Last night was the first meeting with the newly crossed over Scouts. We added 5 to our Troop and they are now all members of the Phoenix Patrol. All 5 showed up ready to go with books and uniforms. One of our existing Scouts missed the meeting because of a Youth Group meeting at the same time. Another Scout, who also participates in Youth Group told me “I was going to go but I knew the new guys were coming tonight so I thought it would be better if I were here.” What a great sense of stewardship he has already.
At the meeting we covered the elements of the Scout badge (using my velcro display board) and how to tie the good turn knot – that could have gone better. From there the Scouts were sent off to get the menu and activities sorted out for our campout in 3 weeks.
During the meeting I got to speak with the new parents and answer lots of questions. I’ve got one potential committee member/ASM and one possible merit badge counselor. Repeatedly I emphasized how Boy Scouts is about autonomy and empowering the boys to do for themselves. For some it’s going to be a difficult transition from the Cub Scout way of doing things. I already had parents suggesting specific outings. “It’s all up to the boys” was my response. ”If the boys decide to do it we will make it happen but it is their program and they decide what we do and where we go. Our place as adults and leaders is to give them the right guidance to get there and keep them out of dire harm along the way.”
When the boys went out for their game time I got a few looks that seemed to imply “Why aren’t you going with them? Why are all the adults here and they boys aren’t in sight..?” We had a handful of Eagle Scouts outside with them so I wasn’t concerned in the slightest. While they were outside I got to speak with 2 of our Eagle Scout’s about their upcoming Courts of Honor. As I “rsvp’d” to one of the Scouts he said he was glad I would be there and that me NOT being there would be the next worst thing to him not being there himself. Flattering as I haven’t had all that much time together with this Scout through his career. I also spoke with our COR. Unfortunately nothing has come back yet as far as the Woodbadge scholarship. I also expressed to him that in addition to the service activities they normally involve us in (flags on the veteran’s graves for memorial day and a few others) to please keep us in mind if there are other things we can help with. We’re grateful for their sponsorship and are looking for more opportunities to give back.
After that it was back inside to wrap up. One Scout was presented with his Scout rank badge and all received their Phoenix Patrol patch. We closed out with a Scoutmaster’s minute about Boss vs. Leader and how they will all have the opportunity to lead.
In group development the phases are forming, storming, norming and performing. The Patrol is definitely in the forming phase.
The [Scout's] behavior is driven by a desire to be accepted by the others, and avoid controversy or conflict. Serious issues and feelings are avoided…
…Individuals are also gathering information and impressions – about each other, and about the scope of the task and how to approach it. This is a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat means that not much actually gets done.
The team meets and learns about the opportunities and challenges, and then agrees on goals and begins to tackle the tasks. Team members tend to behave quite independently. They may be motivated but are usually relatively uninformed of the issues and objectives of the team. Team members are usually on their best behavior but very focused on themselves. Mature team members begin to model appropriate behavior even at this early phase. Sharing the knowledge of the concept of “Teams – Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing” is extremely helpful to the team.
Supervisors [Scoutmasters] of the team tend to need to be directive during this phase.
The forming stage of any team is important because, in this stage, the members of the team get to know one another, exchange some personal information, and make new friends. This is also a good opportunity to see how each member of the team works as an individual and how they respond to pressure.
What an exciting time to be a Scoutmaster!
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