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Troop 87

New Parent Orientation

Welcome!

May 10, 2023

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Outline

  • Youth Protection
  • Paperwork
  • Purpose of Scouts BSA
  • Advancement
  • Activities
  • Service
  • Assistance
  • Q&A

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Youth Protection

  • Health and Safety is first concern
  • All adult leaders take BSA Youth Protection Training
    • Must refresh every 2 years
  • Always feel free to bring up concerns with us!

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YPT Basics

  • All adults (18+) interacting with Scouts must have up-to-date YPT
    • Background check as well
    • California AB506 training, fingerprinting (if over 16/32 hours interaction)
  • 2-deep adult (21+) leadership for all events
  • NO 1:1 contact between adults & Scouts
    • 1 adult driver ok as long as 2 Scouts in car
    • This applies for email and electronic comms too!!
  • Tenting
    • Adults (18+) never tent with Scouts [unlike Cub Scouts]
    • Scouts cannot tent with Scouts more than 2-years age-different
    • Always single-gender tenting

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Safety

  • Adult leaders have position-specific training
  • Many adult leaders have Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR training
  • Hazardous Weather Training
  • Safety Afloat, Safe Swim Defense

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Paperwork

  • Scouts
    • Medical Form A&B (C for summer camp/ High Adventure)
    • Shooting Sports Permission
  • Adults
    • Always:
      • Medical Form A&B (C for summer camp/HA)
    • For going to Troop events:
      • BSA Youth Protection Training (YPT)
      • California AB506
    • Additional training as needed

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Medical Forms & Medicine

  • Medical forms are tricky!
  • Discuss concerns with trip leaders
  • Medicine should be in original packaging
  • Scouts should NOT have their own meds
    • EXCEPT inhalers & epinephrine
    • Not even OTC!
  • Adults monitor/supervise med administration
  • ​

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Costs

  • Scouting is not cheap
  • No Scout should miss an event due to financial hardship!
    • Camperships for summer camp, high adventure
    • Troop can help (talk to Johnny, Jeff)
    • Uniform bank / used uniforms
    • Used gear / discount shops (Hiker Direct, Steep’n’Cheap)

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Purpose of Scouts BSA

Prepare young people to make moral and ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

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Scout Oath

On my honor

I will do my best

To do my duty

To God and my country

And to obey the Scout Law

To help other people at all times,

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is:

  • Trustworthy
  • Loyal
  • Helpful
  • Friendly
  • Courteous
  • Kind
  • Obedient
  • Cheerful
  • Thrifty
  • Brave
  • Clean
  • Reverent

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Scouts BSA is Scout-led

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Scout Leaders

  • SPL: Senior Patrol Leader – the youth in charge of the whole Troop
  • ASPL: Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
  • PL: Patrol Leader – youth in charge of a patrol
  • Troop Guide: Senior Scout in charge of junior Scout advancement

​

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Adult Leaders

  • Scoutmaster (SM)
  • Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM)
  • Committee Chair
  • Troop Committee
  • Chartered Organization Representative (COR)

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Scout-led in Practice

  • Scouts have operational control over Scout events (meetings, campouts)
    • Adults are present for health and safety oversight
    • Adults offer guidance when asked or do “Socratic dialogue” as needed
  • Scouting is a safe place to fail and learn
    • Roses, Buds, Thorns (& Lessons)

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Scout-Led: Planning

  • Monthly Patrol Leaders’ Council (PLC)
    • Calendar for the next 3 months
      • Meeting plans
      • Leaders for campouts, etc
    • Everyone is welcome!
  • Annual Planning Meeting (August)
    • Ideas for campouts & bigger activities
    • Everyone should attend and provide input!

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Advancement

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Rank Advancement

  • 7 Scout ranks
    • Up to First Class: junior Scouts
    • Above First Class: senior Scouts
      • Senior Scouts are the Scout leaders (*)
    • Eagle Scout is the highest rank
    • Must be finished by age 18
  • Scout ranks build on certain themes
    • Citizenship
    • Fitness
    • Cooking
    • Outdoor Skills
    • First Aid
    • Leadership
  • ​

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Scout Ranks

  • Ranks
    • Star
    • Life
    • Eagle - highest Rank
  • Scout Leaders - need leadership position
  • Focus on service and merit badges
  • Done sequentially

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Junior Scouts

  • Ranks
    • Scout
    • Tenderfoot
    • Second Class
    • First Class
  • Can work on requirements for all ranks concurrently
  • Many requirements can be done at Troop meetings
  • Ask Troop Guide/SPL if you need specific requirements

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Senior Scouts

Scouts advance at their own pace.

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Rank Advancement

  • All rank advancements require a Scoutmaster conference and Board of Review
    • SM conference: chat about where you’re are and where you’re going
      • Not as scary as it seems!
    • Board of Review
      • Adult-led
      • Not a test of what’s in the book
      • Great place for parents to help!

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Advancement: How Do I Start?

  • “Up to First Class is 80% the Troop and 20% the Scout; after First Class is 80% the Scout and 20% the Troop” – me
  • Troop Scout Leaders should plan junior rank advancement work
    • Owned by the SPL & Troop Guide
    • Talk to them to give them ideas
      • Go to PLC!

