Patrol Leader - More Than Just a Title

B-P wrote in ‘Scouting for Boys’: “The main object of the Patrol System is to give real responsibility to as many boys as possible. It leads each boy to see that he has some individual responsibility for the good of his Patrol. It leads each Patrol to see that it has definite responsibility for the good of the Troop. Through the Patrol System the Scouts learn that they have considerable say in what the Troop does.”

I just posted the following on the “Guiders of Canada Unofficial “ Facebook page:
“Patrol system: I was a unit Guider for a couple of decades, then took some time away from units, being just a Trefoil Guild member. I have been back as a unit Guider for a few years now, and have mostly adjusted to the changes that have happened in the intervening years. But some things are still unclear to me.... Does anyone still use the Patrol System? I don't mean do you have Patrols, I mean, do you give your PLs responsibility to communicate with their members outside of the meeting, do you engage PLs and Seconds to teach Promise and Law to their new members, do you spend time with just PLs to help them learn and hone leadership skills? I haven't seen nor heard evidence of this around me, so wanted to ask a wider audience........”
The responses were very interesting to me, varying from “No but we should”, to “I’d like to learn more about it”, to “yes we did this with great success”. The job description for being a Patrol Leader (or a Circle Leader in Brownies) is very nebulous, it seems. Most PLs seem to collect the dues in their patrol, and walk in the front of the line when going into Horseshoe or Brownie Ring. Some collect materials or pass on instructions for an activity to their Patrol or circle, but that is it. Someone commented, rightly, that giving the PLs responsibility encourages and teaches them better leadership skills to take forward to the decision-making of Pathfinders, Rangers, and on into their adult lives. The comments I saw, and what I have been able to observe around me has inspired me to offer a picture of my past experience and methods for engaging and encouraging active, enthused and involved Patrol and Circle Leaders (and Seconds!).

When I was a Girl Guide, getting to be the Patrol Leader was a very big and somewhat prestigious deal. I loved my PL, and was a little in awe of her, too. Whether they were elected or appointed (that is a whole other discussion!), there was a little ceremony to install them officially and give them their stripes. PLs were held to a higher standard. They were role models to look up to, and were respected as leaders. They were given responsibility to not only take attendance of their Patrol and to record dues, but to help teach the new (Tenderfoot) Guides what they needed to know before enrollment, to help and encourage their Patrol to be prepared for Inspection (that’s a topic for another time!), to collect the Patrol’s opinions and ideas for group decisions or for upcoming projects or events, and to speak for the Patrol, reporting those opinions and ideas to the entire Unit later. Girls who were going to be absent from a meeting telephoned the PL to inform her. If there was important information or a reminder to be given before a meeting, the Guiders called the PLs, and the PLs called their members, relaying things like, “we are going outside this week – bring warm outerwear” or “don’t forget to bring your permission slip for our hike – this week is the deadline”. Every girl had phone numbers for their own Patrol, just so they COULD contact each other. Did Guiders still talk to parents? Yes, about things that needed parental input or permission, etc., but not for those reminders etc. – those became the girls’ responsibilities.

In my Unit, we tried to have a sleepover/Patrol Leader & Second training early in the year. We would
explore things like dealing with conflict in the Patrol, how to be courteous and tactful with Patrol members, what the responsibilities of the PL were, how she could involve the Second, and what the Second should know how to do if the PL had to be absent. We played team-building games, and gave the PLs resources to do similar things with their Patrols. We helped them put together Patrol Kits for their Corner, filled with the things they might need at Patrol Time – scissors, tape, glue, pencils, markers, paper, etc., but also knotting cord, knot cards, Promise and Law cards, and other resource materials. Songbooks too, were in the box, and were the responsibility of the Patrol to look after and return. Patrol Leaders and Seconds returned to Unit meetings after this sleepover with a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and privileges. They knew that being a PL or Second was an honour, not a right, and that not showing up or not trying their best to fulfill their responsibilities might mean they would be asked to step down and someone else would take the job.

We held a Patrol Leader “Court of Honour” every six weeks or so. That is another term I never see or hear any more, but was a traditional council meeting for PLs and Guiders and sometimes Seconds. It was agreed upon that “what’s said at CoH stays at CoH”, so that PLs could ask for help with problems or concerns regarding their members, knowing it would be treated confidentially and not gossiped about. They brought ideas and concerns from their Patrols, and helped decide what activities or events to discuss with their Patrols to get the whole Unit’s input. The Court of Honour also allowed the Guiders the opportunity to speak to any issues they had noticed, or to offer more leadership training. Usually one or two Guiders met with the PLs while other Guiders were busy with the rest of the Unit.

While Guiding’s early years saw Patrol Leaders being 14 or 15 years old, the age for Girl Guides dropped when Pathfinders were inserted in the structure of Canadian Guiding in 1979. That meant that PLs were now around 11 years old, instead of 15. It was a big shift, but the system held true and the girls learned and carried out their roles with great success. Even Brownie Sixers (or Circle Leaders as they were later called) could understand and take on some responsibility, thus preparing them for the greater responsibilities of being a Girl Guide. Their Guide experience in the Patrol System prepared them for the still greater decision-making responsibilities of being a Pathfinder, and so on. I did not find age to be a barrier.

There is, of course, a lot more to this topic, and I would be happy to chat about it all day. In my stacks of Guiding resources I have a GGC booklet, long outdated, but still containing pertinent points, entitled “Training the Patrol Leader” and I did garner a lot of ideas from that in the activities I offered in my Unit. In my opinion, the Patrol System works, but only if we work it. With the new “Girls First” program looming on the horizon, with its promise of girl-driven, girl-led programming, the Patrol System seems like an ideal vehicle to take our Units, regardless of age level, on a successful

trip through the possibilities of all that Guiding has to offer.

Your comments are welcome!

I'm having difficulties placing photos in this post but will put a few at the bottom. Till next time...

North Owl