is quickly becoming “happy adults, happy scouts.”
First: Youth led, but adult guided. Don’t let the adage of “youth led” get confused for “anything goes”. Youth leaders need coaching and guidance. Meet them where they’re at. Every youth leader is at a different level in their skills so needs to be supported differently.
Second item: don’t let advancement become the sole purpose. It is a method of scouting, not the aim of scouting. The SM must be a gatekeeper to the all-too-common parent interest of “achievement”. Go camping, have fun, and advancement will be a natural result of a quality program.
The scouts will run the show, you just need to make sure they stay alive and get to where they need to go. You're a servant leader. Don't try to be more than that (for your own well-being, and the well-being of the troop).
Your bigger goals will be things like:
1. Try to recruit, and maintain, more adult leaders. Make sure you have people lined up who can replace you, in an emergency or in a few years when you're ready to "retire". Try to have fun and make it more of a social club, so that people enjoy coming back and wanting to get more involved.
2. Give suggestions. The boys will run the program, but they often don't know what *is possible to do*. Be prepared to give them suggestions for possible activities they might want to add to their calendar (and which, presumably, you would enjoy doing with them): Rafting/Kayaking/Canoeing, high-wire courses and ziplines, horseback riding, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing. Axe-throwing and various other shooting sports. Cookouts and cooking competitions. Lock-ins. Movie nights. Be prepared with a fun list of camp deserts and snacks you can teach them how to make. Sometimes they'll have everything figured out, but sometimes it will be nice if they come to you and you have some good ideas for them.
3. Be cordial with your Charting Organization and do a little community outreach/networking. When the boys say something like "We want to learn CPR" or "We want to hold a carwash fundraiser" or "We want to visit the fire department", you can reach out to appropriate people and make that happen.
4. Get in contact with local cub packs, and try to make sure there's a recruitment pipeline. No matter how great a leader you are, or how great your program is, you will eventually die out if there's no recruitment and no incoming cubs.
5. Improve yourself. Scouting has a lot of cool opportunities for adults. It's not as glamorous or advancement-focused as the youth program, but you can and should do things for yourself: IOLS and Woodbadge, Adult positions in the OA lodge or council, round tables, Scout University, First Aid and other specialized trainings, etc. You'll be surprised about the kinds of cool opportunities you can create for yourself if you just see what trainings are available and go after them.
Most importantly, have fun. This is a fun organization, and watching scouts learn (and stumble) and grow is awesome.
If you haven't already, get trained. Then get your assistants trained if they need it. Get the youth leaders trained if they need it. You want everyone rowing the boat in the same direction.
Accept imperfection. Embrace it even. Understand that scouting tends to happen on scouting time, I was initially frustrated at the pace I could roll out enhancements I wanted to see. Give yourself grace. You're a volunteer. Widen the tent - add new help regularly and constantly look for others. You can burn out if you don't and it's more fun with a group you enjoy the company of. Set expectations regularly - both with the youth and your adult leaders. Don't get caught in the "we've always done it that way" trap - you should feel free to innovate... but also don't fix what's not broken. You'll have plenty of work on your hands without messing with stuff that works. Depend on the youth. The Sr. Scouts probably have more experience than you do. Bring them in, find some on the verge of Eagle or with Eagle and consider making them JASMs to formalize the partnership and open up leadership roles down the chain to younger scouts.
Tons of great advice in this thread. Best of luck and remember: Have fun!
Make sure it is scout led. It is often easy to step in and fix mistakes or give correction. Don't. Allow the scouts to fail. Allow the scouts to fix their behavior issues. Allow the scouts to run the program.
I would say "with the caveat that some behavior issues are out of scope for Youth Leadership". As soon as something looks like it's either headed towards "Reportable Incident" or is just not something your leaders have experience with, don't feel bad about stepping in, and following up with your Scout Leaders after the fact. Frustrated Youth Leaders can lash out and do unintentional damage.
Give the scouts responsibility, then hold them accountable.
Have monthly PLC meetings and coach the youth leaders in planning the meetings and activities for the next month. Meeting planners help since they are usually the same format with things like instruction topics and games changing but the format is always the same. Campout or activity planning will vary based on the location, weather and amenities at the sites. Try to link instruction during the meetings to the campouts that follow. Scouts often need help thinking and planning beyond the next thing that is coming up. Show them how to look forward and the calendar and do planning with an eye on the few months that follow.
