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Planning and Administration (Serious Side of Scouting)

Patrols : Horizontal or Vertical ?

Patrols were Baden-Powell's answer to the fact that people like to exist in small groups. These groups can be for bad or good, depending on how they are guided. Scouts should do most of their activities with their Patrols, receiving only as much guidance as is needed. For example, when planing menus for camps, the Scouters should sit on the stage while the Patrols do their planning. If a Patrol starts to make noises that indicate that it is not focussed on planning, that Patrol's Councillor should go and suggest that they get back to work. Of course, should any Patrols ask a specific question of the Scouters, that can be answered, but the emphasis should be on the Patrol working out problems on their own before coming for help.

This essay will examine the two main ways that troops are divided into patrols. I'll start with two definitions:

Horizontal Patrol

A patrol comprising Scouts who are of similar age, school grade, and year in program. Sometimes called a peer-patrol.

Vertical Patrol

A patrol comprising Scouts from all ages, usually with the older Scouts holding position of PL and APL. Sometimes called a family patrol.

My understanding from talking with some old Scouters and some readings is that the Scout program before 1968 was designed to work with vertical patrols. Patrol Leaders, who were the oldest in each Patrol formed a Court of Honour under the guidance of the Scoutmaster. The COH played a major role in the planning and execution of the program. Often, there would only be a single Scoutmaster in a Troop (BP says that with this arrangement, a Troop should be no larger than 32 Scouts (BP 1944:28)). There was a strong emphasis on older Scouts teaching and setting the example for the younger ones. Note that during much of this time, the Scout section was for youths between the ages of 12 and 18.

Though multi-level badges were introduced in the early 60s (four levels: Green, Bronze, Silver, Gold), it was with the Scout '68 program changes that the program changed dramatically. This new program was designed to be implemented with horizontal patrols. Scouts worked at there own level with others at the same level, necessitating the creation of the Scout Councillor to help guide their program. A Troop Scouter replaced the Scoutmaster as the head of the troop. The age range for Scouts was also reduced to 11-14 with the introduction of Venturing in 1968 (Scouts Canada 1990:98).

Where does this all lead? Both kinds of Patrols have merit, though the current program is both written to best accommodate horizontal patrols. Horizontal patrols allow the natural development of leadership within a patrol where leadership might otherwise fall to whomever was older, regardless of ability or motivation. Horizontal patrols have the potential of allowing patrols to remain together for the entire duration of the Scout program and for the easy spinning off of senior patrols into Venturer Companies when the time comes.

Things change, however, when we remember the new Scout program which will be arrive in September, 1998. This program is very similar to the pre-1968 program which had Second Class, First Class, and Queen's Scout levels and many one-level badges. These levels have been renamed Voyager, Pathfinder, and Chief Scout's Award (Pioneer is the name given to the investiture). This structure was designed to work with vertical patrols. The many single level badges meant that patrols could choose a selection of these to work on as a group.

Proper use of inter-patrol activities can allow for good example setting and teaching between the different age groups in a horizontal patrol environment. For example, the senior patrol could split up and help the younger patrols plan an activity or menu for camp. Younger patrols can also look up to what the older ones are doing, such as having fancy meals at camp, and attempt to emulate.

A running patrol competition system may not work well with horizontal patrols since there is such a difference in ability and size of the members. In a vertical system however, the PLs, who are older Scouts, may get really involved in a patrol competition and would work hard to harness and direct the energies of the younger Scouts in the patrol to compete. If well managed, this can be positive.

A related issue is one of gender integration in patrols. Some groups tend to divide patrols along gender lines. I don't see a reason to do this, but I do see some disadvantages. Everyone in Scouting can benefit from a gender blind environment which forces them to see each other as people, not as boys and girls. Of course, local standards in most areas require separate tents for sleeping, but this should be the only separation.

One final comment on patrol sizing. Don't make them too small. Several years ago in my troop the Scoutmaster liked having everyone divided to the bone: by gender and by age. The result was very small patrols, most of them too small to actually function as patrols, so when the time came to go camping, patrols, which were often only three people, were combined to form meal groups. These groups were very ad hoc, changing for every event and thus defeating the patrol system. BP in Scouting for Boys (no date:38), recommends patrols of between six and eight Scouts; the Canadian Scout Handbook (1995:4) between five and eight.

In conclusion, there are advantages and disadvantages to both horizontal and vertical arrangements of patrols. The traditional arrangement has been one of vertical patrols which allow good role modelling and learning between Scouts of various ages. The badge program which supported this is returning as the official program in September, 1998.

References

Baden-Powell, Robert. Aids to Scoutmastership. Scout Brotherhood Edition, 1944.

---. Scouting for Boys. Scout Brotherhood Edition, no date.

Scouts Canada. Canadian Scout Handbook. National Council, Scouts Canada, 1995.

---. Canadian Venturer Handbook. National Council, Scouts Canada, 1990.