Scoutmaster Conference Guidelines

Purpose
1. Requirement of rank advancements
Challenge the Scout to accept his responsibility for his growth in Scouting
1. Goal setting aimed at the needs & interests of the boy
  1. Specific
  2. Measurable
  3. Attainable
Evaluate the boy
1. Completion of the goals
  1. Advancement
  2. Attendance and Involvement
  3. Service Projects
  4. Having fun
2. Attitude
  1. Scout spirit
  2. Service to others
  3. Citizenship
  4. Having fun
3. Leadership
  1. Keeping the group together
  2. Getting the job done
  3. Having fun
Council with the boy
1. Determine the boy's feelings
  1. Likes
  2. Dislikes
  3. Needs
  4. Problems
  5. Wants
  6. Determine: What to continue, What to Stop and What to start
2. Build a relationship
  1. Set an example
  2. Establish confidence
  3. Build a rapport with an adult

Some Conference Guidelines

The following are some guidelines for the Scoutmaster conference for the first three ranks. The rules are about the same, but since the ranks are progressive, the conferences should reflect the progression.

The New Scout Conference

Here's where you and a new Scout really start getting acquainted. Begin by creating the friendly, relaxed atmosphere we spoke of earlier. Get the new Scout talking about himself by asking what his favorite hobbies and sports are. What did he enjoy most about his Cub Scout and Webelos experiences? Any brothers or sisters? Why did he want to join the troop, and what does he hope to get from his Scouting experience here?

Chat a bit about the joining requirements he has completed. Any problems? Did he and his parents review the booklet on child and drug abuse? Any ideas or comments about it?

Now walk through the Tenderfoot requirements with him, and help him being to set some goals. What requirements will he do first, and how long will it take to finish the rest of them?

Briefly review how the troop operates -- the weekly troop and patrol meetings, the outdoor program, continuing advancement opportunities. Remind him gently that the Scout Oath and Law are not just something to be memorized, but to be lived up to.

Direct his attention to the statement related to the duty to God concept found on page 561 of the Boy Scout Handbook. Ask him how he understands it. Talk about the importance of learning about his faith from his religious leaders and parents. Ask him to describe ways in which he can do his duty to god. There is no wrong response. As he matures in both his faith and in Scouting, his response should become more articulate. Duty to God should discussed at many Scoutmaster conferences and boards of review, not just at the Eagle board of review.

Encourage him to start on his religious emblem program.

Ask him if he has any remaining questions, comments, or concerns. Tell him you'll be looking forward to the next conference, when he will have completed his Tenderfoot requirements. But invite him to come to you any time he has a questions, a problem, or needs some advice. And mean it!

Sample New Scout SMC Worksheet

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The Tenderfoot Conference

Begin by congratulating him on completing his Tenderfoot requirements. Explain that he will shortly appear before the troop board of review and be certified as a Tenderfoot, and will be awarded his badge soon afterward. Assure him that the board of review is not a retest, but a chance to talk with the troop committee on how he's doing.

Ask him which Tenderfoot requirements he enjoyed the most. Which one was the hardest? Did he improve his scores after practicing the exercises for 30 days? Does "physically strong" mean just big muscles, or something more?

Give him a copy of Youth's Frontier, Making Ethical Decisions, and look through it with him. Discuss briefly the meaning of "ethical." Ask him to take the booklet home and share it with his parents.

Review the Second Class requirements with him, and help him to understand any that are not clear to him. guide him toward a reasonable goal for earning Second Class rank, and point out that after that there's only one more rank to go to be a First Class Scout. urge him to go for it!

Sample Tenderfoot SMC Worksheet

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The Second Class Conference

Start by expressing your satisfaction at seeing him closing in on First Class. Ask him how he's doing with his patrol, and suggest that now that he's been in the troop several months he should be thinking about taking some patrol job responsibility, such as scribe, quartermaster, or assistant patrol leader. Talk about what he thinks it means to take responsibility.

Remind him you asked him to share the booklet, Youth's Frontier, Making Ethical Decisions with his parents. Discuss how it worked out. Can he give you an example of an ethical decision he has made recently?

What did he learn from his participation in the program on drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse called for in requirement 8?

When he took the Scout Oath he promised to be "mentally awake." What are some ways in his daily life that he can be mentally awake?

Mention that requirement 9 in Second Class is "Show Scout Spirit." What does he think it means, and how can a Scout show it?

Check through the First Class requirements with him, and urge him to finish them by the end of his first year in Scouting -- or even sooner.

Sample 2^nd Class SMC Worksheet

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The First Class Conference

Tell him how glad you are to see him coming up for First Class, and how you have enjoyed getting to know him during the time he has been in the troop. Ask him to tell how he feels about his Scouting experience so far. What did he like most? Which least? Would he do anything different?

Discuss his patrol job, if he had one. What did he learn from it? Would he like further chances for leadership? Why?

Remind him that you discussed two phrases from the Scout Oath in previous conferences -- "physically strong" and "mentally awake" -- and that not it's time for the third: "Morally straight." What does he think the phrase really means? could it affect actual problems, such as cheating, or doing drugs, or telling a friend "No" when he suggests something you feel is wrong. Can he recall a personal experience with "morally straight?"

Look ahead with him to the world of merit badges, and the three higher ranks he will soon be working on -- Star, Life, and Eagle. Review the requirements for Star, noting that they include a service project and Scout spirit as well as merit badges. Point out that some merit badges are required for Eagle rank, and that it might be wise to start work on them first.

Sample 1^st Class SMC Worksheet

Sample Star SMC Worksheet

Sample Life SMC Worksheet

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