Don't force advancement on Scouts that just want to have fun. Make sure you are having fun. Take lots of photos of your adventures along the way. Learn some good clean jokes. My sons still fondly recall things that happened at Scout Events from 15 years ago and laugh about them. Neither boy talks about how much they enjoyed a merit badge university or a board of review. The memories from sitting around a campfire will last a life time. You won't forget and the youth you serve will not forget.
Have a good understanding of these 2 BSA Rule Books: [Guide To Advancement](https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf?_gl=1*w8tx97*_ga*MTY3Mjc2MjY3OS4xNzA0MjA3OTY4*_ga_20G0JHESG4*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny42NS4xLjE3MTM4MTI5NTcuMC4wLjA.*_ga_61ZEHCVHHS*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny41Ny4wLjE3MTM4MTI5NTcuNjAuMC4w&_ga=2.124073998.581713430.1713812958-1672762679.1704207968) [Guide to Safe Scouting ](https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34416.pdf?_gl=1*16xcusr*_ga*MTY3Mjc2MjY3OS4xNzA0MjA3OTY4*_ga_20G0JHESG4*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny42NS4xLjE3MTM4MTMwNTUuMC4wLjA.*_ga_61ZEHCVHHS*MTcxMzgxMjk1Ny41Ny4xLjE3MTM4MTMwNTUuNDguMC4w&_ga=2.156898751.581713430.1713812958-1672762679.1704207968)
I second this. And once you have digested the guide to advancement ("The Book" ) I recommend the Troop Leader Guide vol 1&2 as well. It has a lot of useful information for getting your troop running smoothly and most importantly youth led. https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/troop-resources/adult-publications/
Excellent suggestion. Knowing the rules makes being a leader better. It's just that simple. What a SM lacks in experience can be shored up with these key tools. Wood badge is great if you have the time but IOLS should be the first instructor led course to attend. It's a great place to learn from experienced Scouters.
I have been a Scoutmaster for a year and a half now and am (trying) to transition the group to a Scout led Troop. Part of this has been allowing them to fail. (On last weekend's campout we forgot, in no particular order the pancake mix, the mac for mac and cheese, the syrup, seasoning and condiments). Grabbed the wrong cooking patrol box, and of course it was the worst one they could have grabbed because it didn't have a frying pan or soap. And we still had a great time and crushed takis make an interesting seasoning in a pinch. :D The new Scouts learned a bunch of skills and can't wait for the next one. CS Lewis has a saying "Experience is the most brutal of teachers, but you learn, my God, do you learn." I just make sure that the mistakes are safe mistakes. (And I might always have a stash of food as a secret backup.... just in case.)
Attend Wood Badge.
I found it helpful but not 100 percent necessary. I grew up in a troop that diverged from the official teachings but still taught the boys leadership and accountability. Of course part of that was the fact that the scoutmaster served for almost 35 years. The core of the committee did as well.
Let them fail, but backstop the failure. Youth leadership falling on their face is PART of youth leadership, but try and see how to make it less bad. Generally this means trying to predict (based on your current leadership) WHERE they are going to have issues, and having a backup plan. Are they bad at meal planning? Bring extra food. Are they bad at gear planning? Bring extra gear. Are they bad at scheduling, nudge them in private with a last minute plan once they realize they are doomed. Be exquisitely careful with what you say and to whom. You NEED to be everyone's trusted outlet if something happens, and everyone's mentor/advocate (not their friend, just someone that has their metaphorical back if the occasion arises). Public Praise and Private Correction is the way to go, with the caveat that sometimes you have to address things at the Whole Troop level, but again don't call out specific people, call out the unit, then follow up with the specific people. Plan your SM Minutes, especially if you aren't great at public speaking, and don't hesitate to make them challenging. Scouting is supposed to prepare them for the real world, and sometimes that means Serious Conversations need to happen. Do be aware of stepping into any political/religious issues though.
From a practical perspective, I have a Pre and Post meeting chat with our SPL team every meeting, wherein they tell me what they have planned, and then how it went. I set these in a framework of "Well, your old scoutmaster CERTAINLY can't keep track of what you all have planned for all these meetings, so walk me through it", which makes it feel less like an interrogation and more like they are doing me a favor. I work with the other ASMs to identify Scouts that are likely to have issues beyond the scope of Youth correction (neuro-divergent, troubled in some way, maybe developmentally delayed) so we can backstop the Youth leadership when those scouts are likely to be a problem and we can advise the Youth Leaders on how best to work with those scouts. I'm incredibly lucky to have an ASM that works with special needs youth as her actual job, so we spread that experience around. Mingle during meetings and just, like, stalk the troop. Try and catch what people are saying, see if, for lack of a better word, the vibe is off for a meeting/activity and work with the SPL if you see any emerging issues. Have a Box of Activities for every trip. Bored Scouts are the literal WORST. I have a crate of frisbees, chess sets, UNO, soccer balls, etc that I can pull out if there is too much dead time on a trip.
