When Hitler declared war on the United States, he was betting that the German soldiers, raised up in the Nazi Youth, would always outfight American soldiers, brought up in the Boy Scouts. He lost that bet. The Boy Scouts had been taught how to figure their way out of their own problems. –Steven Ambrose
PURPOSE
Boy Scout Troop 322 is chartered to Crossroads Christian Church. Crossroads considers Troop 322 as one of its vital ministries; however, boys need not be members of Crossroads to participate. The purposes of the troop are:
PATROL METHOD
Upon joining, each Scout will be assigned to a patrol. A patrol is a group of 5 to 8 Scouts of varying age and rank and is the basic functioning unit of the troop.
Patrols are led by an older (13 – 14 years old) experienced Scout. On a campout, the patrol plans, buys, and cooks its own meals, camps together, and provides the basic “team” for most competitive events. With the patrol system, boys have a chance to “have a say” in their own welfare. Jobs are shared among the patrol members with the younger Scouts learning from the older ones. The patrol is the basic link of communication as well.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Troop 322 is a boy-led Troop. This means that front-line leadership comes from Scouts, with the adults serving in an advisory capacity. The most significant leadership is the Patrol Leader. This position offers a tremendous opportunity for a Scout to learn and grow. The PL will be in close touch with your son, telephoning with reminders and instructions and assigning task and duties. Any questions about Troop activities should first be directed to the Patrol Leader.
If there seems to be a problem with the patrol leader or patrol operation, please observe the following procedure: Scouts can complain to their patrol leader as long and loudly as they wish if they don’t like something (although they should be ready to pitch in to help make it better). Parents on the other hand should not complain to the PL but should take up any problems with an adult leader.
The chief executive officer of the Troop is the Senior Patrol Leader. He is an older boy, about 15 or 16 years old. He has previously served a year as a Patrol Leader and a year as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader.
Patrol Leaders and the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader are chosen by Troop-wide election, usually at Summer Camp. The Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for a given year assumes the position of Senior Patrol Leader the next year.
All of the Patrol Leaders plus the SPL and ASPL make up the Patrol Leader Council. The PLC is responsible for both long range and detailed monthly program planning. In this way, each Scout has a representative present when the program is planned.
LEADERSHIP CORPS/VENTURE CREW
Older Scouts, usually those who have completed a term as Patrol Leader, form the Leadership Corps or Venture Crew. These Scouts are a valuable source of leadership and instruction. From time to time they may conduct independent activities more appropriate for older youth.
[A] remarkable thing is … Boys teaching boys. What a simple notion that is, with such important consequences. Boys are giving the gift of knowledge to one another. They are doing that all of the time, of course, and sometimes the knowledge is a … joke, or how to spit. But at the other end of the spectrum are… lessons where one boy passes to another a skill learned from still another boy, continuing the chain of knowledge across the generations of boys in the Troop. The skill itself and the skill of teaching it are gifts that one keeps by passing them on. Jay Melching, On My Honor, University of Chicago Press, 2001
FINANCES
Troop 322’s expenses are met by funds from two sources; the Scouts themselves, and a limited number of fund raising activities. Profits from the fund raisers are used to buy equipment and expendable camping supplies, pay admission and campsite use fees for most activities, pay summer camp and High Adventure fees, and pay the fees for annual registration (after the Scout’s initial year) with the Boy Scouts of America (including subscription to Boy’s Life magazine).
The most significant fund raiser is the annual Christmas Tree Sale. The tree sale is a family project and each Scout family is required to take part.
We do not charge dues. We do expect the Scouts to pay for groceries for campouts and meals purchased when traveling and we cannot cook. Certain high-cost, “fun” oriented activities (e.g. Indianapolis Time Trials) may require the Scout to pay a portion of his admission fee. Also, we sometimes find it necessary to level a fee to cover the cost of transportation to and from outings.
UNIFORM
Here is the Troop 322 policy concerning uniforms:
Class A – A scout uniform shirt with up-to-date insignia, Scout pants or shorts, and neck wear consisting of beads and neckerchief or Philmont bolo for those entitled to wear it. Scouts should also have some sort of belt (Scout belt encouraged but not required), socks (Scout socks encouraged but not required), and shoes. Venture Crew member may wear a dark green uniform shirt.
Class B – The official Troop 322 Class B T-shirt and Scout shorts or pants.
Class C – Any Troop or Scout T-shirt with civilian pants/shorts.
New Scouts should acquire a Class A uniform at the latest one month after joining.
All scouts are required to wear the Class A uniform at meetings and at other activities as announced. When Class A is not required, such as on a camping trip, Scouts should wear Class B or Class C, weather permitting.
Scouts not wearing Class A Uniform when required will be directed to telephone their parents to request that either the uniform be brought to them or they be picked up and taken home.
MEETINGS
Troop 322 usually holds three meetings and one campout/activity per month. Meetings are held from 7:00 – 8:30 on Tuesday evenings at Crossroads Christian Church. Sometimes, optional advancement classes are offered after regular meetings (8:30 – 9:00). The Tuesday immediately following an activity is usually reserved for PLC planning meetings.
PROGRAM AND ACTIVITIES
Troop 322 activities fall into three general types:
Weekend trips and campouts
These are Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Sunday activities. Weekend activities are held September-November and January-May. These are camping activities except that January or February usually features a “city” visit with indoor lodging.
Summer Camp
Troop 322’s Summer Camp is the centerpiece of the program. Unlike most Troops, we conduct our own summer camp program. Leadership and instruction are provided by our adult leasers, current and former Troop Dads, and our older Scouts. About 75% of our advancement occurs at Summer Camp. Camp is held for one week, usually in late July and all scouts are required to attend.
