Every year the troop does JLT (junior leadership training) where we get together with the scouts and discuss leadership roles in the Troop, and put them into practice through games and activities. This year, we needed a big clean-out of our equipment shed – it was getting a little tricky to move in there, and our Quartermaster didn’t have an up-to-date gear list. With our Yard Sale coming up in a couple of weeks it was a perfect time for a scout-led spring-clean.
Who knows how or why we ended up with 25 pairs of 1970s scout shorts… maybe they will be a hit and start a new fashion trend at the Yard Sale 🙂
Next, the scouts had a meal planning and prep session. Scoutmaster provided a set of constraints (including every course must contain strawberries!) along with a basket of ingredients that were on special at Safeway (a scout is thrifty). After planning a shared menu, each patrol then made their own versions – and subjected them to a rigorous judging panel. Lastly the scouts and parents got to rummage in the “to go” clothing pile – with many scoring classic troop t-shirts, some barely used water shoes, backpacks and more. It seems we didn’t reduce the pile of vintage shorts much, however.
This year was also our first (and probably first of many) concurrent Adult Leadership Training sessions: it’s important to share and pass-on specific troop knowledge along with core BSA policies and operating procedures. A useful interactive session that de-mystified much of how the Troop works from a parent/adult perspective.
