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Developing Youth Leadership in a New Troop

Starting a brand-new troop sounds exciting, but it is also hard. Everyone is learning at the same time. New Scouts are trying to understand the program. New adults are trying to learn their roles. Without guidance, things can stall fast. This story shows what happens when support is missing at the very start.

Many parents assume Scouting will just work on its own. They expect meetings, outings, and progress. When nothing happens, frustration builds. Scouts get bored. Parents lose trust. Leaders feel stuck. This is not because anyone is lazy. It happens when expectations do not match experience.

New troops do not look like old troops. They do not have trained youth leaders. They do not have traditions. They do not have routines. Expecting them to run like a ten-year-old troop causes problems. New troops need time, examples, and help.

This article walks through the main problems in this situation. It also explains what should happen instead. The goal is simple. Help new Scouts have fun. Help them learn skills. Help them grow into leaders without being set up to fail.

Understanding the Youth-Led Idea Without Losing Your Mind

A youth-led troop is a goal in Scouts BSA. Scouts learn to lead by watching others lead first. They need examples before responsibility. When adults do not mentor new leaders, Scouts feel lost.

Youth-led does not mean adults do nothing. Adults plan safety. Adults provide training for youth leaders. Over time, Scouts take over more tasks. This change should be slow and steady. Skipping steps leads to confusion and stress.

A strong troop balances guidance and freedom. Adults start by mentoring. Scouts practice with help. Later, Scouts lead on their own. When done right, youth-led works well. When rushed, it causes burnout and boredom.

Why New Scouts Need to See It Before Doing It

Scouts learn best by watching first. This is true for knots, cooking, and leadership. In older troops, new Scouts watch older youth run meetings. They see how trips are planned. They learn the rhythm of Scouting without even noticing.

In a brand-new troop, there are no older Scouts. No one knows the routine. That means adults must provide training to new leaders. This does not take power away from Scouts. It gives them a model to follow later.

Without examples, meetings turn into talking sessions. Scouts sit around and wait. They do not know how to move forward. They may want to have fun, but they do not know how to make it happen in a Scouting way.

Mentoring does not mean controlling. Adults can suggest ideas. Scouts can provide input. Over time, adults step back. This builds skill and confidence.

Using EDGE Without Skipping Steps

The EDGE method is used across Scouting America. It stands for Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable. Each step matters. Skipping steps causes trouble, especially with new Scouts.

Explain means telling Scouts what will happen and why. Demonstrate means showing them how it works. Guide means letting them try while you help. Enable comes last. That is when Scouts can work on their own. Training helps with all of these steps.

EDGE takes time. That is normal. New troops need more Explain and Demonstrate. As Scouts gain experience, adults can guide less. Eventually, Scouts are ready to lead on their own and feel proud doing it.

The Scoutmaster’s Job in a Brand-New Unit

A Scoutmaster sets the tone. In a new troop, that role is even bigger. The Scoutmaster helps the program get moving. They coach Scouts. They guide assistant leaders. They keep things from stalling.

Letting Scouts fail can teach lessons, but timing matters. New Scouts do not learn from failure when they do not understand the task. They only learn frustration. Failure works better after skills are learned.

A Scoutmaster should step in and provide training when nothing is happening. That is not taking over. That is leadership.

Tiny Rooms and Empty Closets

Meeting space matters. A small storage room limits energy and movement. Scouts need room to practice skills. They need space to play games. Sitting at a table every week drains excitement.

Outdoor meetings solve many problems. Parks, fields, and yards work well. Scouting does not need four walls. Many skills are better learned outside anyway.

Equipment is another challenge. New troops often have none. Sometimes they can borrow equipment at first. Waiting for perfect space or gear slows progress. Simple solutions work fine. The goal is action, not perfection.

Parents See Problems Before Paperwork Does

Parents notice when nothing happens. They see bored Scouts. They hear complaints. When meetings feel pointless, confidence drops fast.

Clear communication helps. Parents need to know the plan. Even small plans help. A simple hike or picnic shows progress.

Parents can help without running the troop. They can support outings. They can help with rides. They can encourage training for leaders.

When parents feel heard, trust can return. Silence and conflict drive families away faster than slow progress.

Steps That Can Get Things Moving Again

Training is a good first step. Online and in-person courses help adults understand their roles. Even basic training makes a difference.

Asking for help is not failure. District and council leaders exist for this reason. They have seen these problems before.

Resetting expectations may be needed. That includes leadership roles, meeting plans, and adult involvement. A fresh start can help everyone breathe.

Small wins matter. One outing can change morale. One fun meeting can restore hope. Momentum builds from there.

More Resources

Scouts BSA Youth Leadership Positions Video

Frequently Asked Questions

What does youth-led really mean in a new troop?

