SCOUTING is an outdoor movement, with activities designed mainly for the fields and the woods. Yet, because of the very set-up of our present-day life, some of the activities of a Scout Troop are necessarily confined within the four walls of the meeting room. Here it prepares itself for its outdoor experiences, at weekly or fortnightly get-togethers.

As the years have gone by, some Scoutmasters have set this Troop Meeting upon a too elevated pedestal. They have spoken of it reverently; they have spent hours and hours in perfecting its programs and have seemed to consider that the conducting of a Troop meeting successfully once a week was the whole idea and purpose of the Scout Movement—that by running a fine, lively meeting on Friday nights—or Tuesdays or Thursdays—their work was done for seven days.

There never was a falser idol set up than this glorification of the weekly Troop meeting to the exclusion of other forms of Scout activity.

Troop Meetings A Means To An End

We must keep clearly in mind at all times that the weekly Troop meeting is but a means to an end. It is not an end in itself. Its business is not to be the Scouting of your Troop for a week. Its business is to make Scouting for a week—to inspire it, to pep it up, to give it purpose and activities, to make it extend all through the week in each Patrol's and each boy's life.

We can't accomplish much actual work in one and a half or two hours every week, but we can use those hours to motivate every other hour of the same period. And by motivate we mean to stimulate or to induce activity by providing a motive to every boy and every Patrol. Naturally, in this case as in others, it is the balanced schedule that counts, a schedule of—preferably—weekly or fortnightly Troop meetings, weekly Patrol meetings, fortnightly Troop Leaders' Council meetings, monthly hikes and camps, and other Scouting activities.

Since regular Troop meetings are a definite part of every Troop's life, it is imperative that they be well planned and well executed.

How Are Troop Meetings Planned?

As previously explained (Chat 26) the weekly Troop Meetings are planned by the Troop Leaders' Council on the basis of the monthly schedule which reflects the year's planning for the Troop's activities. While the program for the month as a whole is considered at the monthly Troop Leaders' Council meeting, the details of each weekly meeting are planned at the short half-meeting after the preceding week's Troop meeting is adjourned.

The details of the Troop meeting are planned in the Troop Leaders

The details of the Troop meeting are planned in the Troop Leaders' Council and leadership responsibilities distributed.

The advantages of this procedure are self-evident:

1. The leaders have the meeting just finished freshly in mind for criticism

2. That meeting will have suggested weak points to be corrected and ideas to be further developed.

3. All the leaders will be present, so that responsibilities may be readily assigned and necessary preparations immediately started.

4. Patrol Leaders may receive further suggestions on tying up their Patrol activities with the Troop's forthcoming gatherings.

5. Each meeting program will be "fresh," that is, only a week old when it is presented.

At these short Troop Leaders' Council meetings fifteen to twenty minutes should prove sufficient. The opportunity should be used for thorough discussion, careful planning and assignment of definite duties.

The ideal Troop meeting—like the ideal after dinner speech—is one that runs smoothly and is truly informal. But as the successful "extemporary" speech is the one which has been carefully planned, so the really informal Troop meeting is one in which the informality has been carefully thought out and arranged. On paper—and it should be put on paper—the program may look like an artificial "railroad schedule," but a "schedule" carefully kept means a smooth journey to the destination.

Requisites Of The Troop Meeting

The most important point in planning the Troop meeting is to apply the main considerations in all Scouting activities:

Action Variety Purpose

And beyond that it is important to keep in mind certain requisites from which meetings may be built:

PREPARATION—by this is meant the presentation —direct or indirect—of Scoutcraft or other boy interest subjects which will help the Scout to become "prepared." This may include:

Demonstrations—by Scouts, leaders, outsiders, involving the use of charts, blackboards, models, photos, drawings, lantern slides or films, or, preferably, the actual working materials, such as in first aid, knotting and lashing.

Boys want action and an outlet for their pent up energies

Boys want action and an outlet for their pent up energies. The Troop meeting provides this action.

Discourse—experiences related briefly by competent talkers, or short, interesting lectures on various subjects (such as "A Scout and His Reading," "The Value of Camping," "The Wonders of the Stars".)

Discussions—among the Scouts themselves to bring out and strengthen their knowledge of certain subjects^—based for example upon controversial statements, such as: "RESOLVED, that judging is a more important and useful requirement than cooking."

It should be a definite aim that each Scout should learn something new every time he comes to a meeting.

APPLICATION—making use of Scout experience already gained, thus providing further practice, in one or several of the following manners:

Scouting Games—involving Scout Requirements, quickness of action or thought, observation and deduction, use of the senses.

Contests—between Patrols or Patrol representatives —against specified standards, against time, against teams, against record of self.

Dramatizations—Patrol presentations of Scouting subjects in pantomime, or play form.

Drills—for the further development of habits of self-control, coordination of mind and muscle, quickness of reaction.

RECREATION—for variety and for building of Troop spirit.

Recreational games—with emphasis on physical action and fun.

Songs—serious or humorous, but plenty of them. Yells—to "blow off steam", for unity and morale. Story-telling—by Scouts, leaders, outsiders.

INSPIRATION—to keep the ideals of Scouting ever before the boys.

Ceremonies—closing and opening ceremonies, investitures, advancement and induction ceremonies.

Scout Oath and Law—occasional recitation of the Law, and rededication to the Scout Oath at special, outstanding events in the year's program.

Scoutmaster's Three Minutes—a short, inspirational talk by the leader at camp fire period toward the end of suitable meetings.

ADMINISTRATION—routine business matters will have to be looked after. While it has its training value, the time given for this should be kept at a minimum.