QuirkyKapers Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Help! I am trying to figure out how this works. Also, do I understand this correctly: You need a scoutmaster? They are present at the meetings do they do anything else? I know the actual meetings themselves are scout led. The scouts go to the scoutmaster with their merit badge ideas and they get a blue card. The scout than has to contact a merit badge counselor and those counselors are listed in a directory with your scouts district? How many boys are in a troop at this level? What else is helpful to know? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Help! I am trying to figure out how this works. Also, do I understand this correctly: You need a scoutmaster? They are present at the meetings do they do anything else? I know the actual meetings themselves are scout led. The scouts go to the scoutmaster with their merit badge ideas and they get a blue card. The scout than has to contact a merit badge counselor and those counselors are listed in a directory with your scouts district? How many boys are in a troop at this level? What else is helpful to know? Thanks! Tenderfoot, 1st and 2nd class are not merit badges. They are in the Scout book, with the sign off pages in the Scout book. The Scoutmaster or Asst. Scoutmaster signs off the requirements as they are met. Most meetings are a combo of scout/leader led. A good troop will have leaders guiding the boys as the boys learn to lead. There must be adults there, at least two... boys will not be there without the adults. Our district has a mb directory but most are done with adults within our own troop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Help! I am trying to figure out how this works. Also, do I understand this correctly: You need a scoutmaster? Yes, a scoutmaster is needed. He is the main adult leadership position for the troop. He is there to help guide the boys. They are present at the meetings do they do anything else? Good Scoutmasters get to know the boys in his troop, encourage them with advancement, help them with stumbling blocks and show them how to live the Law and Oath. The SM, along with the committee, reviews and discusses the activity and camping plans, makes sure the program is well-balanced and that opportunities for advancement are included. I know the actual meetings themselves are scout led. The meetings should be boy led but the leaders are involved in the meetings. The scouts go to the scoutmaster with their merit badge ideas and they get a blue card. The scout than has to contact a merit badge counselor and those counselors are listed in a directory with your scouts district? Some troops have a merit badge counsleor list, some districts have a district wide list. It depends on how well the district is run. Either way, the MBC must have taken the protection class and be registered with the Council. How many boys are in a troop at this level? Unlike Cub Scouts, all scouts, regardless of rank, are in the same group and attend the same meeting. Depending upon the size of the troop there will be a number of patrols. Each patrol should have between 5-10 scouts. A patrol of 5 is small, a patrol of 10 is fairly large. Some troops have patrols designated as New Scout Patrols which lump all recently crossed over boys into the same patrol. Other troops split up the new boys and have multi-age, multi-rank patrols. Your troop may have as few as 5 boys and as many as 150. It is different for every troop. What else is helpful to know? Boys can begin working on merit badges as soon as they cross over; they do not have to wait for a certain rank. There are other awards besides rank advancement and merit badges that can be earned. The Hornaday, NOVA and National Outdoor Badges are a just a few. There are 4 high adventure bases the boys can attend -Florida Sea Base, Philmont, Northern Tier and The Summit. The HABs offer a myriad of opportunities for boys who want to further their scouting experience or for boys who are seeking adventure. Boys do not have to wait until a certain age to earn Eagle. Some people will say they boy must be 17 or whatever age but the rules state that a boy may earn Eagle at 14, 15 or 16. As long as he has met the requirements and proves himself through his leadership and eagle project, he can become an Eagle. Thanks! Every boy's journey through scouting is going to be different. There will be similarities based upon the requirements for the ranks (i.e. the Eagle required merit badges) but once a boy begins to select his area of interest and chooses which merit badges he wants to earn he really begins to show his individuality. One boy may go for Whitewater, Kayaking, and canoeing. Whereas another may choose Electricity, Engineering and Architecture. Another may choose Scholarship, Reading and Coin Collecting. Speaking with scouts about their chosen path is one of my favorite things to do whenever I meet a new group of scouts. I find it intriguing to hear which badges each boy has selected to earn and what his path through scouting is like. One thing to remember, though, is to let the boy choose his path. I see many parents who control which merit badges, how many merit badges, which camps, what community service projects, which leadership positions, what eagle project, etc and it breaks my heart. The journey should be about the boy. I hope this helps. I can talk about scouting all night.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks everyone! One more question I thought of: Does the Scoutmaster need to be a male or can it be a female? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks everyone! One more question I thought of: Does the Scoutmaster need to be a male or can it be a female? BSA allows both men and women to be Scoutmasters and Assistants. I've only known of one woman in the SM role though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Our troop has 120+ boys. Most troops in my area are 50+. We visited one that was 35 once but just recently grew to 50. There are LDS troops that might be smaller but they are closed to anyone except their own church members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starwarsmomma Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Our troop has 120+ boys. Most troops in my area are 50+. We visited one that was 35 once but just recently grew to 50. There are LDS troops that might be smaller but they are closed to anyone except their own church members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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