Patrols:
The patrol method gives Scouts an experience in group living and participating citizenship. It places a certain amount of responsibility on young shoulders and teaches boys how to accept it. The patrol method allows Scouts to act in small groups where they easily can relate to each
other. These small groups determine troop activities through their elected representatives.
Baden Powell, the founder of Scouting famously said: “The patrol method is not a way to operate a Boy Scout troop, it is the only way.” For this reason, it is no surprise that Patrols are one of the fundamental methods of Scouting. Oftentimes, we think of a patrol as a subset of a Troop. I would like to turn that thinking on it’s head and think of a Troop as collection of Patrols. The Patrol is the primary unit in Scouting. Everything that we do should be as a patrol. We camp as a patrol, we cook as a patrol, we sit at meeting as a patrol. Every competition that we do be it a game, a merit badge, or a new skill should be done as a patrol. The patrol method is an opportunity to experience group living and participating citizenship. Scouts elect their own patrol leader just like we elect leaders of our country. In a patrol, we act in a small group where we can easily relate to each other. The patrol offers opportunities for leadership, and opportunities to learn about electing leaders.
I would like to encourage all of our patrols to start thinking differently about the organizational structure of our Troop. Think of your patrol as your primary unit. You patrol members are the people that you should develop close relationships with. These are the Scouts that you “do Scouting” with. What can each of you be doing to make your patrol better and to make it your own? Remember back to your early days at Scouts. The first thing we do with firstyear patrols is develop a name, a flag, and a patrol yell. Does your patrol have an identity?
What can you do to ‘own it’? Is it time to re-think your patrol name, or your patrol flag?
Does it represent the members? Remember, it’s YOUR patrol, so OWN IT!
BSA Troop 204 