Hello Troop 648
Our troop’s 2015-2016 leadership team met this weekend at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort for our annual planning retreat. Scouts who are First Class and above typically make up our leadership group.
Background Info…Adult leaders work with new scouts for the first year or two to help them achieve the rank of First Class. Scout to First Class ranks are primarily made up of scouting skills (e.g. map & compass, cooking, knots, etc.). From Star to Eagle ranks, scouts work on leadership skills, service projects, merit badges and teaching younger scouts. It is the latter group of scouts that makes up our Patrol Leadership Council (PLC). As you probably know, the PLC meets the beginning of each month to discuss meeting and outing plans for the current month and upcoming months, among other things.
The August retreat is when the new PLC plans the entire year (Oct-Sept). They come prepared to present and discuss outing options, service projects, fundraising ideas, and other items. As a ‘boy led’ troop, it is the scouts who do most of the planning. The output of the weekend included:
- Discussed troop and personal goals
- Voted on 11 locations for outings. Each outing has a scout leader and an assistant leader in charge of planning and organizing the outing.
- Discussed and determined top 3 potential summer camp locations.
- Determined monthly themes including Camping, Forestry, Fishing and Orienteering, for next 12 months.
- Discussed service project opportunities.
- Discussed how to improve meetings, camping trips, adult participation, etc.
The scouts did a fantastic job! A lot of time and energy went into the PLC retreat. The scouts worked hard to put together another exciting year for T648. Thanks also to Mr. Benji, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Cole and Mr. Conrad for all that they did for this weekend.
My ‘back of the napkin’ estimate of over 400 man hours spent planning the upcoming year by all those involved is evidence of the commitment we have in providing the best scouting experience in the Valley.
Parents and Guardians- Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 1st, 7:00pm. This will be our next Troop Committee meeting. We have a lot to cover during this meeting including sharing calendar details for the coming year. All adults are welcome. It’s a meeting you don’t want to miss!
If you have any questions, please contact me. See you on Tuesday!
Scoutmaster T648
