New Adult Leader?
Generally scout adult leaders become leaders because they had participated as a parent volunteer or were active scouts while youth. But in many troops, the adult leadership is assigned from their larger sponsor's membership (such as from a church congregation) without experience. These tips below are to help new adult leaders get some basic knowledge and to know where to get further training and assistance. The same basic steps apply whether you are a committee member, assistant scoutmaster, chairperson, or even the Scoutmaster.
- The first step is the background check. Fill out an Adult Application form and turn it into your local unit. They will contact your suggested references. Then the BSA will have some background checks done.
- Meet the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster(s), and Committee Chairman.
- Take the Youth Protection Training. You will need to create a login at https://myscouting.scouting.org/ and then select E-Learning and take the Youth Protection training. Some states have laws for further instruction, such as in-person class and test.
- The Youth Protection covers many policies; two key ones include: one-on-one contact between adults and youth members prohibited and And at least one registered adult and one other adult (both 21 or older) are required for trips and outings. If you see any adult breaking the rules, even innocently, please let them know. If any child is neglected or exposed to any form of threat, report it. (Some troops ask all parents to take the training too.)
- Find out who the youth leaders are, such as Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader(s). Note that scouting is a boy-led program. As an adult, don't try to assert authority over any meetings or activities, don't do the planning for the boy's activities, don't lead or direct the meetings, etc. The role of the adults is to provide safe meeting locations, safe travel to outings, some logistics, paperwork for scout applications and advancements, purchasing badges, etc. The adults may supervise, mentor, be a friend, or teach if invited by the patrols to teach. A good Scoutmaster sits in the back of the room while his boy-led unit runs itself.
- Wear a Boy Scout uniform with proper patches and accessories for the adult leader. Depending on your troop, you may have different uniforms for different activities, for example many wear informal scout t-shirts for weekly meetings or campouts.
- Obtain or make a schedule or a calendar for upcoming activities. The boy leaders will have frequent (maybe monthly) Patrol Leader Council meetings where they plan out activities as proposed by their patrols. Annually, the boys will hold a planning conference to create a calendar for the year.
- Review and learn the basic requirements for the scouting ranks, including for the Eagle-required merit badges. There are well over one hundred steps toward achieving the Eagle rank. The earlier advancement ranks are done in order. Some steps require good time management and pre-planning and even pre-approval.
- The troop is a part of a district which is a part of a larger council. Find out what district and council you are in. The district should have a Unit Commissioner that is assigned to assist your troop as needed. Meet your Unit Commissioner and find out about and possibly attend some local training opportunities.
- Attend local Roundtable meetings. These are monthly events for unit leaders that provide training and support for and between different area troops. They may provide program ideas which can be shared with the boy leaders.
- The BSA provides various training videos and courseware materials. Consider watching videos or participating in the Troop Committee Challenge, and This is Scouting, and The Barbecue: Working with the Troop Committee. Other training includes Boy Scout Leader Fast Start training, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training, Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, Philmont Training Center, Wood Badge, council training conferences, and a lot more.
- Scouting is fun; scouting is not about frequent classroom-only classes; scouting is outings!
- Remember, remember, that scouts is planned and led by the boys; let the boys learn leadership.
The amount of skills needed and trainings required may be overwhelming for many. We wrote the book to help summarize the fundamentals of scouting — Beginning Boy Scouts. Check it out!
If you are seeking ways to volunteer without being an assigned or official adult leader, have a look at [Getting Involved] for some ideas.