Youth-led means Scouts slowly learn to plan and lead with adult support. In a new troop, adults need to provide training first. Scouts cannot lead well without examples.

Is it okay for adults to help plan meetings and trips?

Adults should mentor at the start. They can advise on meetings, explain tasks, and show how trips work. Scouts should still provide the input though. As Scouts gain experience, adults should step back little by little.

What does “let them fail” mean in Scouting?

Failure can teach lessons, but only after Scouts know the basics. Letting new Scouts fail without training only causes frustration. Early on, adults should prevent failure by guiding and teaching.

How does the EDGE method apply to leadership?

EDGE stands for Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable. New troops need the first three steps the most. Training helps with this. Enable comes later. Skipping steps causes confusion and stalled progress.

What should a Scoutmaster do in a brand-new troop?

A Scoutmaster should get the program moving. They coach Scouts and guide adults. They help provide advice on meetings and outings. They encourage Scouts to embrace leadership roles.

What if the troop has no space or equipment?

Scouts can meet outside in parks or fields. Borrowing equipment can help early on. Perfect space is not required. Action matters more than location.

What can parents do if nothing is happening?

Parents should ask questions and request a clear plan. They can suggest training and outside help. Calm communication works better than conflict.

Where can new leaders get help?

Training and support are available through Scouting America. District and council leaders can help new troops reset and move forward.

Teaching Kids to Drive Before Handing Over the Keys

Starting a brand-new troop is hard, especially when no one has experience. New Scouts do not know how meetings work or how trips are planned. New adults are also learning. When everyone is told to figure it out alone, progress stops. Scouts get bored and confused. Parents lose trust.

Youth-led leadership is a goal that takes time. Scouts need to see how things are done before they can do them. In older troops, new Scouts learn by watching older youth leaders. In a new troop, adults must provide more support at first. This includes advising about meetings, explaining tasks, and modeling behavior. As Scouts gain experience, adults can slowly step back.

Letting Scouts fail only works when Scouts understand the task. New Scouts who fail without training do not learn leadership. They learn frustration. The EDGE method helps prevent this by starting with explain and demonstrate. Enable comes later. When adults skip steps, Scouts are left without tools to succeed.

Posted on

August 29, 2023

Comments

3 responses to “Developing Youth Leadership in a New Troop”

Jon Tapply

January 29, 2022

I am a Scoutmaster for a troop of boys that most have special needs or the young scouts have no experience.They have various conditions that limit their social or cognitive ability. These boys are leaders of the troop. I tell them all; “Every Scout is a Leader”. WE practice this.
But I take a Leader mentor role in working with them. I tell them; “I will not let you fail”. While lessons are learned from failures, it is true only if failures are used constructively. It is the SM’s role to make all scouts believe they can succeed, not fail.
Scout led troops have to be based on the abilities of the scouts. If the scouts need more mentoring to be successful it is up to the adult leaders to provide this. The end goal is a troop of scouts enjoying the process of scouting, advancing and growing. The goal should always be to have the scouts take on more responsibility but teaching and mentoring and guiding should be an active process.

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Edmund J. Rainsford

June 18, 2022

Having been a Scout in the 1960s, and earning Eagle in 1963, the description of the case study was not how it was done then. Based upon some reading, this “boy-led/girl-led” mantra seems to have emerged in the 1990s after the failed 1980s “disco-era” of Scouting. Go back and read Baden Powell and “Green Bar Bill “ and their tenets . Scouts should lead when they are ready. It is a continuum.
The absolute hazing” of “boy-led/girl-led” for those not ready to lead, is nothing more than a perversion of the BSA program. It is a cop out for lazy adults, many of whom were “never there nor done that” as youths, and a salve to their own egos.

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Scouter Eric

March 17, 2023

This is an old post but I’ll answer anyway to encourage those starting a new girls troop in 2023. These problems can be solved! We were in the exact same situation when we started our all-girls troop in 2019. Everyone was new, none of the scouts understood the scouting program, so we couldn’t be “scout led”. We found the solution, and grew rapidly to our current size of 56 female scouts.

The first thing is for the adults to quickly educate themselves on the scouting program and how it works. We were lucky in that we had some excellent male alumni scout leaders from another troop who all had daughters and were committed to helping our troop get off the ground. Find at least one of those, it will save you a lot of time. BUT, it’s OK if you can’t! You can educate yourself comprehensively in about 2 weeks if you dedicate your evening hours to the task. There are a series of excellent, comprehensive, though slightly boring online training available on myscouting.org.

It’s well worth it. Go through the modules for 1) troop committee, 2) Assistant Scoutmaster, and 3) Scoutmaster. Read the first 50 pages or so of the official scout manual, and thumb through the rest. If you want a successful troop, get yourself educated.

