Annual Program Planning Conference

The PPC is generally held in August of each year, consisting of the PLC, Scoutmaster, Activities Chairman, and other interested parties. The Scouting program year begins in September, so we start troop planning during the summer. To prepare for the PPC, take these steps:

• STEP 1 is to Do Your Homework: Gather district, council, community, school, sports and chartered organization dates for events that will affect the troop.
• STEP 2: Pull together your Scouting library. The items needed to plan your troop program include: Troop Program Planning Kit, Woods Wisdom, Troop Program Features, issues of Boys' Life and Scouting magazines, program feature supplements from Scouting magazine, The Scoutmaster Handbook, The Boy Scout Handbook, and the Junior Leader Handbook.
• STEP 3: List some goals and High Adventure plans for the troop.
• STEP 4: GET TROOP INPUT!! They will like giong to campouts, events, and meeting they had input on.

Conduct the Annual Program Planning Conference

The troop's annual planning conference is attended by the Scoutmaster, assistant Scoutmasters, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, patrol leaders, crew chief, and troop guide. Others are encouraged to attend and offer ideas.

Remember the conference ground rules:

1. The senior patrol leader presides.
2. Each event and program is voted on.
3. The majority rules.

SAMPLE PROGRAM PLANNING CONFERENCE AGENDA ITEMS

• I. OPENING ACTIVITY Scoutmaster
• II. REVIEW CONFERENCE SENIOR PATROL LEADER GROUND RULES
• A. Write down the conference objectives:
• 1. To decide on troop goals for the coming year
• 2. To develop a program that represents ideas from the entire troop
• B. Review ground rules:
• 1. The senior patrol leader presides.
• 2. Each event and program will be voted on.
• 3. The majority rules.
• III. SHOW TROOP PROGRAM PLANNING VIDEO, PART 1
• IV. DEVELOP TROOP GOALS SCOUTMASTER
• A. The Scoutmaster leads a discussion on goals for the coming year. These could deal with such topics as advancement, service, or troop money earning. (These are the same goals discussed earlier with the troop committee and senior patrol leader.)
• B. The patrol leaders' council votes to approve the goals.
• V. CONSIDER MAJOR SENIOR PATROL LEADER EVENTS
• A Review dates for items such as these:
• 1. Scouting shows
• 2. Camporees
• 3. Summer camp
• 4. Special troop events
• 5. Good Turn
• 6. Patrol suggestions for special activities
• B. Vote on events. (Delete from the calendar any activities the troop will not participate in.)
• C. Insert events on the troop planning worksheet.
• D. Backdate necessary preparation time for each event.
• VI. GAME BREAK
• VII. DISCUSS PATROL SUGGESTIONS FOR PROGRAM FEATURES
• A. Discuss the program features suggested for the coming year.
• B. Will they meet the goals of the troop?
• C. What are the advancement opportunities?
• D. Decide where they best fit into the calendar.
• E. Vote on the final list of program features.
• F. Insert the approved features into the troop planning worksheet.
• VIII. LUNCH OR GAME BREAK
• IX. SCHEDULE SPECIAL TROOP ACTIVITIES
• A. Decide on a schedule for the following:
• 1. Board of review
• 2. Courts of honor
• 3. Recruitment night(s)
• 4. Webelos Scout graduation
• B. Add these dates to the planning worksheet.
• X. FINALIZE THE PLANNING WORKSHEET
• A. Put the Troop Program Planning Worksheet into final form for presentation to the troop committee.
• XI. GAME BREAK
• XII. MONTHLY PROGRAM PLANNING
• A. Show Part III of the video from the Troop Program Planning Kit.
• B. Plan next month's program.
• XIII. SCOUTMASTER'S MINUTE

At the completion of the annual troop program planning conference, the senior patrol leader should prepare a clean draft of the planning worksheet for presentation to the troop committee. Arrange with the committee chairman for this important topic to be placed on the meeting agenda. Then the senior patrol leader presents the troop's annual program to the committee.