Light Our Path

I thought about an old guidebook that I studied on some or other scoutmaster course several years ago, I think the Swedish title was "Lys vår led" (which roughly translates to light our path), and how one sided it was. Being the project manager for this module I've had to look back and reinvent my leadership style. Old stuff like lys vår led drifts ashore from the large ocean of passive knowledge. back then I thought it was quite a crappy book, it presented theories on how to make the kids listen to you, how to make the program well balanced and of course the basic "do this in case of emergency" instructions. Everything hard about being a scout master I had to learn myself, courses and seminars served as a good way to hear how other people did it and maybe give them something to try as well, but it was mainly easy stuff like where there was a good cabin to rent for a weekend in the forest with the kids or how they planned their trip to Iceland or some other whateverness. How to make an imprint and hopefully add something to the kids was something I had to learn by trying, trying and then trying some different stuff. In the end the control and comfort I and the kids felt with each other was in proportion to their age. I work best with the oldest age group that are somewhere between ninth grade and second/third year into the Swedish gymansiet (16-19 year olds). My leadership is sort of sneaky and from the backline at this point. I try to find out what they want to do quite early in the year, let them rediscover it a few months later, sometimes i decide but make them think its their own choice and so on, I provide the solid wall they can lean upon and the one to ask about stuff they don’t know, but mainly I try to make them reach their own goals and to make them feel as strong and independent as possible while reaching it.
However during my time on Hyperisland I found this entire method unfitting. Mainly because hyper island is not a place you show up to once a week to do something you and your friends have decided to do. It’s a simplified work simulator.
I needed time and practice from IS and exp-tech before daring to try the Project Manager role. Time to dethatch from what I used to do and how I used to do it. These two first weeks in the rearview mirror, I’m not really sure I've succeeded. Yet. It's really hard to say, the strangest thing about our group is that whatever we decides I have to repeat once before it actually counts. I've been saying "So, it’s the meaning of the group to.." and "Yes, We all want to [insert diction here] right? then let’s do it." more times than I thought was possible.

Let’s see how it plays out..