Scouting, Volume 70, Number 1, January-February 1982 Page: 5
58, E1-E24, [16] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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For more ideas fop hikes, see pages
205-207 of the Official Boy Scout
Handbook and pages 214-219 of the
Scoutmster's Handbook.
COMMUNICATING
WITH PARENTS
If there is one complaint of Scout-
masters that is heard more often than
any other, it probably is, "I can't get any
;help from parents."
No doubt that's true of some parents.
A few fathers and mothers aren't much
interested in their kids beyond provid-
ing the bare necessities for them. If their
sons want to join Scouting, it's O.K.
with them just so they don't have to be
bothered about it.
But believe it or not, most parents
aren't like that. They're willing to help,
at least once in a while, when they
know what needs to be done. Too often,
though, Scoutmasters and troop com-
mittees suffer because they have not
established good communications with
the troop's families. The parents are left
in the dark about how they might help.
Many parents will not respond to a
general appeal, such as, "Hey, how
about some of you joining the troop
committee to help us out?" But they will
respond if the request is very specific:
"We need someone to keep our trea-
surer's books," or, "Will you drive some
Scouts to Camp Seneca next Friday
evening?" or, "Will you come out Sat-
urday morning to help with our waste-
paper recycling drive?"
For such parents, the request for help
must be specific, with a definite date
and time period and a definite job to be
done. All they need is to be asked.
The key is, of course, good commun-
ications between troop leaders and the
parents. Communication should start as
soon as a boy joins the troop and con-
tinue as long as he's a member. Veteran
Scoutmasters have found that it is most
helpful to have an informal meeting
with the parents when a boy first signs
up as a Scout-
This has a couple of values. First, the
parents see the Scoutmaster not as an
abstraction named Mr. Smith but as a
person much like themselves who is
interested in their son. They are much
more likely to respond to a call for help
when they know the man who is asking.
Second, this meeting gives the Scout-
master a chance to size up the parents
as to their willingness, their abilities,
and their interests. If he finds that Dad
is an engineer and Mom used to be a
Cub Scout den leader, he has a good
handle on the resources they might be
able to bring to the troop program.
It's important to keep up commun-
ications after that initial meeting. There
are two good ways to do it, at parents'
meetings and by a troop newsletter.
Parents' Meetings. These should be
held at least quarterly, when the troop
holds a court of honor, or for special
purposes such as camp promotion or
troop skill exhibitions. With minimal
planning, such meetings can be used to
keep the parents informed about what's
happening, forthcoming events requir-
ing adult help, and the troop's needs.
Troop Newsletter. For ongoing com-
munications, this is perhaps the surest
method. A newsletter published every
month or six weeks helps to keep par-
ents informed on a regular basis.
NEW OFFICIAL
PATROL LEADER
HANDBOOK
Your best all-around resource for
troop meetings and outdoor events is
the Official Boy Scout Handbook. In
second place is probably the new Of-
ficial Patrol Leader Handbook.
Published in 1980, the Official Patrol
Leader Handbook is, of course, aimed
primarily at the new patrol leader. But
it is also an excellent resource for troop
activities because it is full of games,
contests, and hike and campfire pro-
gram ideas that can be easily adapted
for the whole troop. You will find, for
example, that many of the events sug-
gested for Interpatrol Activities in the
program feature plans in this booklet
are taken from the new Official Patrol
Leader Handbook.
Be sure that each of your patrol
leaders gets a copy. Have one for your-
self. Skim through it to check the wide
variety of activities the troop can use.
The 204-page book is especially
valuable to the new patrol leader
because it explains in simple, clear
language how a patrol works and why
the patrol method is the essence of good
Scouting. The book stresses the impor-
tance of regular patrol meetings and
other activities (apart from the troop)
and has a host of ideas for patrol
projects.
Even if your troop budget is tight,
stretch it to include a few copies of the
new Official Patrol Leader Handbook.
It's available at your local council ser-
vice center or Scout distributor's store
for $1.75.
Hor^e and Rider
SCOUT 5 APR 82
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 70, Number 1, January-February 1982, periodical, January 1982; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353688/m1/98/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.