The One Essential Feature of Scouting Explained

In one sense it’s easy. Just do it. In another sense, it’s very complicated.

There are a lot of issues to be considered when creating a Patrol.

There are two kinds of patrols.

There are patrols, lowercase “p”.

These are informal groups of boy that form naturally in neighborhoods, sand lot ball fields and elsewhere. This is the patrol structure that BP observed in the field.

There are Patrols, uppercase “P”.

These are Patrols formed in the implementation of the BSA Program within a Scout Troop. This is where it gets tricky. We are trying to reproduce something that is in actuality sort of nebulous. The formation of which involves the following: The child (boy). His personality, background, experience, culture, intelligence, inclinations, anxiety and fear, potentials, academic ability, spiritual/religious background, etc. The parents. A whole mess of goals, emotions, experiences and what not. The System.

Uppercase “S”. In other words, the BSA. It’s units, districts, councils, camps, staff and volunteers. It’s training materials, handbooks, online materials, training courses, training instructors, and commissioners. The actual adult leaders.

Particularly the Scoutmaster. His background in Scouting and in life. His expectations, goals, relationship to his/her children, his/her spouse, his/her other children, his/her parents, former Scouting experience, and so on. The other Troop leadership and all of the their stuff. You put all of that into a pot, stir vigorously and out pops a Patrol. It would be nice if everyone listed above understood perfectly and exactly what BP saw and implemented 100 years ago, but they don’t, won’t and can’t. It would be nice if everyone list above all had exactly the same goals and background experience, but they don’t, won’t and can’t.

Therefore.

Every Patrol looks different. Go figure, we’re human beings!

Actually, I personally think (IMHO) that this is a good thing.

Scouting attempts to lead and guide Scouting leaders to an understanding of what needs to happen so that they can then implement it in their own way, in their own community, in their own chartering institutions.

I say that’s good.