The Patrol System & Dividing Girls into Patrols Service Unit Toolkit
Purpose of the Toolkit: The primary purpose of this toolkit is KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER to Troop Leaders in the Service Unit. The secondary purpose of this toolkit is to provide a plug and play resource to Service Unit administrative team members to help them easily provide an extra something of value to Leaders who attend the meetings. Service Unit Meetings that provide useful information (which can be immediately applied by the audience) and an opportunity for Troop Leaders to share and engage with each other helps their Leaders find value in attending the meeting and increases the likelihood of them coming back every month. Why is this important? Your Leaders will stay longer if they feel supported Your Service Unit will grow stronger as a result The girls ultimately will have a better experience because their leaders are finding value and support in their volunteer experience This toolkit is designed to provide you with a single month s worth of programming or training snippets that a member of your Service Unit Leadership Team can pick up and deliver with only a small amount of preparation. Type of Toolkit: Program Snippet When & How to Use the Toolkit: Plan in advance and pick a month to schedule this Toolkit Topic Select a Service Unit Team Member to present the Toolkit Topic, and give them the materials to study and prepare any handout materials needed. It could be the Manager, Coach, ARS anyone. Try to rotate. Promote the topic in pre-meeting communications and at the end of the previous month s meeting. Time Required: 20 minutes MAX
Basic Elements of a Good Service Unit Meeting Part 1) Arrival Activity / Snacks / Start Up Consider adding some kind of self-directed activity leaders may do if they arrive early for the meeting. The activity should not require a lot of time to complete and little, if any, clean up. Supplies for the pre-meeting activity should be set up and ready for the leaders when they arrive. This activity gives the Service Unit Team time to greet people as they arrive and keeps attendees busy with something structured. Some examples include: A photo album with pictures of past or the most recent SU event to look at. Pick a single topic such as behavior management or something my troop did that I am proud of and put out index cards. Ask Leaders to write down share one of their best practices & recent activities. Use this later in the Activity section. Put out a veggie or cheese and cracker tray people tend to bond over food. A voting station & drop box for a choice between three different kinds of SU events. Do a Google search for simple and quick ice breakers for meetings. Hint: If you make this part fun, the leaders will tend to be on time. Part 2) Opening Have an official start to the meeting. We can never emphasis the Promise & Law enough. Some SU s have older girls do a flag ceremony if there is time. Part 3) Service Unit Business Have an agenda. Print it and stick to it. People feel good when they can visually see that the group is accomplishing tasks. Give them only what is necessary. Data dump overkill, grinding personal axes, and wandering bunny trails tend to frustrate and annoy people. Part 4) Activity Pick one from the four options below: Grade Level Roundtables - Good places for leader concerns to be expressed and advice to be shared. Training Snippet Teach them a skill at each meeting. Program Snippet Have something at each meeting that the Leader can take back to use with her troop. Sharing Time - Allow time for leaders to share the troop activities that they are proud of. Part 5) Closing Bring them back together. Ask what the most valuable thing they got from tonight s meeting was. Give them the date and time of the next meeting. Invite them to help clean up after the meeting if they d like to stay and chat. Thank them for coming. Wish them a great night. Part 6) Clean Up Put the meeting place back in order. Involving others can help them make connections with each other and feel like part of the group.
The Topic Facilitator s Role Tips and Techniques for Effective Facilitation These tips and techniques will take you through facilitating the topic from preparation to completion. A few days before the session Review the materials so you are familiar with them. Knowing the content of the materials will make facilitation easier for you and more effective for the participants. Read the Introduction thoroughly enough to be able to verbally explain it to the group. Study the Topic Facilitator s Instructions Make copies of any handouts On the day of the presentation Arrive early to prepare the space & your materials. As the presentation begins Introduce yourself & set the stage for sharing and learning. Your degree of caring and enthusiasm for the topic will show through, whether you state it or not, so don t worry about being a professional, polished trainer. Your positive energy will carry you through. The audience wants you to succeed. Participants should understand: Why this information is important. How long the session will last. Your role as the facilitator and their role as the participants. Ground rules if any - such as working in partner pairs, or not judging other people s ideas may be needed to set expectations, if exercises are involved. After the session Address any concerns that have been raised, if you can. If you don t know the answers, ask a volunteer to research and report to the group, or take this on as a personal task. Express appreciation to the participants for sharing their ideas. Now, you re ready to facilitate have a wonderful experience!
