Troop Philosophy
Our philosophy is very basic. We are here for the scouts to learn and have a good time doing it. Scout Troops are ideally “youth-run.” This means that the scouts run the troop. Of course the adults are there to supervise and make sure things go according to BSA Policy.
Our troop is highly “youth-run.” Annually, in August, we have a Youth Leadership Retreat where the youth leadership (patrol leaders, assistant patrol leaders, assistant senior patrol leaders, senior patrol leader, quartermaster, guides, and instructors) meets and decides where they are going to go camping and what badges they are going to earn. Quarterly, the youth leadership holds a patrol leadership council meeting where they plan the upcoming meetings and review the quarterly campout calendar. We as adults step in when appropriate to give guidance, and to teach skills they don’t know. We have tried the extremes in the past, and have found this way works the best.
Of course, the newer the scouts, the more adult involvement until they can reach a level of competency. Also along with this, once they get older, they tend to run the troop more on their own.
We stress Leadership. All of the youth hold a leadership position at some point while in the troop. Our one break from traditional scouting is the adults choose the Senior Patrol Leader and guide the choice of other leadership positions, rather than having popular elections. This ensures all scouts an opportunity to progress through the leadership positions and build to the best position for their growth and advancement.
We also like the youth to learn as much as they can or choose to. Between myself and my other adult leader’s, as well as the older scouts, we have a great amount of knowledge to share.