Our next district roundtable is Thursday, June 13th at the Springville Stake Center on Kolob Circle at 7:00 pm. Topic for this month is advancement. Committee chairs and  advancement coordinators are encouraged to attend.
We can share ideas on committee support for rank advancement for regular scouts, awards for Varsitys and Ventures, and the "how-to" of the merit badge program. If time, we'll also discuss ways to put together meaningful boards of review and courts of honor.
If some of you have questions on recruiting/training an Eagle Coach, we'll make time for that as well. Bring your questions, needs, and ideas that have worked for you.

The Hobble Creek Stake Roundtable on May 8 was very good and well attended. I didn’t count numbers, but I think we had as good attendance and participation as some of our district roundtables have been.  Here’s a summary of what I observed & learned:

President Vince Wilding did an excellent job of outlining scouting’s supporting role to the Aaronic Priesthood.  He used a few projected slides to review the mission statement of the Aaronic Priesthood and how we can accomplish the points therein. My observation was--though he didn’t mention it directly--is that his counsel and the principles he outlined are in tandem with the Scout Oath and Law.

Two of his key points: (a) the focus is all about “Duty to God” and the Aaronic Priesthood. We don’t do anything that doesn’t support the Aaronic Priesthood (b) it’s his feeling that we can’t predict the future of scouting in the LDS Church, but the Church will be able to always find the way to adapt ideals and programs that the Church and Scouting hold in common.

President Blaine Bird then outlined the need for the support of effective committees to take some of the burden off the unit leaders. Questions and answers were taken on the when and why of tour plans.

We then broke into 11-yr old, Scout, Varsity, and Venture age groups. I attended the Venture group. Young Men’s President Ben Knowlton opened the session up for questions and comments. Several of the brethren present discussed methods of teaching principles and letting the boys teach the priesthood classes. Getting the boys attending and involved in weeknight meetings and other activities was brought up. President Wilding pointed out the importance of developing traditions.

I’d like to hear how some of the other sessions went, as well as other Stake Roundtables. Let’s share ideas!

At our roundtable last night (4-11-2013), we discussed how to do a tour plan. This was one of the topics selected this month for roundtable. Our overall topic/theme for the month was the "adult association" method.
We did not have time to discuss how the two fit together. That connection may seem a bit obscure. But here's a few observations:
(1) If we teach our boys how to properly plan for an outing--including what needs to be done to keep the outing safe--we are modeling valuable lessons for the boys in planning and in safety.
(2) If we get the boy-leaders (Senior Patrol Leader, Varsity Captain, Venture President) to assist in the preparation of a tour permit--we are training them in some of the program elements involved in the outdoor method. (Remember there are eight methods--check your troop committee guidebook.) They can use this training when they become adult leaders themselves.
(3) If we have our committee organized to take some of the burden of planning an outing off the unit leaders (scoutmasters, varsity coaches, venture advisors), we leave them more free to relate to the boys in some critical areas: leadership training, character development, personal growth, participating citizenship, etc.
A couple of questions: Does your committee have an individual assigned to fill the jobs listed in the guidebook under "Outdoors?" Does your committee have an individual assigned to conduct relations with the parents? Do you have a secretary that could do the "nitty-gritty" work of filling out the tour plans? Check the guidebook. A dynamic scout program needs all the adult help it can get.

Theme for the month of April: Adult Association method. How involved should committee members be with the boys? How do you support unit leaders in their relationships with the boys?

Springville committee members: you're invited!

Time at our monthly roundtables is so limited, and not everyone can attend every month. Try this new blog to share ideas on common issues facing every scout committee! We're in it to support our leaders as well as our boys. Have a current issue or idea you want to discuss? Share it.

It may take me some time to figure this out: I'm new at blogging! Roundtable tomorrow night April 11, at 7:00pm. Springville Stake House on Kolob Circle sw of the Junior High. Like to see you there!