Virtual Program Resources

Virtual Meetings Tech and Tips

• • Turn off chat. If you must have it limit between whom and have a moderator

  • Set full mute (disable participant override) and establish a waiting room

  • Digital concierge

    • Adult

    • Youth (possible leadership role)

  • Require participants to use their real and full name; most systems allow the Host to rename a participant

  • Enforce virtual etiquette (most systems allow the Host to drop someone off a call; most systems allow for a waiting room so they can't re-enter without being allowed in)

  • When showing videos make sure your audio and video keep up with each other. TEST IT OUT AHEAD OF TIME.

Ideas for Early Ranks (AOL/Scout to 1st Class):

• • "Discussion" Breakouts:

    • Cooking menus, techniques, descriptions

    • Citizenship 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d

    • Camping explanations, Outdoor Code

    • Nature 10 plants, 10 animals

• Assign homework to review; breakouts to show what they can do

• Ask Scouts to submit evidence of things they've done (cooked a meal, set up a tent and slept in it, performed community service)

Crossover and New Scout Orientation

• • Virtual New Scout Orientation - LINK

• Mail (deliver) ahead neckerchief, shoulder tabs, Scout Handbook, and more

Ideas and Tips for Routine Meetings

Program:

• • Photo album slide shows (narrated?)

• Videos of Scout skills or scout-related info

  • Scouting around the world

• Virtual campfire (with assignments)

  • "Flip the meeting" - patrol (or Scout) does work before the meeting and presents it.

  • Teach a skit, song, skill

  • Refresh Scout skills; follow with a quiz (first aid, nature, knot identification)

• Incorporate youth staff:

  • Outdoor Code opening by OEG

  • Opening by patrol leader; 12 points of Scout Law over 12 weeks LINK (scroll to "Single Point Focus")

• Survey boys on what's going well; what they'd like to see/do. How can we make this more engaging/interesting? What have you seen that's cool/useful?

• Present Tech policy and Cyber Chip pointers from time to time. Encourage Cyber completion.

• Online rank board and movement LINK

• • Virtual advancement tracker? What have Scouts accomplished while quarantined - can we show this? Use ScoutBook or Troopmaster?

  • Figure out how to track attendance

Contests:

• • Patrol Points

• • Play Four Facts as icebreaker (take turns with these throughout the meeting if you have a lot of boys so it doesn't run on)

Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review

• • Provide sign up method and consider a notice requirement (must sign up by X days prior)

  • Schedule meeting slots (ex: 15 mins for lower ranks, 20 to 30 mins for higher)

  • Observe YPT guidelines; ask for a parent to be nearby or arrange for a second registered adult to join (we found two ASMs to be helpful)

  • Provide electronic advancement records to anyone reviewing those signed up (since a Scout can't "hand you his book to look at")

  • Ask Scouts to send photos of Handbook signature pages for rank + Handbook camping/activities/service log pages + blue cards recently signed (and not yet turned in); if you're all electronic (ScoutBook) make sure reviewers have access

• • Goofy Hat Contest

    • limited entries? sign up in advance.

    • How do we judge/vote? Poll?

    • Give us a 10 second intro; embellish (MC interview); play music?

• Funniest video contest

  • send examples to Scouts

  • ask them to sign up and send the link ahead of time

  • time limits; 1 minute max?

    • sign up ahead of time

  • "Guess where I am?"

  • Games:

    • Kahoot!

    • Gimkit

    • Zoom Polls

    • Word search; work on them in breakout rooms; one patrol member uses Google doc (preassign link?) EXAMPLE

• Virtual Scavenger Hunt (in real time or get the list x minutes or days ahead of time)

Patrol breakouts

• Hang out?

• Give a specific task (short or long-term, or both)

• Consider adult Moderators, particularly younger patrols

PLC/Leadership

• • Move PLC to its own night

  • Can there be 100% remote leadership positions (Digital Concierge)?