We made what I hope is a step forward in the troop tonight. A short meeting of the current Assistant ScoutMasters (ASMs) to present a shift in the program.

Our troop was around 16 scouts when the previous Scoutmaster started his term. I learned what I know from him, so I just did what he had done. Unfortunately, with 55 scouts, his way of managine a 16 scout troop has not been working so well. So, tonight we're starting to distribute the Scoutmaster duties to the ASMs. It will take effect with the new SPL and patrol leaders elected at the end of this month.

Each patrol will have an ASM that has volunteered to mentor its patrol leader and help guide its progress. This ASM will be aware of the rank and needs of each scout in the patrol and will encourage the patrol leader to hold regular patrol meetings, help patrolmates succeed, and contribute to the troop.

I am extremely excited to see how this goes for the next 6 months. 6 of our 8 patrols have an ASM, but I'll continue to mentor the two older patrols unless someone else steps up. (Our patrols are age-based). This isn't a huge change in program, but I'm hoping that defined direction for the ASMs will have a positive impact on the participation, retention, and advancement of the scouts.

If you would like a copy of my notes on ASM duties, just give me a holler and I'll send you a short Word doc.

Scout On