Serve on the Troop Committee

Our Troop is Boy Led, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need plenty of adult help. We need people to do all sorts of things like helping take care of our finances, arranging transportation, preparing for our social events, making our camping reservations, the list goes on and on. We’re lucky to have dozens of men and women on the Troop Committee doing these jobs.

If you would like to get involved with the Troop Committee, either by taking on a role on the committee or acting as someone’s backup, there are a few steps every adult volunteer needs to complete:

• If you don’t already have an account, register for an account on my.Scouting
• Take the BSA Youth Protection training
• Take the three BSA Troop Committee training courses (These are required for anyone interested in joining the Troop Committee)

 

If you have any questions about any of these requirements, you can reach out to Arland Hotchkiss (Troop Committee Chairman). In addition, you should feel comfortable speaking with any of the other Troop Committee members to learn more about serving on the Committee.

Serve as a Unit Leader

The Scoutmaster and his Assistants help guide the youth in program execution. They work with the boys at meetings and on outings, and are probably having the most fun of any of our adults. Some assistants are responsible for teaching the first year classes. Others serve as mentors for specific junior leader positions. Several serve as coaches for up-and-coming Eagle Scouts, and all of them pitch in to make our program what it is.

• Assistant Scoutmasters usually have specific roles or goals
• It does require you to take BSA Youth Protection Training
• It does require you to take other training courses specific to your position
• Talk to the Scoutmaster if you’re interested, he would love to have you on the team

Serve as a Merit Badge Counselor

No matter what your background is, you probably have an area of expertise that aligns with one or more of the 130 merit badges or various Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) badges Scouting has to offer. Merit Badge classes on Monday nights are a mainstay of our program, and we need adults to help teach those classes. If you’re willing to help with that, here’s how:

• Register as an adult: You can register as a Merit Badge Counselor or also as a Committee Member. Either way you’ll need to take a couple of simple on-line training courses.
  • You do not need to register just to help teach a course on Monday nights.
• Familiarize yourself with our merit badge process
• Select a badge to teach:
  • There are more than 130 to choose from; our merit badge coordinator can help
  • It must be something you’re familiar with
  • It must be something that can be taught in 30 minute segments on Monday nights
  • It needs to have enough content to consume 8 to 10 thirty minute sessions
  • Tag team with another adult and/or have an older scout assist teaching (we can help with this)
• Create a Plan:
  • Check our schedule: Know how many sessions you’ll have
  • Review your resources: There are Merit Badge Pamphlets published for each badge, and the requirements and worksheets are available on-line
  • Work out a plan: Lay out what will be covered each week. Share the plan with your teaching partner, our leaders, and the boys in the class.
  • Line up a counselor: An approved counselor will need to review and pass the boys when you’re done. The Scoutmaster can help you find one
• Conduct the Class
  • Set expectations: It’s not expected that the boys will DO all the requirements in the class, but they should learn HOW TO DO them, and expectations on WHEN TO DO them should be clear
  • Teach the classes: Keep it exciting and when possible, hands on. If you can’t be there, line up a backup to teach
  • Take Care of the Room: Reset the room you use each week
  • Help arrange for the boys to meet with the counselor: You should expect the boys to have all their work completed before the first board night of the quarter, and arrange for the counselor to review and pass them that night. That way, if any of the boys need the badge for a rank advancement, we can hold their board of review on the second board night
  • Remind the boys to turn in their blue cards: Boys won’t receive the badge unless a blue card, signed by the counselor is turned in to the Scribe by the last board night of the quarter

For additional information, please feel free to review A Guide to Merit Badge Counseling.