A New Parents Guide to Troop 84
Welcome to Scouts BSA and Troop 84!
The Scouts BSA program is unlike any other youth program available today, most notably by the fact that adults do not run the troop program, the SCOUTS do. This means that an individual troop's program is imperfect and downright messy at times. It means that plans will change, and failures will happen. It is important to be flexible as the scouts learn how to be leaders.
The main goal of the Scouts BSA program is not to develop good campers or knot tie-ers. The purpose of scouting and the focus of Troop 84 is to develop good leaders. Camping, service projects, and other activities are vehicles toward developing good leadership qualities in boys at an early age. While camping is an activity that young boys often enjoy and is a great opportunity to develop leadership qualities, it is not the only way we can encourage personal growth.
In keeping with the scout led method of scouting, our goal is to have each scout manage his own scouting experience. As such he will need to be able to communicate with troop leaders and we have found email to be very effective. We recommend each scout have his own email address.
What Items Will My Scout Need?
- Scouts BSA Handbook
- Current Health Form
- An email address
- Back Pack
- Mess Kit
- Sleeping Bag
- Ten Essentials for Outdoor Activities
- Water Bottle
- First Aid Kit
- Flash Light
- Pocket Knife
- Rain Gear
- Sun Protection
- Trail Food
- Fire Starter
- Map & Compass
- Whistle
For more information on this gear and tips for how to buy, see this article.
How Do I Sign Up for Campouts/Events?
We require everyone to sign up on our website for each event. If you sign-up longer than 10 days out, you will pay the regular fee. If you sign-up between 10 and 3 days out, there will be a $5 late fee. Sign-ups will close the Tuesday evening before a weekend campout (3 days out). This gives the youth grubmasters time to finalize their plans and shopping list for the meals and go shopping for the required items. We also need this time to arrange travel accommodations. If you miss the sign up deadline, it does not mean you cannot go, but you may have to arrange your own travel and meals. Any tentative registrations at the time of the sign-up deadline will be considered declined. For more information on how to register for an event on our website, see this page.
How Will My Scout Advance?
Scouts are in charge of their own advancement. It is completely up to them how fast they advance. Our program is structured to give them many opportunities to complete requirements and the Patrol Leaders job is to help the scouts in his patrol reach 1st Class, ideally within the first year of scouting. Summer Camp is another great opportunity to complete many early requirements.
Scouts work on requirements for Scout, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class simultaneously, but they must be completed in order. For example, if a scout completes all the requirements for 2nd Class before Tenderfoot, he will not be promoted to 2nd Class until he completes Tenderfoot. For the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks, one rank must be completed before work on the next rank can begin. These higher ranks focus more on personal development through merit badges and leadership skills through required positions of responsibility. The later ranks also have minimum time requirements and thus will take longer to progress from one rank to the next. Service projects are also given more priority the further your scout progresses through these ranks. After all requirements for a given rank are completed, the scout must participate in a Scoutmaster conference and pass a Board of Review conducted by the troop committee before he is promoted.
All ranks, merit badges, and other awards are presented at a special ceremony called a Court of Honor. Troop 84 conducts 4 Courts of Honor per year in February, May, August, and November. Although a scout may not receive a specific patch until the Court of Honor, his rank promotion date is the date he completes his Board of Review.
http://www.troop84.com/page/advancement-guide
http://www.troop84.com/page/merit-badge-guide
http://www.troop84.com/page/life-eagle-guide
What Are the Adult Leaders' Responsibilities?
As mentioned several times, Troop 84 is a scout led unit. The scouts decide what activities the troop will engage in and what advancement on which they will work. The Adult Leaders’ responsibilities are to:
- Ensure a safe program using the Guide to Safe Scouting.
- Facilitate the activities the scouts chose to undertake adhering to the Age-Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities.
- Provide guidance and mentoring to youth leaders.
- Assist in teaching scout skills.
While this list may seem very simple and straight forward, it takes a lot of different people and a fair amount of training to support a successful troop program. Troop 84 has a number of dedicated Adult Volunteers who serve our program and truly make it possible for our scouts to have the opportunities to grow and thrive in scouting. Each adult position varies in its time commitment and there are ways for people with even the busiest of schedules to contribute to the strength of the troop. We are always looking for more adult involvement and for a full list of Troop Committee Positions, see this page.
The Troop 84 Committee has developed the following Mission, Vision and Values statements:
Mission: To use the Aims and Methods of Boy Scouting in a safe environment to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Vision: To prepare and steward each scout in our troop to become a responsible, participating member of the troop, citizen, and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law.
Values: The Scout Law; A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. The Scout Oath: On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