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Advancement: Requirements & Sign-off

  • Who can sign off:
    • Scoutmaster
    • Assistant SMs
    • Senior Scouts (Star, Life, Eagle ranks)
  • Recommend in their physical book
    • Grab us before or right after meetings
    • Campouts!
  • Scoutbook is the Source of Truth
    • https://scoutbook.scouting.org
    • Talk to an ASM if you think your Scout is missing something in Scoutbook

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Advancement: Merit Badges

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Advancements: Merit Badges

  • An Introduction to an Interesting Topic
    • Life Skills: Cooking, Personal Fitness, Personal Management
    • Career Paths: Architecture, Law, Welding
    • Sports: Kayaking, Backpacking, Climbing
    • Citizenship: Citizenship in Community/Nation/World/Society
  • Not required for junior Scout advancement!
    • Required after First Class – just fun before
    • 14 specifically required for Eagle Scout

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Advancement: Merit Badges

  • Scouts must do outreach
    • Ask SM for approval
    • Only Merit Badge Counselors (MBC) can sign off
  • Merit Badges range from very easy (half-day) to very involved (months)
  • Opportunities
    • Summer Camp (Oljato)
    • Merit Badge Midway (usually early March)
    • STEM Merit Badge Midway (usually December)
    • Sometimes classes at the Troop
    • On-your-own

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Advancement Opinions

  • Don’t worry about merit badges until later, focus on ranks first
    • If you find an easy MB you want, great!
  • Scout Rank is a repeat of AOL “Scouting Adventure”
    • now is a great time to work on it
  • Scout-led: but parent-reminded
    • Scouts find it very easy to put off until the last minute
  • Record-keeping is the bane of all Scouts
    • Physical fitness requirements

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Activities

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Activities

  • This is the fun stuff!
  • Campouts
  • Summer Camp
  • High Adventure

​

​

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Campouts

  • Aim for 1/month
    • Sketched out at Annual Planning Meeting
    • Scouts select, adults reserve
  • Car Camping (usually)
  • Scout-Led (Adult-Backed)
    • Menu
    • Activities
    • Equipment
  • Examples:
    • Gold Rush Adventure!
    • Pinnacles NP
    • USS Hornet

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Campouts: For You

  • Scouts plan the menu and do all the cooking & cleaning
    • Group grocery shopping before (all welcome)
    • Adults step back & enjoy! (BYO coffee)
  • Troop provides:
    • Stoves, fuel, cookware, cleaning supplies
    • Tents
    • $$$: campground reservations
  • Individual Scouts provide:
    • Packing list on website
    • Sleeping bag, pad, pillow
    • Mess Kit & Water Bottle
    • All the stuff you’d expect (clothes, toiletries…)
    • $$$: Shared food costs, event costs

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Other Adventures

  • Sometimes a “special” adventure
    • USS Hornet, Cal Academy, etc
    • These are not camping nights but are fun!
  • Backpacking trips, long day hikes
    • Usually done in context with High Adventure training
    • In addition to Troop Campouts

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Summer Camp

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Summer Camp

  • One week sleepaway camp
  • Usually (always) Camp Oljato
    • Highway 168 by Huntington Lake (NE of Fresno)
    • Usually early- to mid-July (7/7-13, 2024?)
  • Great opportunity for merit badges and rank advancement
  • SUPER fun
  • Requires Med Form Part C (Dr Visit)

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High Adventure

  • Long-term (1-2 week) trips
  • BSA High Adventure Bases
    • Philmont (backpacking in New Mexico)
    • Seabase (marine adventures in Florida Keys)
    • Northern Tier (canoe trips in Minnesota, Boundary Waters)
  • AMAZING growth experiences for Scouts
    • Must be at least 14

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Service

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Service

  • Scouts give back!
  • Service to the community is an integral part of Scouting
    • Required for junior Scout rank advancement
    • Eagle rank requires planning and executing a service project for the community
  • “Many hands make light work”

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Service Projects

  • Memorial Day Grave Decoration
    • Flag Retrieval (1 week later)
  • Alta Mesa Cemetery Cleanup
    • Memorial Day Weekend
  • Obon Festival (Temple), July
  • Scouting For Food, November
  • Holiday Cards for Veterans
  • Scout Sunday(s), February
  • Eagle Projects

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Fundraising

  • Pays for Troop gear & event support
  • Cherry Blossom Festival (last weekend of April)
  • Chinese Chicken Salad (May-June)
  • Sometimes per-event fundraisers

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These are LOTS of work and need organizer assistance!

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How Can I Help?

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How Can I Help? Really

  • Support Your Scout!
    • Scouting is not a spectator sport
    • Encourage participation, attendance
    • Go to outdoor activities, not just meetings
    • See where they’re at with rank advancement
      • Or talk to one of us (Scoutmasters)
  • Get a Uniform 😁
    • Must do YPT, AB506 Training
    • Position-Specific Training as well
    • REQUIRED for overnights after 9/1/2023
    • BLAST Training, 5/20/2023
  • Back-Office Work

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Troop Back-Office Positions

  • Advancements – need help!
    • Tracking awards: Maia Coladonato
    • Running/organizing Courts of Honor
    • Following advancement needs
  • Outdoor Activities
    • Campouts, Summer Camp, High Adventure
  • Medical Records Management
  • Treasurer – need help!
  • Fundraising
  • Recruiting
  • Special Events (Haunted House, Egg Drop, etc)
  • Quartermaster-ish

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Q&A

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Resources