INTRODUCTION The Patrol System & Dividing Girls into Patrols To get the attention of your audience, you should: Promote the date, time and length of your presentation to your audience: At the Leader s Meeting the month before your presentation On the meeting reminders that you send out for your leader s meeting On email, facebook, Shutterfly, Yahoo groups, or whatever means your service unit uses. Be prepared to tell your audience why this topic is important: Using patrols is a major way that girls can practice leadership Carefully planning who is in what patrol makes sure there is a good balance of interests and skills Patrols enrich the troop by engaging the diverse and special interests of the girls in smaller groups which allows their strength and ingenuity to flourish. How this material can be delivered: A short, interactive discussion followed by a show and tell Emphasize the whole patrol system and how it can work. What Do I need to Print? You need to print 1 master copy of this entire document. Separate and keep/study the facilitator s notes for yourself. You will use the rest of the material to make handouts. You may take these to a service center and ask them to make double sided / stapled copies for you enough for everyone who will be in attendance or you may choose some other mechanism to have them printed. Handouts which are included and will need to be copied to hand out at your presentation. Patrols + Court of Honor = Patrol System How Troop Government Works Forming Patrols by Written Choice Troop of 12 girls
The Patrol System & Dividing Girls into Patrols Facilitator s Session Instructions Notes: Script: WHAT: WHY: TIME: 5 min Introduce the topic. To establish a base line where the leaders are now with the topic. SAY: Troop government is how Girl Scouts introduce girls to: learning to work together, learning to do for themselves, and learning to lead. This is another way to talk about the principles of girl led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing. All of this can be wrapped up in Troop Government and especially in the Patrol System. ASK: Show of hands - how many of you use patrols in your troop? Wait for hands and comment on how many raised their hands. ASK: How long do you keep the same patrols? Is it just for a project or camping trip? Wait for answers. Write them on a chart if you can. ASK: How do you divide your girls into patrols? Wait for answers. Expect answers such as counting off, numbered sticks & each girl draws one, drawing names out of a hat. ASK: How does that work for you? Do you find that the patrols are similar every time you set them up? Do your popular girls always end up together and your problem children do too? Wait for answers. List any frustrations. SAY: Today, I want to go over the full Patrol System with you and give you a better way to divide girls into patrols. WHAT: Introduce the Patrol System. WHY: To increase understanding of the value of the Patrol System. HANDOUT / TASK: Pass out the handout titled Patrols + Court of Honor = Patrol System SAY: Look at this chart. The patrol system is not just dividing the girls into patrols. It is also the Court of Honor which helps the patrol leaders transfer information from their patrol to the whole troop and vice versa and which provides help to the girl leaders in managing their patrols. DISCUSS: Talk about each part of the patrol system in your own words so that everyone understands. TIME: 3 min
WHAT: WHY: More detail on how the system works. To help leaders understand what they can do to make this work. HANDOUT / TASK: Pass out the handout titled How Troop Government Works. SAY: Look at this chart. The patrol system doesn t just happen. It takes work on the part of the leaders and the girls. It won t work perfectly at first, but that is part of the learning process. DISCUSS: Talk about each step in the process in your own words so that everyone sees the flow of the work. TIME: 3 min WHAT: WHY: Detail on how to divide girls into patrols. To show how girls can be better divided into patrols to the betterment of the troop. HAND OUT: Forming Patrols by Written Choice TIME: 8 min HANDOUT / TASK: Pass out the handout titled Forming Patrols by Written Choice Troop of 12 girls SAY: Now we are going to look at how to divide girls into patrols in a deliberative manner to have well-balanced patrols. This involves letting each girl write down the names of 3 other girls that she would like to be in a patrol with. The leader promises that she will get at least one of her choices. SAY: You want to do this when you are going to keep the same patrols for at least a semester. Then all of your projects or trips for that period will be led by the same girls and they will have time to try out their leadership skills and make adjustments when things don t go quite as they hoped. DEMONSTRATE: Use a combination of chart paper or blackboard and the handout to demonstrate how girls can be put into patrols so that the patrols have an increased chance of being effective. Step one: Ask each girl to write names of three others she wants to be in a patrol with. The leader will take these requests and bring back to the next meeting the resulting patrols. Step two: List the choices each girl receives under her name. This tells you immediately who is the most and least popular and where the cliques are. Step three: Consider factors such as: o o o Who are the natural leaders Who gets left out Where are the cliques Step four: Form the patrols Note: These handouts used today were taken from the information in The Girl Scout Leader s Notebook first printed in 1963. The names on this page may sound old fashioned and this troop has a lot of members, but the system stills works just as well with 8, 12, or 35 girls!