If you have a supportive linked troop you can also sit down for multiple coffee meetings and get questions answered. It sounds like this new scouter mom’s sponsoring organization was not super helpful, which is a shame, but that’s fine, you don’t really need their help if you educate yourself.

If the Scoutmaster doesn’t know anything about camping, they need to recruit another adult leader who DOES know about camping, and make them the Assistant Scoutmaster for Outings, to get things rolling. Ideally somebody who has experience in scouts BSA. This can be a dad from the linked troop. As long as you have 1 female adult leader along for every outing, you’ll still be in compliance for the Youth Protection Policies. If you can’t find such a person, sign up for “wood badge” adult training (amazing training all your leaders should do if you can find it) with your local council. The tricky thing is that most councils only offer this once per year, so it may have to wait. Find an experienced camper if you can. Additionally, your scout manual is an excellent “how to camp, what to bring.” manual.

You don’t need to buy a bunch of stuff, if you live near an REI you can rent most things.

Next, before you really get the troop going you need more scouts. Ask for each scout to “bring a friend” and double in size. They don’t even need to know what they’re signing up for yet, just tell them you’ll go camping and ziplining and putt-putt golf & earn badges and have fun. Good enough for now. You can do all those things and more. Having fun is the key. If they don’t have fun, they won’t come back, and you won’t have a troop. So focus on having fun and bringing friends to build momentum before you work on all the rest of the scouting program. Get to 12. You need critical mass to have a proper troop, and 12 is a good number for momentum. We had several “pre-formation outings” to build momentum and launched our troop with 24 scouts. Our pre-formation outings were putt-putt, a rafting day trip, and a cabin camping overnight.

I highly recommend your first overnight outing be a Cabin camping outing. We are in an urban area so we decided to ease them into the idea of camping. We did this and it was a massive hit. The girls all had a great time. We built a fire, cooked awesome food, did fun outdoor activities, then everyone retired to their comfy cabins, slept in beds, or stayed up all night talking. That first outing bonded the troop in a powerful way, and whet their appetite for more. Ease them into it.

Do an easy backpacking trip next, like a 1 mile flat hike to a spectacular spot in a national forest, so they can be by themselves. Don’t go to a campground next to a bunch of RV’s. Get away from crowds. Soon enough they’ll be ready for longer or harder trips. After our launch we did an overnight every month, and within 6 months we had 24 scouts sign up for Survival Night, (look up the requirements for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge) and they loved it, because they were ready.

Note, we were careful to make sure it wasn’t going to rain on any of those initial 3 trips, and the survival night. We would have cancelled if the forecast was grim. Keep those early trips as pure fun as possible, with minimal suffering. There’s plenty of time for scouts to experience “type 2 fun” and suffer a little bit, later on. Early momentum is critical.

Now, the reality is, you will not have a fully functioning “Scout Led” troop during the first year. Recognize that. For the first year or so, your scout officers (Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leaders) won’t have any idea what they’re doing. So your Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster will have to model the behavior you want the scouts to do. You’re using the EDGE method as the 1st reply said. Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable (I like to say “Encourage” as well)

What you CAN do is make sure the weekly meetings are FUN and the outings are FUN, by suggesting a big menu of fun activities and letting the scouts choose what they want to do, which may include their own ideas. (We had 1 meeting which was purely Dance Dance revolution.) Ideally, you don’t want to focus too much time on advancement initially. just get them outside doing fun things that also happen to fulfull a few requirements now & then. Having an ASM focus on advancement planning through first class is helpful.

After a year, the NEXT elected patrol leaders will know what to do, because they’ve seen the adults model the leadership. That 2nd PLC (Patrol Leader’s Council) will still need lots of mentoring, but you’ll have a mostly scout led troop. By the 3rd year, you’ll have some “senior scouts” who’ve been to summer camp 2 times, who are Star or Life rank, and who can now take over mentoring the younger scouts. It takes 3 years for any new organization to establish a culture. You’ll get there sooner than you know it!

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is! But I promise you that if you start a new scout troop and grow it quickly to “critical mass”, then nurture it and mentor the young scouts as the grow up, it will be probably the most rewarding 3 years or your life. We did it from Feb 2019 to 2023, and created a wonderful, thriving troop of 56 scouts (and growing) that will outlast our lifetimes, I’m sure. Along the way, my daughter became our troop’s 9th Eagle Scout!

You can check us out at troop 6 8 1 . o r g

Good luck to all those looking to give their daughters the wonderful gift of scouting. In my opinion there is no finer leadership training program for youth anywhere than the Scouts BSA program. The things they learn will be priceless, but you need to help create a large enough troop (12 to 18) so that they have enough scouts to actually lead.

Good luck!

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