Troop Meeting
What is a Troop Meeting?
Our troop meetings are once a week where we work on scout skills, prepare for future events, and work on rank requirements. We meet Mondays at 6:45 for approximately 90 minutes behind First United Church Mont Belvieu.
Troop meetings are planned by Patrol Leaders and the Patrol Leaders Council. They may cover various scout skills or be preparation days for upcoming events
Each meeting must have a clear, defined goal and stick to the schedule. All participating PLC members need to know who is doing what and what the expectations are. Meetings must be productive and fun in order to keep scouts coming back. Chaos and inefficient meetings are a great way to kill attendance.
Printable-Troop-Meeting-Planning-Sheet.pdfThis is the Troop Meeting plan. Each section of the form is one section of the meeting. The time set for each activity must be planned accurately and appropriately. Let's talk about the sections of the Troop Meeting Plan and how to use them
Preopening (15-30 min)
The preopening might be the most important part of the meeting plan. This is where meeting organizer and SPL should be getting things ready for the meeting. After all, the scout motto is Be Prepared! Depending on setup time needed, you will need to meet anywhere from 15-30 minutes before meeting begins.
Opening Ceremony (10 mins)
The opening ceremony is Flags, Oath, Law, and Outdoor Code and any opening announcements
Group Instruction (10 mins)
The Group instruction should immediately follow the opening ceremony. The meeting organizer should give a brief overview of what will be covered and separate groups to stations.
Skills Instruction (30 mins)
The skills instruction should be the largest time slot of the meeting. There are 3 sections in the skills instruction marked by symbols. The circle is defined as essential skills. The square is challenging. The diamond is advanced skills. Select skills that need to be worked on and divide them based on difficulty. A good way to select skills based on difficulty is to look at your scout book rank requirements.
Breakout Groups (10 mins)
During breakout time scouts should be working on rank individually or working with their patrol. It is important that older scouts and adults are available during this time to assist the scouts in rank advancement.
Game/Challenge (15 mins)
Use a game to test the scouts skills they learned at this meeting. This is the fun part. Maybe the competition could have a small prize for the scouts that win?
Cleanup (5 mins)
Use the help around you to get things put back up. The scout house needs to be swept and tables straightened. Any equipment taken out needs to be put back up so we can find it for next time.
Closing (10 mins)
The closing includes announcements, scoutmasters minute, closing flags, and prayer.
Post Meeting
This is a quick 5 minute session to go over the next meeting and verify preparedness.
The SPL and meeting organizer should document the meeting on the back of the meeting plan to discuss successes and opportunities.
Well, now you know how to fill out the meeting plan, but what kind of things can you do during the skills and game? Well Scouting has lots and lots of resources for you to create fun and productive meetings. This link has activities for every section of the meeting plan. Just click on the section you need ideas for and find one that will work for you!