WHAT: WHY: Wrap up and close. Respond to questions. TIME: 1 min REVIEW: Go over your opening: Troop government is how Girl Scouts introduce girls to: learning to work together, learning to do for themselves, and learning to lead. This is another way to talk about the principles of girl led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing. All of this can be wrapped up in Troop Government and especially in the Patrol System. ASK: Are there any questions? SAY: If you use this system of dividing girls into patrols, let us know how it works for you. Handouts to Copy: Patrols + Court of Honor = Patrol System How Troop Government Works (2 pages) Forming Patrols by Written Choice Troop of 12 girls
Patrols + Court of Honor = Patrol system The troop is made up of two or more patrols. Each patrol should have from 4 to 8 girls to give real responsibility to as many girls as possible. PATROL PATROL Patrols sometimes have diverse and special interests within the patrol but their main purpose is to carry out the work of the troop. The troop is richer because of the strength and ingenuity of patrols, all working together on troop plans. PATROL A patrol leader considers her patrol ahead of herself. She also thinks about the goals of her troop ahead of her patrol. (see dark gray dot) Executive Board Officers such as President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, etc. Court of Honor Patrol Leaders represent their patrols members. The Court of Honor is the heart of the troop, and is composed of the Executive Board officers (see squares) plus the Patrol Leaders. It is the governing body of the troop and makes possible a continuous flow of ideas to and from patrols. These girl troop leaders should make suggestions that keep patrols activated and full of vitality; sorts out ideas, makes decisions, plans troop meetings which help girls feel the spirit and stimulation of the troop. One adult (see triangle) should guide the Court of Honor over a period of time since quick shifts of this responsibility between leaders weakens the group. PATROL A Girl Scout troop belongs to all its members. It is, therefore, not only each girl s privilege but her duty to take part in the government of her troop. This she may best do by entering into the life of her patrol, contributing her full share to all its work and play. PATROL Troop Governance by Patrol System PATROL The spirit, vitality, and welfare of the troop are the main objectives of the patrol system. A good patrol leader makes her patrol feel it has a real share in making plans for the troop. Girls rotate through Patrol & Executive Board Leadership roles. NOTE: Adapted from The Girl Scout Leader s Notebook first printed in 1963 (when the Girl Scout Movement divided into 4 age levels Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, and Seniors) HANDOUT: Patrols + Court of Honor = Patrol System
HOW TROOP GOVERNMENT WORKS: Step 1: Form Patrols Interpret the purpose of patrols. Give girls a voice in patrol make-up. Determine method of division into patrols. Step 2 Elect Patrol Leaders Decide with girls, length of term of office. Discuss qualifications of a patrol leader. Hold elections in each patrol. Step 3 Elect Scribe,Treasurer, and/or other troop officers Discuss qualifications of these offices. Elect by troop as a whole. Step 4 Train Officers Assist in preparation of agendas. Train girls in duties of office during Court of Honor. Be sure that patrols make real decisions have real things to do. Step 5 Put It To Work Have active Court of Honor meetings. Come up with good things to present to the troop. Have Court of Honor meetings before or after troop meetings or on a different day. Don t hold meetings during activities the leaders want to participate in. HANDOUT: How Troop Government Works Page 1
