Scout 101

YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND THE PATROL METHOD

A major goal of Scouting is to develop the skills of leadership and self-reliance in our youth. One of the cornerstones of Scouting, the Patrol Method, is integral in teaching these skills to our youth.

Under the Patrol Method, youth leaders are elected by their peers, with elections happening twice a year:

Senior Patrol Leader (SPL): The highest youth leader; coordinates patrols, drives Troop meeting planning, and represents the Troop (for example, at summer camp), all following a plan decided at monthly Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) meetings.
Assistant Patrol Leader (ASPL): Supports the SPL and fills in when the SPL is absent.
Patrol Leaders (PLs): In charge of a patrol of about 5-8 Scouts, responsible for representing and advocating for the Patrol at the monthly Patrol Leader’s Council (PLC) meeting

Patrols provide a way to learn about and experience the pleasures and challenges of working in teams. Each Patrol has its own name and cheer. These groups are semi-autonomous when we camp: Patrols camp together and plan, prepare, and clean up meals together as a team, and upon occasion, compete with the other patrols in friendly competitions. (During meetings, because we are a relatively small Troop, we tend to do activities as an entire group, or otherwise we divide into groups depending on interests or advancement goals, rather than along Patrol lines.)

New Scouts work with our youth and adult leaders to learn the skills needed to advance and grow in our Troop. Parents of new Scouts have a natural tendency to want to lead the Scouts, as was the case in Cub Scouts. In Scouts BSA, parents do not run the meeting, the youth Leaders do.

Parents, please try to curb your instincts: don’t do something for your child that they can do for themselves. Sometimes the best education is to fail and overcome failure. The lessons learned help in developing self-reliance, tenacity, and confidence. Unless it is an immediate safety concern, please try not to interfere with the youth Leaders. If your child asks you for help, please tell him or her to seek it from his or her Patrol Leader.

There are many things that we expect our youth to learn to do on their own, including:

Self-advocate
Take responsibility (for example, tracking their own advancement requirements in their handbook, and asking for advancement help or advice when they need it)
Teaching others and being helpful
Assuming leadership positions
Planning our activities, including camping trips, Troop outings, and weekly meetings
Outing meal planning and food purchasing
Packing and preparing for trips

Note that because of a gap of in-person Scouting during Covid, we are currently addressing a knowledge and leadership gap in our youth: we have a large number of younger members and a shortage of experienced older members, and so adults are backfilling while Scouts learn to take the leadership reins. The kids are doing a great job and are learning quickly!

ADVANCEMENT

Advancement is the way you grow as a Scout and become eligible for Troop leadership and other honors. You start as a Scout and progress to Eagle in the following order: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle.

Unlike Cub Scouts, Scouts advance by being tested and signed off by the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, or youth leadership. (Scouts of First Class rank or higher are eligible to sign off other Scouts on their advancement.)

Upon joining our troop, you will be given a Scout Handbook: make sure you bring this to every meeting and activity. In the back of this book (starting at p. 414) you will see pages for recording your rank advancement and activities with the troop: it is the Scout’s responsibility to make sure these records are up-to-date and accurate. All of the skills that you need to advance are contained within the Scout Handbook.

Learning and practicing opportunities for advancement skills will be offered by the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters at various times. They are also more than happy to work with Scouts on specific skills upon request by the Scout at Troop meetings and activities: all you have to do is ask.

To be tested and signed off, Scouts need to ask a Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, or youth Leader to check their skills. There will be opportunities at almost every meeting for these conversations: it is the responsibility of the Scouts to take advantage of them.

Advancement ranks and rank requirements make sensible demands of our youth and help our Scouts build useful life skills and character traits. We believe in the Advancement curriculum and hope that our Scouts will take advantage of advancement opportunities.

That said, advancement is only one facet of Scouting. Advancement is not a requirement of our Troops, and any advancement efforts and goals should be Scout-driven. We will support your Scout in all of his or her advancement goals, but we will not force your child to advance.

Eagle Rank is a marvelous achievement, but we believe you can still be a very successful scout (and have a lot of fun!) without getting close to your Eagle rank.

SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCES

After completing all of the requirements for a rank, Scouts need to ask their Scoutmaster for a Scoutmaster Conference, which is a conversation between Scout and Scoutmaster. During the conference, the two can discuss the Scout’s ambitions, set goals for future achievement (both in Scouting and beyond), review the Scout’s participation in the Troop, and explore his or her understanding and practice of the ideals of Scouting. The conference also gives the Scoutmaster an opportunity to solicit feedback on the Troop program and any challenges the Scout is facing. The conversation is informal and typically takes about 15 minutes.

