Patrols
BP said: “The patrol system is not one way to run scouts, it is the only way.” Scouts are divided into Patrols (we currently have 4), each one headed by a Patrol Leader with an Assistant Patrol Leader ready to step into leadership shoes. Patrol Leaders meet regularly in a Court of Honour to discuss with the Troop Scouter matters of concern in the troop. Your child will be assigned to one of these Patrols which is the basic building block of the troop and of scouts worldwide. Not every scout will become a patrol leader. However, we are confident that every scout will have multiple opportunities to learn and practise leadership. Scouts who advance past 1st Class are required to exercise leadership and planning skills and these are carefully evaluated.
Patrols engage in patrol activities such as patrol hikes, camps and meetings. There is generally no adult present on these activities and it is a formative experience both for the patrol leader and for the scouts to organise and take part in outdoor activities without adult supervision.
Patrol Leaders
The Patrol Leaders are senior scouts who are responsible for their patrols and the scouts in them. It is an honour to be appointed a Patrol Leader and one that not every scout will receive. Patrol Leaders are expected and required to take the time to organise and run patrol activities during the year. As such a Patrol Leader will spend time outside of scouts organising activities. We generally like our Patrol Leaders to be appointed for a period of up to 2 years and not less than 1 year.
Court of Honour
The Court of Honour is formed by the Patrol Leaders and the Troop Scouter. The Court of Honour is the way in which the Patrol Leaders help run the troop and the object is for the Patrol Leaders to take a greater and greater responsibility in the functioning of the troop. The Court of Honour deals with matters of discipline, the future programs, adjustments to patrol composition, teams for competitions, etc. We make very effort to ensure our Court of Honour meets regularly and is empowered to take decisions which will be binding on the troop.
Scouters
The scouters are all volunteers who give of their own time and expertise to provide enjoyment for the scouts. Many Scouters at 1“ Claremont are themselves ex-Scouts, most of them from 1“ Claremont. It is impossible to have too many Scouters or assistants and any help that can be given is welcome as Scouters all suffer from Real Life Syndrome and are unfortunately not always available.
The key person in the Scouters is the Troop Scouter. This is the person who turns up just about every Thursday to run meetings (and plans them ahead of time); who everyone turns to for decisions and who is responsible for the troop as a whole. It is all too easy for Troop Scouters to be burdened with every piece of work that no-one else wants to do; a culture that usually leads to early retirement of the Troop Scouter. As a result we try to remove many of the burdens from the shoulders of the Troop Scouter so that they can focus on the actual scouting and not be burdened with administrative demands.
The Troop Scouter is assisted by Assistant Troop Scouters. They have varying levels of involvement; some arrive every week; others can only come once a month. Whatever their involvement they assist the Troop Scouter by running meetings when asked; helping run portions of the program and running outdoor activities over weekends.
Scouters provide supervision where necessary but encourage the scouts to lead as far as possible.
