Written by Joshua Lee, Edited by Chey Jedd
The Troop held a Scout Leadership Course (SLC) for the Secondary 2 Scouts from 23 October to 20 November 2021. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, SLC had to be held as an online course instead of the usual leadership camp. SLC equipped the Scouts with the leadership and skills needed to lead the Troop when they take up leadership appointments in Secondary 3.
Scout Leadership Course
Through SLC, the Scouts had the opportunity to attend online lectures by the Scout Leaders to deepen their understanding of leadership, as well as the various methods to lead. Afterwards, the Sec 2s were joined by the Secondary 1 Scouts to take part in online activities conducted by the Ventures to test the Scouts’ scouting skills and put into practise the leadership knowledge they had just learnt.
The Scouts were arranged into six Patrols with a Sec 2 Scout assigned as the Patrol Leader on a rotational basis each week. A Sec 2 Scout would also be chosen each week to be the Senior Patrol Leader, acting as the liaison between the Scouts and the SLs while ensuring the Patrols prepared the necessary materials before each activity. Throughout the course, the SLs and Ventures were observing the Scouts to find candidates for the 2022 Patrol Leader Council.
Learning the lore
The leadership lectures covered the deeper meaning behind the numerous scouting modules like the Patrol System, the Scout Motto, Promise and Law. Gaining a deeper understanding and wider appreciation of the scouting modules, the Scouts are better able to identify with them and implement them in their scouting and daily lives. For example, the Scout promise is beyond a simple promise Scouts recite during CCA, but a way of life; a set of principles that they should live by even outside of scouting.
Learning about the duties of the various leadership positions such as PL, APL, etc and gaining insight into the Patrol system, Scouts are better able to carry out their respective responsibilities. Furthermore, they would be able to make the most out of the Scouts in their Patrol, allowing the Patrol to achieve excellence.
The Scouts also learnt about the various leadership methods and their pros and cons. One such example would be the EDGE Method(Explain, Demonstrate, Guide and Enable), which is applied when teaching skills or imparting knowledge. These methods would act as the foundation and could be modified to better fit the style they are more comfortable with.
Learning by doing
During the activities, the Scouts learnt many important aspects of leadership. Two aspects that stood out the most were communication and engagement.
Clear and concise communication is important to ensure Patrol members understand the tasks given to them by the PL so that they could execute them efficiently with no error. Level of engagement is how motivated and interested the Patrol is in doing a task. If the Patrol is not engaged, it is difficult for them to exert their full ability which would hinder the progress of the Patrol and the quality of their work. These aspects were especially crucial during the course as everything was being conducted online, hence it was many times more difficult for the PLs to lead their Patrols.
Securing the future
To end off, an online campfire was held on the final week where Scouts got to bond as a unit. The course was immensely beneficial for the Secondary 2 Scouts and helped position them to rise and assume leadership in Secondary 3.
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