BOARDS OF REVIEW

Upon completion of the Scoutmaster Conference, the Scout then needs to ask the Committee Chair for a Board of Review. These are held as needed during regular Troop meetings. The Board of Review is made up of at least three adult members of the Troop Committee.

Wear your uniform shirt, neckerchief, and slide, all tucked in neatly, for your Board of Review. The Board will check to make sure that your Scout Handbook and other records are up-to-date. They will also ask you about what you learned while working on the badge or rank and what you think about our Troops in general. You should request a Board of Review at least one week in advance.

This sounds scary, but really it is not. Many of the people on the board of Review are the same ones you see each week. They all want to see you succeed and grow with our Troops.

MERIT BADGES

Once you reach First Class, Merit Badges become the main advancement tool. (You can work on badges earlier if you choose.) There are over 120 merit badges to choose from: a list of them and their individual requirements is available here. Many badges can be worked on in school or at home, and you can get credit for this work.

One meeting each month is dedicated to advancement, during which Scouts ranked at First Class and higher generally work on a merit badge together. The Scoutmaster will also bring other group merit badge opportunities to your attention, including district merit badge days, community-sponsored workshops, and council merit badge workshops. Summer and winter camps are also an excellent place to earn merit badges: Scouts typically come home from summer camp with at least three complete merit badges.

You may also work independently on merit badges that interest you. The Troops have several adults that are trained merit badge counselors in many subjects; if you are interested in a subject that is not covered by our community, your Scoutmaster can also help find you a Merit Badge Counselor within the greater Scouting community.

If you are interested in beginning a merit badge, the first thing you must do is ask your Scoutmaster for permission. He or she will give you a Merit Badge “Blue Card,” on which you will track all of your progress, and will also help you find a counselor to work with on your project. Once you have completed all of the requirements of the merit badge, return that Blue Card to your Scoutmaster: you will be awarded your merit badge patch at the next Court of Honor.

Note: Keep the “Applicant’s Record” portion of your blue card for yourself: this is your immutable proof that the merit badge was actually earned. When/if a Scout applies for Eagle Rank, the paper “Applicant’s Record” is required if there’s any sort of problem with what’s in (or not in) the Scouts BSA electronic database.

COURTS OF HONOR

The accomplishments of scouts and leaders are formally recognized at Courts of Honor, generally held three times a year. Most are held on Mondays in place of a regular Troop meeting. Parents’ attendance at our Courts of Honor is an important and very easy way to demonstrate an interest in your child’s Scouting progress.

Although Scouts are formally recognized at Courts of Honor, they receive their rank patches as soon as possible after a Board of Review, usually at the next regular Troop meeting.

UNIFORM

Our Troops’ uniform consists of a field uniform (“Class A”) shirt with proper insignia, neckerchief, and slide. Scout pants, belt, hat, and socks are entirely optional: clean khakis or jeans are fine. Wearing the Scouting uniform should be a source of pride and fun, not a barrier to participation. Do what works best for your family. Shirts should be purchased as soon as possible, because they are worn to activities and when travelling.

Our Troops also have an activity t-shirt (the “Class B” shirt) for wearing around camp and at other times that leaders specifically announce.

Uniforms and other Scouting items can be purchased new from the Scout Shops in Seattle, or Tacoma, or online at scoutstuff.com. Outgrown uniforms, gear, and boots may be available from other Troop families. The Council Service Center (3120 Rainier Ave S in Seattle) may also have used uniforms available, in limited sizes. Deals can also be obtained by looking on ebay.

Older-issue uniforms are totally acceptable, but note that older-issue uniform shirts still have “Boy Scouts of America” embroidered on the pocket, The newest khaki shirts (worn by leaders and Scouts in their Webelos years) now say “Scouts BSA” to better reflect the move towards greater inclusion.

For help on where to position patches on your uniform, see the BSA Insignia Guide.

Once a Scout begins earning merit badges, you may want to consider purchasing a Merit Badge Sash, described in detail here. The blog starts with “A merit badge sash is like a trophy case you can wear,” and that is an excellent summary. Scouts are expected to wear their merit badge sash as part of their uniform for special events, like a Court of Honor. The merit badge patches are glued or sewn on the sash in rows of three.

