
Patrol Leaders' Council
One of the most significant (and least widely known) benefits of scouting is
the leadership experience that young men are able to get. It is almost
impossible to get anywhere near the degree of leadership experience typical in
scouting outside of scouting before adulthood.
The patrol leaders' council (historically also known as
"troop leaders'
council" and "court of honor") plans and runs the troop's program and activities
and gives long-range direction with an annual planning conference that lays out
the troop's calendar for the coming year. Composed of the troop's youth
leaders, the patrol leaders' council also meets each month to fine-tune upcoming
troop meetings and outings. They might also get together briefly after
each
troop meeting to review the plans for the next troop meeting and make any
adjustments to ensure its success.
Meetings of the patrol leaders' council are conducted by the senior patrol
leader — usually on the third Saturday morning of each
month. Patrol leaders and troop guides present the ideas and concerns of
their patrols, then take the council's decisions to the rest of the troop
members.
The Scoutmaster attends patrol leaders' council meetings as a coach and an informational resource. The Scoutmaster and troop committee retain veto
power over decisions of the patrol leaders' council, but should need to exercise
it only on rare occasions when the plans of the patrol leaders' council would
violate BSA policy or could lead to a situation that might jeopardize the safety
and well-being of troop members.
Troop Goals for 2008/2009
These are the over-arching goals set by the Patrol Leaders' Council at their
most recent annual planning conference:
- Have at least one outing per month
- Start and end weekly meetings on time
- 90% attendance at summer camp
- Each Patrol has two overnight outings
Youth Leader Position Descriptions
Junior
Assistant Scoutmaster
Senior Patrol Leader
Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
Troop Guide
Patrol Leader (here
is more guidance on this position)
Den Chief (here
is more guidance on this position)
Order of the Arrow Troop
Representative (here
is more guidance on this position)
Troop Bugler (here
and here are more
guidance on this position)
Troop Chaplain Aide (here
and
here
are more guidance on this position)
Troop Gamemaster
Troop Hikemaster
Troop Historian
Troop Instructor
Troop Librarian
Troop Quartermaster
Troop Scribe
PLC Meeting Agenda
Here is the agenda we are using to plan
our troop meetings.
Troop Program Features and Resources
Here are the Troop Program Resources documents, which should be used to help
plan meetings: