Essential Youth Leadership Positions

• Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) - Is the leader of the troop. A common misconception is that the Scoutmaster is the leader of the troop, but in reality, they are a guide and mentor to the SPL, rather than a leader of the troop. The SPL is responsible for creating an annual troop program (with the help of the scoutmaster), leading & planning weekly meetings, leading & planning monthly outings/activities, and leading & planning monthly PLC meetings.

• Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL) - Is the assistant leader of the troop. They help the SPL plan and run meetings, activities, outings, and ceremonies. They are responsible for troop leadership positions that are not patrol leaders, for example, they're in charge of the Scribe, Historian,  Chaplain Aide, Webmaster, etc. The important part is if you're a patrol leader, you report to the SPL, if you're anything else you'll probably report to the ASPL.

• Troop Scribe - The Scribe of the troop is responsible for a few different things. The Scribe collects money for outings/activities at meetings to give to the committee's Treasurer. They're responsible for taking notes at Patrol Leader's Council Meetings and presenting the meeting minutes at the next PLC meeting. Some troops consider them "Third-in-command" and will act as the temporary SPL if the SPL and ASPL are both absent.

• Patrol Leader - The Patrol Leader is the leader of their patrol. They are responsible for representing their patrol at PLC meetings, leading their patrol meeting during the designated patrol time, and leading their patrol during outings and activities.

• Assistant Patrol Leader - The assistant patrol leader is responsible for aiding their patrol leader in fulfilling their duties, filling the place of the patrol leader when they are absent at Patrol Leader Council Meetings, and helping the patrol leader prepare/run meetings and activities.

Direct Reports

Direct report is a term to describe who someone is in charge of, or who you are responsible for. For example, the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader directly reports to the Senior Patrol Leader. The Senior Patrol Leader reports to the Scoutmaster, the Scoutmaster directly reports to the Troop Committee,  and so on. Youth Leadership positions follow this format. 

• Senior Patrol Leader Direct Reports: Assistant senior patrol leader, Patrol Leaders, and Troop guide.

• Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Direct Reports: Quartermaster, Scribe, Chaplain aide, Webmaster, OA representative, Instructor, Bugler, Outdoor ethics guide, Librarian, Historian.

• Patrol Leader Direct Reports: Assistant patrol leader, Patrol members

• Troop Guide Direct Reports: New-Scout patrol leader

Some exceptions to this format are for larger troops which have assistant scoutmasters for the older-scout patrol and the new-scout patrol. 

Editor's Note: Instead of reporting to the ASPL or the SPL, these roles will report to an Assistant Scoutmaster rather than put more burden on the SPL. I think my troop might adopt this format, but we only have two patrols, a younger patrol, and an older patrol, so we'll see how that goes. 

• The Den Chief will directly report to the assistant scoutmaster of the new Scout patrol.

• The Troop Guide will directly report to the assistant scoutmaster of the new Scout patrol.

• The Patrol Leader of the Older Scout patrol will directly report to the assistant scoutmaster of the older Scout patrol.

The Patrol Leader's Council

The Patrol Leader's Council decides what the troop program will be for the next month. Members of the Patrol Leader's Council consist of the SPL, ASPL(s), PL(s), and Troop Guide. The troop scribe will attend PLC meetings to keep notes for everyone, but they are not a voting member of the PLC (see below). 

Editor's Note: I have heard of troops who decide to make the scribe third-in-command when it comes to meetings and outings. Since they have written everything down and know what is going on, that usually makes them very knowledgeable as a temporary leader if the SPL and ASPL(s) are missing. However, the Scribe should not be given a vote at the PLC meeting. Why? The troop scribe is not in charge of any other scouts. All of the other members of the PLC are responsible for a number of scouts, except for the Scribe. Therefore, they should not have a vote at the PLC meeting since it would be unfair to the other patrol leaders, since, effectively whichever patrol has the Scribe would be given an additional vote at the PLC meeting. 

Effective PLC meetings are CRITICAL when it comes to running an effective troop. Please see this page for more information on the Patrol Leader's Council.

Troop Positions of Responsibility (Not Including Leadership)

• Quartermaster - is in charge of keeping track of the troop's equipment, including tools, flags, grills, cookware, ropes, patrol boxes, etc. If something needs to be purchased the Quartermaster should talk to the troop equipment coordinator about ordering new equipment. 

• Scribe -  The Scribe collects money for outings/activities at meetings to give to the committee's Treasurer. They're responsible for taking notes at Patrol Leader's Council Meetings and presenting the meeting minutes at the next PLC meeting. 

• Chaplain Aide - The Chaplain Aide is responsible for maintaining scout spirit in the troop by leading the troop in prayer before meals and during opening ceremonies.  They work closely with the troop's Chaplain.

• Webmaster - The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining and updating the troop's website and online resources such as the troop's Facebook page, Discord server, and Remind chat. 

• Order of the Arrow Representative - The Order of the Arrow Representative is the link between the Troop and the local OA Chapter. You do not have to be an OA Representative to be a member of the OA. The Order of the Arrow's purpose is to recognize scouts who fulfill the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, to promote camping, and to develop leaders.

• Instructor - An Instructor is responsible for teaching a specific scout skill or set of scout skills to other members of the troop. Typically, this is an older member of the troop who has the ability to teach those skills they are responsible for.  A troop can have more than one instructor. 

• Bugler - A Bugler is responsible for performing appropriate bugle calls during opening and closing ceremonies and at outings.

• Outdoor Ethics Guide - The Outdoor Ethics Guide is responsible for teaching the troop proper respect for the outdoors and nature by guiding them in the ways of Leave No Trace. 

• Librarian - The Librarian is responsible for keeping track of the books in the Troop's Library/collection. 

• Historian - The Historian is responsible for documenting and recording troop meetings, ceremonies, activities, and outings.