HOW TROOP GOVERNMENT WORKS: Helpful hints for each Step: Step 1: Good balance of ages, interest, and skills. Random choice sometimes works as a start. Written choice, each girl writing names of 3 she would like to have in her patrol, knowing that she will get at least one of her choices. Step 2: Wise selection of girl leadership is not automatic girls need guidance. Give girls time to reflect on qualifications. Discuss and interpret at troop meeting prior to elections. Step 3: These officers serve troop as a whole. They are part of the Court of Honor and have active jobs to do. Be sure that they are not bypassed. Step 4: How you conduct Court of Honor meetings, help resolve problems, utilize democratic procedures will be reflected by patrol leaders in their patrols. Letting each girl report on the decisions or thoughts of her patrol helps her realize that she is the patrol s representative. Show girls how to summarize notes for reporting to patrols. Help girls form good questions to start patrol members thinking about a topic. Train the leaders in a skill first so that she may teach her patrol. Step 5: Ask leading questions. Have short Court of Honor meetings on meeting day for regular business and reporting. Have periodic long meetings to think, listen, question, plan, discuss, learn, decide, delegate, review, evaluate. Have open meetings maybe once a year so others can observe. Follow it by discussion by entire troop. HANDOUT: How Troop Government Works Page 2
FORMING PATROLS BY WRITTEN CHOICE Troop of 12 Girls Step 1: Ask each girl to write names of three girls they want to be in a patrol with. Girl Wants to be in a patrol with: Girl Wants to be in a patrol with: Pat Karen Mary Jane Sue Betty Karen, Judy, Jane Judy, Amy, Pat Sue, Betty, Jane Sue, Betty, Mary Mary, Betty, Jane Mary, Sue, Jane Judy Amy Cindy Norma Karla Tammy Amy, Tammy, Cindy Judy, Karen, Tammy Amy, Karen, Karla Judy, Karen, Karla Cindy, Amy, Judy Amy, Cindy, Karla Step 2: List each girl individually. Below that, note who has asked to be in a patrol with her. Count how many girls asked to be with her. Pat Karen Mary Jane Sue Betty Karen Pat Jane Mary Mary Mary 1 Amy Sue Sue Jane Jane Cindy Betty Betty Betty Sue Norma 3 Pat 3 3 4 4 Judy Amy Cindy Norma Karla Tammy Karen Karen Judy Norma Judy Norma Judy Karla 0 Tammy Amy Karla Karla Tammy Cindy 2 Amy Cindy 3 3 Pat Tammy 5 5 Step 3: Consider factors such as these Step 4: Form the patrols: Patrol Karen, 1: Judy, and Amy have the most votes. They are obviously Karen, popular Pat, Mary, and Jane may be natural leaders. Place one of them in each patrol. Patrol No 2: one chose Norma. Be sure that she gets her first choice and at least one other, if possible. Pat was chosen only once; she Judy, Norma, Karla, Cindy should get 2 of her choices also or get someone who asked for her. Patrol Mary, 3: Sue, Betty, and Jane chose only one another. They need Amy, to Betty, widen Sue, their Tammy friendships. Split them in twos. If they do it again next time, split them in a different way. Several girls chose each other. Place them in the same patrol if possible. Go back over the placements and be sure that everyone got at least one of their choices. If it can t be worked out, quietly ask one of the leaders to agree to not having their choice and make sure they do next time. Step 4: Form the patrols: Patrol 1: Karen, Pat, Mary, Jane Patrol 2: Judy, Norma, Karla, Cindy Patrol 3: Amy, Betty, Sue, Tammy HANDOUT: Forming Patrols By Written Choice Troop of 12 Girls