Patrols by any other name, work just as well. Teamwork, loyalty, bonding, shared experiences, fulfilling responsibility to the others in your group all help build young men into initiators instead of passive couch potatoes.
When it comes to building a strong unit with lively, engaged patrols, it’s important to remember that William “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt got it right when he said “…a Troop is not divided into Patrols. A Troop is the sum total of its Patrols” Put another way, a troop doesn’t really exist to build patrols (although logistically it may appear that way at times), but instead, the groups of boys who form patrols make up a troop.
As adults we can guide, instruct, demonstrate and enable, but patrol spirit isn’t something built from a set of directions or poured out of a can. To be certain, our job as adults is to provide opportunities for the boys in patrols to bond over fair competitions, nominal awards, healthy recognition and surviving shared circumstances (both good and bad).
The consistent use of patrol leadership gives boys an experience in group living and…
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