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 | | | All are welcome to contribute as much as they would like as a uniformed leader, Committee Member, or a Merit Badge Councilor (MBC).
As a Committee Member, you should be willing to attend the monthly Committee Meeting (4th or 5th Mon of each month, 7PM) and get involved in as much/little upcoming activities as you wish.
As a Merit Badge Councilor, you choose to provide counseling from 1 to many of the available 121 Merit Badges. YOU DO NOT need to be an "expert" to be a councilor, as the merit badge handbooks will cover ALL that you need to know to learn/teach each particular badge, but you should have some first-hand working knowledge of the subject matter. This knowledge and experience could be through schooling, work, or hobbies.
As a Merit Badge Councilor, your time is ONLY used "upon request" when a Scout decides he would like to work on a particular badge for which you've agreed to be a councilor. Merit Badges are earned OUTSIDE of the weekly meeting, so Scouts meet with you ON YOUR SCHEDULE of availability.
NOTE.. all leaders MUST complete a BSA Adult Application, which requires you to provide your Social Security Number. ALL applicants must complete Youth Protection Training prior to application submission. A background check will be done by the East Carolina Council. WE (Troop) will NOT know of the particular details of anyone's record, but will simply be told "yes/no" regarding your eligbility. If you do not provide your SSN, you will not be accepted as a leader. This is National BSA policy and not the policy of Troop 370.
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We follow a ZERO TOLORANCE policy for bullying or unruly behavior. By any and all measure, Scouting is (and should be) considered a "safe zone" where boys can come and GROW in a positive and supportive environment.
Upon joining Scouts, boys are placed into a smaller unit called a Patrol - we currently have 6 patrols in our Troop. Per BSA guidelines, a patrol is "a group of boys (no more than 10) of similiar age, interests, and abilities."
BY DESIGN, your son will be among boys "like him" for most of his Scouting events. However, he will BENEFIT from the guidance and leadership examples of the older/larger boys who serve as Senior Leaders, Troop Guides, and skill instructors. Even in mixed-patrol competitions, we have only observed caring and supportive interactions... and we DO watch (just in case).
Scouting is a PRIVATE organization. Should any boy's behavior become intolorable, it is well within our right to "un-invite" him from being a Scout in this Troop.
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The Troop charges monthly dues of $10 for unit costs. First time members pay the prorated annual national membership fee for their initial sign-up. A 12-month membership is $33.
There are occasional added fees for some of our monthly camping trips, depending on what has been selected. Smmer camp is a big part of the scouting experience. Summer camp costs vary depending on the BSA camp chosen, but generally averages between $230-$400.
Fund Raisers are held as needed to fund new equipment, more elaborate camping destinations, or to allow boys to fund their OWN "scout account".
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The Monthly Dues - helps to pay for numerous awards, badges, pins, camp ground fees, and more. It usually is NOT enough for all expenses (see fund raising below).
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Summer Camp Fee - Week-long Summer Camp is a great experience, and we encourage Scouts to attend every year. The average fee is $245. Please start saving for this NOW so that Camp is not a "financial burden" when payment is due (usually May of each year, but deposits start in late winter/early spring).
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Fund Raising - held as needed to supplement the cost of running the Troop. Covers new/replacement equipment (tents, stoves, cook gear, propane tanks, etc), or to cover the cost of more elaborate camping destinations, and leadership membership fees (we can't have a unit without leaders). We also have occasional scholarships to support our youth and leaders for training because every Scout deserves a trained leader.
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The ONLY age requirements established by the National Program are as follows:
10 years old to join (If completed 5th grade or earned AOL, otherwise must be 11)
12 years old by July 1st, to attend a National Jamboree contingent
13 years old to participate in COPE (14 preferred, 13 with Scoutmaster's recommendation)
13 years old to join a Venture Patrol
14 years old to join a Varsity Team
15 years old to join Sea Scouts or a Venture Crew
16 years old to become a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
16 years old to be Youth Staff at a camp or Jamboree
Day before 18th birthday - the last day you are a Boy Scout or Varsity Team member (includes Venture patrol). PRIOR to his birthday, all work (rank and badges) must be DONE. The Eagle Board of Review can occur after the 18th birthday, but work/project must be done PRIOR to the 18th birthday.