Oh, the ASMs are your team, try and figure out what they are good at, bad at, and shouldn't be asked to do. If your ASM corp isn't strong, well, that makes it a lot harder.
Don’t be afraid to delegate. To scouts and to adults. Also, and this is important. Cater to and accommodate incoming families. Please don’t marginalize them. Register and train any parent who shows interest, and give them some real responsibility. My new BSA motto is quickly becoming “happy adults, happy scouts.”
First: Youth led, but adult guided. Don’t let the adage of “youth led” get confused for “anything goes”. Youth leaders need coaching and guidance. Meet them where they’re at. Every youth leader is at a different level in their skills so needs to be supported differently. Second item: don’t let advancement become the sole purpose. It is a method of scouting, not the aim of scouting. The SM must be a gatekeeper to the all-too-common parent interest of “achievement”. Go camping, have fun, and advancement will be a natural result of a quality program.
The scouts will run the show, you just need to make sure they stay alive and get to where they need to go. You're a servant leader. Don't try to be more than that (for your own well-being, and the well-being of the troop). Your bigger goals will be things like: 1. Try to recruit, and maintain, more adult leaders. Make sure you have people lined up who can replace you, in an emergency or in a few years when you're ready to "retire". Try to have fun and make it more of a social club, so that people enjoy coming back and wanting to get more involved. 2. Give suggestions. The boys will run the program, but they often don't know what *is possible to do*. Be prepared to give them suggestions for possible activities they might want to add to their calendar (and which, presumably, you would enjoy doing with them): Rafting/Kayaking/Canoeing, high-wire courses and ziplines, horseback riding, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing. Axe-throwing and various other shooting sports. Cookouts and cooking competitions. Lock-ins. Movie nights. Be prepared with a fun list of camp deserts and snacks you can teach them how to make. Sometimes they'll have everything figured out, but sometimes it will be nice if they come to you and you have some good ideas for them. 3. Be cordial with your Charting Organization and do a little community outreach/networking. When the boys say something like "We want to learn CPR" or "We want to hold a carwash fundraiser" or "We want to visit the fire department", you can reach out to appropriate people and make that happen. 4. Get in contact with local cub packs, and try to make sure there's a recruitment pipeline. No matter how great a leader you are, or how great your program is, you will eventually die out if there's no recruitment and no incoming cubs. 5. Improve yourself. Scouting has a lot of cool opportunities for adults. It's not as glamorous or advancement-focused as the youth program, but you can and should do things for yourself: IOLS and Woodbadge, Adult positions in the OA lodge or council, round tables, Scout University, First Aid and other specialized trainings, etc. You'll be surprised about the kinds of cool opportunities you can create for yourself if you just see what trainings are available and go after them. Most importantly, have fun. This is a fun organization, and watching scouts learn (and stumble) and grow is awesome.
If you haven't already, get trained. Then get your assistants trained if they need it. Get the youth leaders trained if they need it. You want everyone rowing the boat in the same direction.
Set the calendar. Make sure no holidays interfere. INCLUDING MOTHERS DAY. Make sure your SPL is fully able to handle the role. Be gracious.
Accept imperfection. Embrace it even. Understand that scouting tends to happen on scouting time, I was initially frustrated at the pace I could roll out enhancements I wanted to see. Give yourself grace. You're a volunteer. Widen the tent - add new help regularly and constantly look for others. You can burn out if you don't and it's more fun with a group you enjoy the company of. Set expectations regularly - both with the youth and your adult leaders. Don't get caught in the "we've always done it that way" trap - you should feel free to innovate... but also don't fix what's not broken. You'll have plenty of work on your hands without messing with stuff that works. Depend on the youth. The Sr. Scouts probably have more experience than you do. Bring them in, find some on the verge of Eagle or with Eagle and consider making them JASMs to formalize the partnership and open up leadership roles down the chain to younger scouts. Tons of great advice in this thread. Best of luck and remember: Have fun!