Program - NYLT 1

1. A Month in the Life of a Troop

 NYLT is a six-day course where the Scouts live and work in an outdoor setting as part of a patrol within the NYLT troop. They experience the simulation of a month in the life of a troop, complete with patrol leaders' council meetings and planning for the big monthly outing (the outpost overnight trip at the end of the course). They use the patrol method throughout the course and rotate leadership positions so that each can experience different roles. There is an immediate application of learning in a variety of structured and fun events.

The first days of the course equal three weeks of a troop, including troop and patrol leaders' council meetings, and a wide range of activities and games such as a campwide geocache game and a session on realistic first aid. They learn to set a vision, with goals and plans, and use this process to plan for the big troop event, which gives them a chance to test their plans. They experience learning through action at its best.

Each patrol is also given a challenge to create a shared vision of success. They use this shared vision throughout the course to help achieve all they can as a patrol. Each patrol works on the quest for the meaning of leadership and, at the end of the course, presents their understanding of this and other concepts they have learned throughout the week as a skit, song, or something they build—the possibilities are endless.