Troop 48 presented a Junior Leadership Training session on February 27^th at Colonial Heights First Presbyterian Church.  In this JLT session, the Scoutmaster, Mrs. White, and the Senior Patrol Leader, Joshua White, excellently taught the younger scouts about necessary leadership skills for scouting and everyday life activities. It was obvious, since many of the scouts had been to a JLT before, that the leaders had deliberately planned on making the class exceptionally fun and interactive. The JLT event included lectures, entertaining games to reinforce the concepts, and demonstrations to model behavior.

              The leaders lectured on a series of essential leadership topics. Initially, they talked about specific leadership positions at the troop and patrol levels, and the responsibilities and qualities needed. Next, they discussed team diversity and how to utilize everyone’s different strengths. Additionally, they discussed how to correctly discipline and praise scouts. Also included, was a superb demonstration, conducted by Mr. Schaefer, on how to navigate the T48.org website. The lectures covered the main topics that scout leaders need to know to capably run a meeting.

              To make things more exciting, the leaders used games to reinforce and create new, outstanding, principles on leadership. One was a rock game. The objective of this game was to show how diversity among the troop can be used by the leader for various activities. A different game, which involved keeping balloons in the air, showed that there can be too much help, not enough, just the right amount, or have the wrong focus to achieve a goal efficiently. The last game, dealing with communication, was the telephone game. It showed that the verbal exchange of information could be ineffectual and that several communication methods such as texts, email, T48.org, etc., provide better ways of passing on information. Games were used quite fittingly to illustrate precise concepts on leadership.

              Lastly, a mock patrol meeting was conducted to exhibit actual leadership roles needed in a real patrol meeting. Volunteer scouts acted as the Scribe and Patrol Leader. Next, a few scouts and adults started talking in the background to represent real life disturbances that could happen. The scouts were taught to praise in public, and to criticize in private. The mock patrol meeting taught skills needed for a real patrol meeting as well as dealing with real life problems.

              During the Junior Leadership Training or JLT, the scouts were taught good leadership skills, as well as learning about different positions in the troop. First there was an introduction and presentation of the skills and positions. Then, there were a few fun games to help reinforce the skills and teach a couple of points. Finally, there was a mock patrol meeting where scouts picked different positions and had a patrol meeting. The JLT was a fun success.