Ten Practices for Retaining Older Scouts

Put a few Scoutmasters in a room and eventually the talk will turn to retaining older boys. They will speak ruefully of how they are loosing their older Scouts to car keys and girl friends, how Troops struggle to keep them interested and involved. Not every Troop has this problem though – what keeps their older Scouts actively interested?

  1. The older Scouts run the Troop. They have real, uncoerced, independent responsibility for the welfare of the Troop’s program. They own their triumphs and failures.

  2. They are encouraged and supported by the adult leadership from a respectful distance.

  3. The Adults accept that mistakes are inevitable, they are not punishable crimes, and they work hard to be encouraging and understanding when mistakes happen.

  4. Older Scouts are allowed some room to be teenagers (but never at the risk of propriety safety).

Teenagers do strange, unpredictable, hilarious things at times.

Purple hair, a unique hat, an enthusiasm, and a hundred other little quirks are accepted with nothing but a slightly raised eyebrow. The adults save their energy for more important battles.

  1. The glass is always half full.

Scoutmasters accept that they will not see every older Scout on every single outing or at every meeting.

Beyond that they encourage their older Scouts to participate in a number of activities outside of Scouting and show some interest these pursuits.

  1. A healthy, strong, vibrant atmosphere of positive peer pressure is encouraged. every achievement is celebrated, every shortfall is minimized.

  2. Respect, real concern and care for the welfare of the younger Scouts is always the first priority.

There is no cruelty, bullying or hazing.

  1. Scoutmasters don’t nitpick the older Scouts decisions or offer much in the way of unsolicited advice.

  2. Older Scouts are given plenty of time to spend with each other. They will always value the times they spent working with the older Scouts but must be allowed plenty of time with their peers.

  3. Scouts, both old and young, are made to feel accepted, safe, and happy.