CAMPING EQUIPMENT

Camping is a main focus of our Scouting Troops, and some simple equipment is needed to be comfortable and to enjoy the experience. Your Scout Handbook is a good source for additional information on what to pack, as are the Troop Warm and Cold/Wet Weather packing lists.

Pocket knives may be carried after you have earned a Tot’n Chip card. Lock-back and sheath knives are not allowed for safety reasons.

Before any Scout goes on his or her first backpacking trip with us, we do a gear “shake-down” backpack check, to make sure that you’re not missing anything that you’ll regret not bringing, and also to make sure that you’re not bringing any unnecessary gear, so that we can keep your pack light. When you present yourself for your pack check, you should come to a meeting with your pack fully packed, as though you are ready to hit the trail. We’ll have you take it apart, and with a youth or adult Leader you will look at what you’ve brought and check everything against our Troop packing lists.

As you gear up, we are happy to help make suggestions if you need help. REI does a great job of fitting for backpacks: you’ll want to be sure you get a kid-sized backpack, somewhere in the 45L capacity. REI, Ospry, and Gregory are all solid brands of packs. REI will let you try on anything they have, and they’ll put weights inside them, so you’ll be able to tell what they’ll feel like when they’re loaded up. Make sure you get something that is adjustable, so that it grows with you.

The other thing you’ll want to make sure you have is good hiking boots that are waterproof, are a good fit, and have good ankle support (high-tops are a good idea: they’ll keep you from twisting ankles). It’s okay to have boots slightly large for predicted growth, but not too large, because you’ll end up with blisters. We also suggest investing in a couple of pairs of hiking socks that will keep your feet dry and blister-free on the trail.

Also, you’ll want to make sure you get a youth-sized sleeping bag: a bag that is the right size for you will be lighter and more compact and will keep you warmer when you sleep.

If you have any questions at all on gear recommendations, your leaders are happy to help with advice and money-saving substitutions.

Group items such as tents, water filters, lanterns, stoves, and cooking equipment are all furnished by the Troop. Scouts are assigned gear that is their responsibility on a given trip, and it is that scout’s responsibility to return that gear, clean and in working order, in a timely manner. Our Troop website has instructions for gear cleaning and care.

FUNDRAISING: Treedrive

Treedrive is the only fundraising activity for our troop 695/8695 right now. Sammamish Troop 695/8695 will pick up and recycle your used Christmas tree for a donation. Donations like these help fund our scout activities.

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In the future, we may consider to add other forms of fundraising, such as cooking baking etc.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

OVERVIEW

Scouting is a family affair. Parents should encourage their child to work on advancement and take full advantage of the Scouting program. We hope you will take an active part in encouraging your child. Your role as cheerleader will be a big reason for your child’s interest and success.

While we don’t require involvement from our families, without the help of all kinds from our parents, Troops 695/8695 would not exist. If you are willing, please fill out our Troop Resource Survey, so we can begin the discussion of how to best use your time and talent.

COMMITTEE AND ADULT LEADERSHIP

Our Troop Committee of adults oversees all activities and is the ultimate authority concerning Troop operations. Both parents of Scouts and registered adult members of Scouts BSA participate in Committee meetings. See the section “Adult Leadership” for more info.

The Troop program planning is done by the Scouts themselves, so the adults, as the Troop Committee, act in a support role. The time commitment of a Committee Member is minimal, but your assistance is invaluable: the Troop Committee oversees the Troops, helps plan activities, works on record keeping, approves the calendar, assists with advancement, and forms the Board of Review for each Scout’s rank advancement. Many of our best ideas have come from parents who just speak up! Also note that, because Scouts run the Troops, “helping” is often just “watching.”

We definitely can use your help! National BSA Youth Protection Training (YPT) rules require at least two adults at every meeting and activity, and events must be cancelled if sufficient leaders are not available.

Adults, if you are interested in joining our group of adult leaders, great! We welcome all parents on day activities, which is a great way to get acclimated to working with scouts. If you would like to attend campouts as an adult leader, we ask that you do the following:

First, attend some day activities, committee meetings, and Troop meetings, so that you can get to know us and we can get to know you, and so you can learn our policies in working with youth.
After you’ve become acclimated with the Troop, if leadership feels like a good fit, fill out an adult application form and submit it online or to your Troop. Please note that this application includes a fee, of approximately $100, for joining the BSA organization, money which supports all of the camps and other benefits of BSA that our Scouts will enjoy. If this fee is in any way a hardship, please let our leadership know, and the troop can cover your application fee.
Fill out and submit a medical form to your Troop (Parts A/B suffice unless you are going to an activity that will last longer than 72 hours, like summer camp, in which case Part C needs to be completed).
Complete Youth Protection Training and give your completion certificate to your Troop.

