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The
Senior Patrol Leader (SPL)
position is the most important leadership position in the troop. This
position is responsible for directing all troop activities. This
includes:
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planning meetings and events,
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carrying out the plan at
meetings/activities,
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setting up training for younger scouts,
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running ceremonies,
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reviewing the successes and failures of
each meeting/activity.
What does it mean to be the highest-ranking
scout? It means that you have the sole responsibility to direct all
troop activities (you are the leader of the troop). All scouts in the
troop are under your authority. You lead through our
Asst Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPLs).
Your charge is to:
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let the senior staff know what is
expected of them (tasks, timeframe, resources, etc.),
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answer any questions
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make sure that they carry it out.
This does not mean that you do any of the
work or even assist. This means that you direct, lead, command and/or
delegate. Demonstrating an activity or skill is also a way of leading
by example as long as scouts/patrols have an opportunity to try it on
their own. Because of this leadership role, the success or failure of
an activity rests with you (no one else).
It is expected that at this
point in your pathway through scouting you already have the skills and
knowledge to take care of yourself and a patrol. Your focus now is on
leading the entire troop. This is a much larger role. To do this you
can use the following:
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Other leaders:
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Subordinate Leaders: (ASPLs and
other scouts in leadership positions.) Review their roles in the
troop. They are your keys to success. If they do
not perform then you must work with them to improve their
performance. The ASPLs should be the scouts you work
with most often. They must carry out your directions
and report back to you.
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Scoutmaster & Assistant
Scoutmasters: They are your sounding board for help and
guidance. They should only step in when there are issues of
safety involved.
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Troop meetings
and activity plans developed by the scribe. These are the monthly
notes from PLC Meeting. You cannot run a meeting without
being prepared. Things will fall apart quickly. Meeting
plans should be reviewed with an adult leader and will be your guide
for each meeting. You must insure that everything is in place for
the meeting. Check with whoever was assigned a meeting task to make
sure they are ready. Do not assume that anyone will be prepared!
You must constantly remind and get commitment.
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Backup activities listing and plans.
You should always have a list of activities that you can use, just
in case things are not going well. In some cases you might need to
stop and re-direct the troop if an activity is not going well.
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Note cards for running ceremonies.
These will guide you through the commands you’ll need to run a scout
meeting or award ceremony.
The success of your tenure as Senior Patrol
Leader will depend on your preparation and your leadership skills.
Other Duties:
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Preside at all Troop meetings, events,
activities, and the program planning conferences.
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Chair the Patrol Leader’s Council.
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Assist the Scoutmaster with the process
of appointing leadership.
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Assign duties and responsibilities to
other junior leaders.
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Work with the Scoutmaster and Assistant
Scoutmasters in training junior leaders.
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If you cannot make a campout, assign an
SPL and ASPLs for the events.
Personally:
Finally, in Troop 880 leadership comes with
its own rewards. As the senior scout leader of the troop you are
welcome to enjoy these additional privileges. They are:
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So that your focus can be on the
scouts, food for all campouts and activities will be provided to you
by the adult leadership. When the adults eat together you’re
welcome to join us if you like.
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You also have first selection of troop
equipment.
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You have first pick among scouts for
tent site or bunk selection.
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You have authority to recommend scouts
for skill signoff (Scout to First class).
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