Day before 21st birthday - the last day you are a Sea Scout or Venture Crew member
There are NO age requirements for ANY merit badges or youth leadership positions (other than JASM and Camp Staff)
National publishes no "minimum age" for Eagle Scout Rank, but the earliest possible age a Scout could become eagle is 11 years and 5 months of age.
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The Boy Scout Of America Program is a 100 year old, professionally crafted, program of education and character development. By using the "Outdoor Method" (camping, fishing, rock climbing, etc) boys work together to do "the things boys like to do". In the process, they learn the value of teamwork, honesty, communication, mutual respect, and more as they work towards their goal and overcome any obstacles they encounter.
By employing the Methods of Scouting, we reinforce the AIMS of Scouting, which are reflected in our Oath and Law. The goal is to see that they become permanant fixtures in the character of each Boy Scout as we teach them to be Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrift, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
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We certainly won't send the "Scout Police" out to find you if you don't show up, but you miss out on a big part of the BSA Program if you don't attend regularly.
Scouting is NOT just playtime, or "Billy's weekend fun" away from his kid sister. Scouting is a carefully crafted character-development program. Each boy is a member of a PATROL, and as such, is part of a smaller group (as compared to the whole Troop of boys) where he is given AMPLE opportunity to play an active and valuable "hands on" role in the patrol's success.
A boy who shows up sporadically DEPRIVES himself of the chance to make key decisions within his patrol; choose trip ideas and destinations, make menu selections, divy out workload, and build close friendships. Every meeting includes a period of valuable skill instruction and fun interpatrol competitions that relate to the upcoming camping trip. If a boys misses a meeting, he will find himself less prepared for the upcoming weekend in the outdoors. The troop meetings are where we "learn", but the camping trip is where we reinforce the skills by putting them into practical use.
Scouts should make every effort to attend meetings on a regular basis. Those who don't are missing out on the full experience of their limited Scouting years, and are causing their patrol members to do the same.
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Rank is an interesting word choice, clearly derived from Scouting's origin as a program modeled after a military structure.
Those holding a "higher rank" do not order around those of "lower rank". In Scouting, the term "rank" is a PERSONAL measure of his progress along the "Trail to Eagle"... or more appropriately thought of as his "trail to manhood".
When a boy joins Scouting, his first POSITION is one of "Scout".
He then works on the first 3 RANKS; Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class. Within the requirements of these ranks, a Scout learns the SAFETY aspects of Scouting; basic first aid, how to choose a safe camp spot, how to properly dress for an outing, how to find his way with map/compass, what to do if he gets lost, etc...
Now a demonstrated "safe" Scout... he is ready for his next period of personal development, which is LEADERSHIP. In the pursuit of Star, Life, and Eagle, a youth is learning (and then mastering) the skills of leadership. By holding leadership positions within the troop, he learns to lead, instruct, and inspire others. He learns to "give back" to others, and also learns his emerging place in Society as a citizen.
There are over 135 various Merit Badges available (only 21 needed for Eagle). To ensure that the Scouts are getting a taste of the opportunities available, the higher badges of rank require a set number of merit badges be completed (including some designated as "Eagle required").
Merit Badges offer exposure to a diverse background of interests, adventures, and opportunities that Scouts may never experience IF NOT for the Scouting program (Aviation, Scuba, Reptile study, shooting sports, etc). It is not uncommon that exposure to a topic via the Merit Badge Program leads to life-long hobbies and career choices, as well as "needed skills" like Home Repair, Auto Mechanics, and Public Speaking.
There is no limit on the number of Merit Badges a youth may earn.
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