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By Rick Seymour
To generate ideas for your program, try a
Troop Brainstorming Session
This is a whole-Troop event, not just the PLC. The rules for brainstorming are:
1) Quantity Not Quality.
2) No Negative Feedback Allowed.
3) Hitchhiking is Encouraged.
Make sure everybody understands the three rules. Then write down the ideas as they are shouted out so that everyone can see them from where they are seated. Try using a blackboard or a tripod easel that holds a large tablet of newsprint or some other surface on which you can write.
1) Quantity Not Quality: Try to get as many ideas as possible. If you have 20 active members, you should easily be able to generate at least 100 ideas in about 10-20 minutes.
2) No Negative Feedback Allowed: Don't allow the Scouts to start judging each others' ideas. If you get into a period where the class clowns try to outdo each other's stupid ideas, then try to gently bring them back on track by offering some practical ideas of your own and writing those down.
3. Hitchhiking is Encouraged: This is the reason that you don't want to discourage stupid ideas. If someone suggests "Let's go camping on the space station," try hitchhiking with suggestions of your own like "visit local science museum, observatory, planetarium, etc." or "space station theme at next campout, with space-theme Wide Games." See:
http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/wide/conquest_type.htm
After the brainstorming session type out all of the ideas and make a copy for every Scout.
At the next Troop meeting divide into Patrol Corners, and have each Patrol decide on what it thinks are the twelve best ideas (for twelve monthly themes). One method is to have a Patrol discussion, then have each member circle his three favorite activities on his own copy of the 100 idea list. Then prepare a Patrol master list based on these individual votes.
At the next PLC each Patrol Leader represents his Patrol's 12 favorite ideas.
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