If you have a special skill or interest, you may want to serve as a Merit Badge Counselor for interested Scouts. This is a great way to get to know your kids’ fellow Scouts, and you can lend a hand to the Troops in a bite-sized way.

The Scoutmasters are responsible for day-to-day Troop operations and are in charge of all meetings and activities. Assistant Scoutmasters work with the Scoutmaster and youth leaders to carry out Scout-selected meeting and event plans.

There is always room for anyone who wants to take these more active roles in working with the Scouts to plan their program. Council training programs are held several times a year, and everyone is encouraged to take advantage of them. If you are interested, let us know!

SAFETY AND YOUTH PROTECTION TRAINING

Safety is a top priority in our Troops. BSA has specific policies in place to help us achieve this, outlined in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

The most important BSA safety rules are:

No one-on-one contact: Scouts should never be alone with an adult who is not a parent or authorized family member.
Two-deep leadership: All events must be overseen by at least two registered leaders. (Note at least one must be female if there are female Scouts in attendance.)

Safety is everyone’s job. If you see potentially unsafe activity, please take action to correct the problem or talk to a leader if you are not sure what to do.

All registered adults should complete Youth Protection Training and renew it biannually. The training is available online: log in (you will already have created an account if you submitted an online application to join one of our Troops), then follow the link on the logo at right to take the video course in English or Spanish. The course takes about an hour and covers sensitive topics, but you can do it in short installments and come back to it without losing your progress. Once you have completed your training, you can print out your completion certificate and submit it to Troop leadership.

Completing this training allows registered adult partners to fulfill the requirement for two-deep leadership. We really appreciate your contribution to safety!

Our goal is to have a safe, fun Troop program for Scouts. The adult leaders will intervene in any situation that they deem unsafe. If a Scout is unwilling to abide by the requirements of the adult leaders in charge, they may require a parent to come get the Scout, whether the situation occurs at a Troop meeting or during an outing.

We strive to accommodate the needs of each Scout, including learning and behavioral differences. Please let us know if there’s anything specific we can do to help your child enjoy and succeed with Scouting.

TRANSPORTATION

Adults picking up other Scouts is permissible as long as there are multiple Scouts present (as per the “no one-on-one contact” rule). The requirement for two-deep leadership goes into effect at the start of the meeting/event. If any family is having transportation difficulties and needs to arrange a ride to get to a meeting, the Committee Chair and Scoutmaster are happy to help.

HOW TO SIGN UP

APPLICATION

When you’re ready to join one of our Troops, the sign-up process is most easily done online via beascout.org. Search for Troops in your zip code to find Troop 695 or Troop 8695. Fill out the online application for your Scout. You will be prompted to create a login and password for http://my.scouting.org. First-time registrants pay dues online as part of the signup process; in subsequent years you will pay the fee online.

Alternatively, you can download a pdf for the youth application, for submitting in person to the council or for emailing to membership@seattlebsa.org.

MEDICAL FORMS

Scouts BSA medical forms are required, both for Scouts and adult leaders. A Part A/B short form is required for any Scouting event. A Part A/B/C long form is required for participation in any event (such as a camp) that will last over 72 hours: note that Part C must be completed by a physician. Turn these forms in to your Troop leaders, and we will keep them on file and bring them to all activities.

These forms expire annually. It may be convenient to ask your family doctor to fill out the form when a school or sports physical is done.

DUES

Dues are $127 per Scout per year, which includes annual dues to support troop activities, the national registration fees, and a subscription to Scouts’ Life magazine. Pay using PayPal or check. Checks should be made out to Boy Scout Troop 532.

There is no initiation fee.

All new members are given the official Scouts BSA Handbook, a troop neckerchief, a BSA neckerchief slide, one set of embroidered troop numerals, and a Council shoulder patch for the uniform.

If you are joining later in the year, dues are prorated according to this table. (Click “Membership fees.”)

QUESTIONS

The adult leaders of Troops 695/8695 want to ensure that your child’s transition into Scouts is as successful and confusion-free as we can make it. Parents, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to talk with us. We really look forward to Scouting with you!