Tools for Scoutmasters: The Bullying Circle

At a recent PLC meeting, we were discussing a recent development of bullying in our troop. We seem to have a perfect storm of

• Lots of new, young scouts
  
• Not a lot of older, experienced scouts
  
• Insufficient adult presence to help the older scouts
  

As a result, we've not been able to keep tabs on all of the boys, and have at times, left them to their own devices.

It is both fortunate and unfortunate that this is a new problem for us. Fortunate that we haven't had much of it in the past; unfortunate that we aren't greatly experienced in handling it.

So at PLC, our Scoutmaster came prepared with a handout on The Bullying Circle. It was a stroke of genius as it provided an instant framework for us to discuss bullying with the youth leaders. I highly recommend it. It is especially useful for visual learners, or any youths that do not process auditory information quickly.

In the course of our discussion, I asked the boys who in the troop they thought were the likely targets of bullying, or who were at most risk for being bullied. It didn't take them long to start giving names, and they were pretty accurate in their evaluation. I find it interesting that they can instinctively pick out which kids are at risk. What's more, they can usually identify the kids that are the bullies, the henchmen, the resisters, and all of the other roles. If you're a scout leader, use this to your advantage--your boys have a good idea of which kids need to be guarded and to which kids they should stand up.

Another way in which our Scoutmaster was able to relate the Bullying Circle to one boy was by placing fictional characters into the roles. For example:
Target - Neville Longbottom
Bully - Draco Malfoy
Henchmen - Crabbe and Goyle
Active Supporters - the Slytherins
Passive Supporter - Professor Snape
Disengaged Onlooker - The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws
Potential Witnesses - The Gryffyndors
Resisters - Harry, Hermoine, and Ron