Information for New Parents
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Scouting builds character and instills values for a lifetime. You can learn more about the general program here: www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/faqs
But each troop implements the program slightly differently, so here are some points that may help you in selecting the best option for your Scout as well as info on equipment, costs and fundraising. |
Troop 247 Scouts Cleaning Veterans' Graves and Laying Wreaths
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How to pick a new troopSelecting a troop with a meeting time and place that works for your family is key as most troops meet 52 weeks a year. We meet on Tuesdays at 7 PM in Carney/Perry Hall. More importantly is that we camp every month which is the focus of our program, not the weekly meeting, as camping fosters the independence, team work, leadership and physical fitness we seek to develop.
Don't focus on the amazing trips and exotic destinations. We do those too, but the best trip is the one your Scout chooses, plans and organizes with his fellow Scouts. Our troop is youth led which means we go where they want to go! What a troop did last year may not be what the current Scouts decide to do this year. That said, if a Scout can imagine it, we can probably make it happen. Also consider the unique needs of your Scout. Maybe he is an athlete or maybe he is a bit unusual by others standards. Maybe he is shy or outgoing or gifted or challenged in certain areas. Our adult leaders have experience with a wide range of youth from gifted to special needs and welcome all and see a potential Eagle Scout in each one. |
How to get startedThe best advice is to visit a troop and, even better, go on a camp out with them! We welcome potential new Scouts and parents to give us a try. Contact us and let us know you would like to stop by or join us for a camp out.
We welcome those new to Scouting, bridging Cub Scouts, and those looking to switch to a traditional camping focused and boy led program. Once you and your Scout decide for him to join Troop 247, a Scouts BSA Youth Application is completed and dues are paid to the Troop. Your Scout will be assigned to a Patrol of 4-8 boys of similar age which he will work with as a unit within the Troop. 
Troop 247 Scouts refurbishing playground equipment as part of service project
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What to expectScouts BSA, "boy scouting", is much different from Cub Scouting and other youth activities. One of the key methods of Scouting is the Patrol Method. Youth of similar age work in small groups of 4-8 and it’s the place where boys learn skills together, take on leadership responsibilities, perhaps for the first time, and develop friendships that will last over a lifetime. It's not a Scout version of a Cub den as there is no adult "den leader", deciding the activities and running the program. This next level of leadership is provided by the Troop's Senior Patrol Leader and Troop Guide, which are youth leader positions. The Patrol Method means you can expect your Scout to experience and practice leadership and personal responsibility as soon as he joins his patrol. This also means that things don't always run perfectly. We don't always play to win, rather we formost play to learn.
You can expect that your Scout will be challenged. It is amazing what an 11 yr. old can do and learn when they get to experience the results. Your Scout will plan and cook his own meals, pack his own gear, vote on his choice of activities, elect his own leaders and manage his own pace of advancement. Along the way he will have the help of older Scouts and adults as he makes his own Scouting journey. |
