Annual Program Planning Conference

The Annual Program Planning Conference is not nearly as overwhelming as it seems. The conference is designed to build a broad overview of the upcoming year and not to get into details about every planned event.

Follow the steps below for an easy, stress-free conference.

Step 1) Preparation

Before the Annual Planning Conference takes place, a number of pre-planning steps should be taken.

Evaluate the troop's last year.

Gather District and Council dates such as camporees and summer camp (if available).

Gather community calendars such as school calendars, Husker football calendars and holidays.

Review the advancement status of the troop members and decide what kinds of activities are needed to help each boy advance.

Write down the priorities you feel are most important for the troop. These could include summer camp, high-adventure, advancement goals, Quality Unit Awards, service projects or fund raising events.

Step 2) Get Patrol Input

During the program planning process, Patrol Leaders are speaking for all the members of their patrol rather than expressing their own personal preferences. Patrol Leaders should present a variety of program options to their patrol. Some available program options to consider are:

Aquatics Environment Physical Fitness

Athletics First Aid Pioneering

Backpacking Fishing Public Service

Boating/canoeing Forestry Safety

Business Health Care Science

Camping High Adventure Shooting

Citizenship Hiking Special Cooking

Communications Hobbies Sports

Cooking Leadership Tracking

Cultural Awareness Mechanics Wilderness Survival

Emergency Preparedness Nature Wildlife Management

Engineering Orienteering Winter Camping

Step 3) Hold the Conference

The annual program planning conference should be held in a casual atmosphere away from other troop activities.

The goals of the conference are:

Develop troop goals for the coming year.

Select the major events for the coming year.

Select the program features for the coming year.

Fill out the troop's calendar for the coming year.

It is not necessary or desirable to plan every detail of every event at the planning conference. The goal is to get a broad idea of where we are going and what we will be doing for the upcoming year.

Step 4) Consult with the Adult Leadership

The adult leadership in the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmasters, troop committee and charter organization bear a great deal of responsibility for making sure the plan can be carried out. The troop committee must agree to the proposed plan. If changes are suggested, the plan is taken back to the Patrol Leaders Council for changes.

Step 5) Announce the Plan

Distribute copies of the final plan to troop members, parents, troop committee and chartered organization. The plan will be posted on our website.