Opening and Call to Order

5 minutes

Start the meeting with a simple opening ceremony such as reciting the Scout Oath or Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call and Reading of the Log (Minutes)

5 minutes

Ask the troop scribe to call the roll and read the log from the previous meeting. Council members may make additions or corrections to the log before voting to approve it as part of the council's permanent record.

Patrol Reports

15 minutes

Each patrol leader should be prepared to make a report on the progress of his patrol. His report should include information about new members, advancement progress, and anything the patrol has done since the last patrol leaders' council meeting.

Old Business

15 minutes

Take up any discussion items left unresolved at the last patrol leaders' council meeting. When necessary, bring matters to a close by asking for a vote.

Big Event Planning

15 minutes

Review and discuss the big event related to the upcoming month's troop program feature. While the event itself will have already been determined during the troop program planning conference, details may need to be worked out. Determine the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the event. Patrol leaders can add to the discussion by voicing ideas raised by their patrols. Explore the issues and bring any essential matters to a vote.

Troop Meeting Planning

15 minutes

Distribute Troop Meeting Plan sheets for each of the month's troop meetings. (The plan sheets can be found in the BSA publication Troop Program Features.) As you and the patrol leaders' council review plans for each of the month's four meetings, assign responsibility for portions of the meetings, taking care to distribute the load equally among the patrols and troop leaders. Be sure to plan three levels of skills instruction for each meeting so that all age groups will be equally challenged.

New Business

15 minutes

This portion of the meeting is devoted to discussion of items not previously on the agenda. A patrol may be requesting permission to embark on a patrol hike, for example, or the opportunity for a special troop service project may have recently come up.

Among the issues to be addressed by the patrol leaders' council are any disciplinary problems within the troop. The troop's youth leaders can consider the best ways to encourage appropriate behavior by each Scout and develop strategies for dealing with any instances of inappropriate behavior. Information about more serious behavior problems should be passed on to the Scoutmaster and troop committee so that they can handle the situation, often by meeting with the Scout and his parents or guardians.

Scoutmaster's Minute

5 minutes

Up to now the Scoutmaster probably observed the patrol leaders' council meeting and asked a question or two, but otherwise allowed you to run the meeting and guide the agenda. As a closing to the meeting, the Scoutmaster can share some constructive thoughts on what has happened and offer an upbeat, supportive Scoutmaster's Minute to provide a sense of completion to the proceedings.