There are
numerous settings in which the God and Country program may be
completed. You may be working with one child or with twenty,
or you may be conducting a class for one or more mentor
pairs. Your class may be made up of youth from one
denomination or many. You may be meeting once or twice a week
or only once a month. It is impossible to provide a separate
counselor guide for each situation, and we would not want to
suggest only one format in which the program could be
completed. Therefore, the Counselor’s Manual should be a
guide that you can use and adapt as needed. We also encourage
you to visit www.praypub.org for more information and program
resources.
Here are
some basic steps and items for your consideration to help you
set up a class. Keep in mind that if you have been approached
by a specific group, such as a Cub Scout Pack or a Brownie
Troop, some of the following steps may already be decided and
may not be applicable in your situation.
q Decide
which program(s) you will offer.
If this is your first time to offer the God and Country
program, it may be a good idea to start with just one or two
programs the first year and expand it from there. Some
congregations alternate the programs, i.e. one year they offer
God and Me, and the next year they offer God and Family. Take
into consideration the number of potential youth and the
number of adult volunteers needed to run such a program. It is
a good idea to start small. A quality program will grow
quickly just by word of mouth.
q Choose
the dates.
The number of class sessions will depend on the program that
you are offering. Sample schedules are in each Counselor
Manual. They are also available online. These schedules
consist of an introductory session and one meeting for lesson.
Please feel free to modify these schedules to fit your
particular situation. Do not overlook other important dates:
teacher training, registration deadline, final review with the
pastor, a party (optional), and the award ceremony.
q Consider
whom you will invite to participate in your class.
Will it involve only youth from Boy Scouts of America? Girl
Scouts of the U.S.A.? Will it be open to all youth from your
church? Your community? Other denominations?
Click here for
eligibility requirements.
q Publicize
your class.
Find out
the deadlines to submit articles for your church newsletter,
your local council newsletter, or other appropriate
publications. Be sure you make these deadlines.
Click here for
sample articles and church bulletin inserts.
q Make
a budget.
Your budget will need to include the costs of booklets (each
child is required to have a Student Workbook), awards, and
supplies. Some churches charge a fee to cover all these costs.
Others find a sponsor (such as a men’s or women’s group) or
require each family to purchase the book and awards on their
own. (In some cases, the Cub Scout Pack or Girl Scout Troop
for example will pay for the cost of the award for their
members.) Decide what is best for your situation and plan
accordingly. Click here for current costs.
q Recruit
and train adult counselors/teachers.
Find
someone who will be in charge of teaching the curriculum
and/or coordinating the teachers (depending on the size of
your program), and someone who will serve as a registrar (to
process the paperwork, follow through with parents, etc.).
Although you will undoubtedly be able to recruit parents to
assist with the lessons, please do not wait to find your core
teacher and your registrar.
q Review
lesson plans in Counselor Manuals and make a Class Schedule
with Assignments.
The
Counselor Manuals for each level contain lesson plans. Review
these lesson plans and decide what will be done in class and
what will be assigned to be completed at home. Indicate these
assignments on the Class Schedule/Assignment sheet for
distribution to students. A sample schedule sheet is provided
in the back of each of the Counselor Manuals and also on the
P.R.A.Y. web site.
q Review
the supply list and gather materials.
The lesson
plans in the Counselor Manuals include supply lists. Review
these lesson plans and the corresponding supply lists and
start gathering some of the materials (e.g. pizza boxes,
cardboard circles, etc.).
q Consider
if you will offer the Adult Mentor component.
Parents
have the option of enrolling as Mentors and working side by
side their children in the program. The mentor completes the
Mentor Workbook and attends meetings with the student. If you
will be working with one or more mentor pairs, you will need
to become familiar with the material in the Mentor Workbooks.
You may also want to build time into your schedule to allow
mentors to meet together to discuss the questions raised in
their workbooks.
Visit
http://www.praypub.org/god_country/start_up_kit_07.htm for
more information on what a mentor is.
q Order
booklets.
If your
local Scout Shop does not carry the God and Country booklets,
you can order booklets directly from P.R.A.Y. Please allow
enough time for delivery via media mail through the post
office.
q Order
the recognitions and plan an award ceremony.
After the candidates have completed the requirements and a
pastor has reviewed their work, it is time to order their
awards and plan the presentation ceremony. The Application
Order Form is found in the back of the God and Country
booklets. This is the form that needs to be submitted to
P.R.A.Y.
