Boy Scout Troop 210 St Pius X School Rochester, Minnesota |
Dear Parent, Soon our troop will be holding elections for patrol and troop offices. Your son may wish to run for a leadership position, or he may be appointed to fill a position of responsibility. It is the purpose of Boy Scouting to provide an exciting program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. Holding and learning leadership is a primary part of this educational program. In fact, holding a leadership position is a requirement for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks (please see the Boy Scout handbook for more information regarding leadership requirements). Being a troop or patrol leader can be fun, exciting, and a real boost to a scout's self esteem. Our adult leaders have received training to guide the scouts in becoming as successful as possible in the leadership roles they will soon hold. It is our goal for the troop to be completely run by the scouts themselves. The boys will decide what the meetings and camp outs will be, handle the discipline, run the activities, and, in general, build character and train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship. A boy leader must be willing to make a commitment of time and effort to become successful. He may need to come early and leave late to meetings, he will have to have near perfect attendance as well as attending special leadership training and meetings. He will often have to prepare at home to be ready to lead his group on the next activity. He will need to have and wear a complete uniform. He willl need your help. Successful boy leaders have the support and guidance of their parents. The parents will provide transportation, encouragement, and the occasional "refocusing of purpose" that boys your son's age require. He will need to use the phone, go to every event, keep good records, have a complete uniform, and do a myriad of other things expected of him. The successful leader in Scouts learns quickly to be successful in everything he attempts. All along the way, adults and older scouts will help him to do his job better and better. As a parent of a scout leader, there are some don'ts: 1. Don't use scouts as a punishment. As a leader, it is his job to attend. 2. Don't do your son's assignment. He calls, He writes, He does the work. 3. Don't ignore him. Learn his assignments and make sure he is keeping up. 4. Don't expect too much. He is learning life skills and it will take time. 5. Don't expect too little. Your scout is old and mature enough to do everything he is asked to do. Please discuss this with your son. He will need your full support to become a troop or patrol leader. If you have any questions or concerns, call me before the election and we will discuss the best options for your scout's success. Troop election training will take place at the September 23 troop meeting, and elections will be held at the October 7 troop meeting. The term for all current positions will expire on October 7. The required Troop Junior Leader Training for all elected and appointed leaders will be on November 2 from 10:00am until 5:00pm. Doug Chartrand - Scoutmaster |