High Adventure
Every year, older Scouts (14 years and up) are offered high adventure programs. Scouts 14 and 15 years of age usually participate in a 12 day backpacking trek at Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Christo Mountains in New Mexico. Scouts who have done 2 Philmont treks are eligible for Alternate High Adventure which may be a trip to England, a week of adventure in the Gulf of Mexico, a visit to Seattle or other exciting activities. High adventure activities are in addition to regular Troop activities, not a replacement for them. Scouts must attend 70% of regular Troop activities, including Summer Camp, in order to be eligible to participate in high adventure.
Whenever possible, activity dates are selected to minimize conflicts with other activities involving our leaders and Scouts. Tentative dates for activities are announced in September for the coming year.
Transportation for outings is usually provided by the Troop bus. The bus is always maintained in good working order and the men who drive it have the appropriate Indiana CDL license. Generally, Scouts are expected to ride the bus to and from activities, even if there Dad is going along.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance at all meetings, weekend activities, and Summer Camp is expected of each Scout. Our activities are an integral part of our program and we do not intend for them to be “optional”. A boy will not gain much from Scouting with “hit-and-miss” or “fair weather only” attendance. Each Scout is an important member of his patrol team and it suffers from absences.
On the other hand, we realize that there are many activities to occupy boys today and that there will invariably be conflicts. The adult leaders and PLC will adjust plans when possible to accommodate the schedules of the majority of the Scouts and leaders. We offer the following suggestions and policies when conflicts arise.
Scouting activities should be given equal consideration with other activities and some priorities established such as the following recommended ideas for boys participating in sports.
a. meetings are equivalent to practices
b. games take precedence over meetings
c. campouts take precedence over practices
d. game and campouts are equivalent
We would rather have Scouts come late to meetings and outing (after other activities) or leave early than not participate at all.
Absences without notice to the patrol leader will not be tolerated. The Scout is a member of a team and his patrol must plan for his presence or absence. We will assume that any Scout who does not notify his patrol leader of his absence WILL be present and will be responsible for any costs incurred and information disseminated. If this policy seems harsh, remember that all it takes is a phone call.
Normally, your son’s Patrol Leader will call with a reminder before each meeting and activity. Patrol Leaders do this as a courtesy and as part of being an effective leader; however, the responsibility for notification about any absence lies with the Scout, NOT the Patrol Leader.
CONDUCT
Troop 322 is based on the ideals of Christianity and on the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and Law; accordingly the leaders will not tolerate swearing, lying, smoking, stealing, vandalism, bullying and the like. Boys engaging in these activities will be subject to being sent home, suspension, or dismissal. There will be no hazing or crude “initiations” of younger Scouts. The Troop has developed a special policy on alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. A copy is attached to the back of these notes.
WORSHIP SERVICES
When the troop is in camp on the Lord’s Day, worship services will be held and each Scout will be required to attend.
ADVANCEMENT
A central element in the Scouting program is advancement. Advancement consists of Scouts learning skills, demonstrating the skills and obtaining badges or awards. There are two basic types of awards: Merit Badges and Rank Awards. The first three ranks (Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class) cover basic Scout skills and are “checked off” by designated Scouts or adults. The approximately 120 merit badges cover advanced skills, hobbies, and professions and are usually earned by meeting with an adult “counselor”. The three higher ranks (Star, Life, Eagle) are earned by earning specific combinations of merit badges and participating in leadership and service.
A Scout should maintain a steady pace of advancement. National policy sets the goal of one year to First Class. Star, Life, and Eagle should take one to one and one half years each. Scouts who are not advancing will be reviewed from time to time by Troop 322’s Board of Review and will be given definite goals to meet.
Advancement in Scouting is not a competitive affair – every Scout can advance all the way to Eagle by mastering the appropriate skills and showing leadership and performing service. This is E.T. Seton’s principle of “Honors by Standards”. To quote Seton, one of the “founding fathers” of the Boy Scouts of America:
The competitive principle is responsible for much of what is evil. We see it rampant… today, where every effort is made to discover and develop a champion, while the great body… is neglected. …A great deal of this would be avoided if we strove to bring all individuals up to a certain standard. In our (Scouting) non-competitive test the enemies are not “the other fellows” but time and space, the forces of nature. We try not to down the others but to raise ourselves; The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore; Doubleday, 1921
PARENT’S PLACE IN BOY SCOUTING
Unlike Cub Scouting, which is a family-centered program, Boy Scouting stresses the boy’s independence and ability to function outside the family circle. It follows that parents do not take as direct a role in Boy Scouting as they do in Cubs; however, parent background support is essential to successful Scouting. The most important need is for encouragement in attendance and in advancement. Expect your son to do well—and he will! Expect him to give up, quit, or not achieve—and he will do that!
A second need is for parent help in Troop support functions. Parents are needed to help care for equipment, to arrange special events, to guide fund raising activities and many other functions. The Troop Committee manages these parent support functions. In addition, there is a “Mothers’ Club” which supports the Troop. Of course, parents must be involved in our Christmas tree sale if we are to continue to offer high quality activities at minimal costs
We welcome Scout dads to come along on weekend campouts and to make up part of our Summer Camp staff. When we are camping, all adults camp and cook separately from the Scouts – near enough to be available when needed but far enough away so as not to interfere with youth leaders who are in charge of the program and the patrol tasks.
Troop 322 usually holds two “parent nights” per year for fellowship, sharing program information, and recognizing Scouts’ achievements. About once a year, we will hold a “father and son” or “whole family” weekend activity.