Duncannon Boy Scout Troop 64
New Scouter Page
New Scouter / New Parent
Are You a New Scout or Parent in Our Troop?
Hopefully we can can help you out with a few things we have learned over the years. Being a good Scout or an involved parent is not rocket science. The Troop 64 leadership is well seasoned and provides advice to Scouts and parents based on many years of experience. Our Troop Leadership Committee is committed to providing a quality program for the Duncannon youth.
This area of the site should help answer any initial questions you may have as well as provide proven direction to help both you and your son transition to the troop.
If after reviewing this content you still feel you have questions that need answered please do not hesitate to contact any of the adult leadership within the troop. Our Scoutmaster welcomes all questions and usually does a good job in answering them, as does most of our leaders. Feel free to contact him at: Scoutmaster@duncannontroop64.org.
Surviving as a New Scout or Adult
Troop 64's goal is to help your son become a young man of good character, with strong organizational and leadership skills. New Scouts who struggle in Scouting tend to be those who are disorganized, lose things and do not know where they are headed. You can help your son avoid those traps with these proven ideas.
Scouts should keep track of their Scout materials and records. Every Scout should always have a notebook and pencil available whenever they attend any Scouting function. These will be used for them to keep notes and communications that need to go home. This will help him keep what is immediately important, at his fingertips.
Along his trail to Eagle, he will receive official "receipts" of his progress. This is where you can help. On your next shopping trip, get a three ring binder with some pockets. Plastic 8 1/2" x 11" baseball card sheets are the perfect size for merit badge and rank completion cards and un-sewn or un-worn patches. These binder pages are available at most office supply stores. Another good way to keep these cards is to provide your son with a toolbox size container where he can keep all his scouting materials. Sears, Lowes, Home Depot always have a nice size plastic toolbox on sale for under $10.00. The key is to help him organize all his scouting paperwork and patches in a single location so that they can be available for later use. They will more than likely have to reference these throughout his scouting career.
When your son earns his first rank advancement, he will attend a court of honor to receive his completion card and patch. During that ceremony, the Scout's mother will also receive a pin. The council store has a ribbon that moms can wear. This ribbon is a place to attach the pins. Moms should wear their ribbon for every court of honor. Since the pins are very small, the ribbon is also a good way to store them.
Write troop events from the troop calendar onto your family calendar so conflicts can be minimized. Attendance is the key to keeping up advancement and keeping an active role in scouting. The most up-to-date calendar is found on this web site.
Attend the troop meetings and share your time and skills to strengthen the troop. You will know what is happening and how your Scout relates to your Troop. You can help provide a more complete experience for your son if you are involved. Do not worry about not knowing much about Scouting, all the adult volunteers had to learn, too. Please do not be bashful. It is important to remember that every adult involved in the Troop is a volunteer. Your help will be appreciated by each and every one.
Teach your Scout to call his leader (Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader or Scoutmaster) if he will not be able to attend a scheduled activity or for any other Scouting questions he may have. Adults are welcomed and encouraged to contact our Scoutmaster or any committee member of the troop to discuss any misunderstandings. After all, we can not improve our program if we do not know what needs improvement.
The Cost of Scouting
Troop 64 is fortunate not to have to charge dues. The Troop is able to fund all insignia, ranks, merit badges and other awards. The Troop will pay the annual registration fee for all registered and actively involved adults.
The Troop camp outs are scheduled well in advance. The fee for any camp out is based on the camp itself. Troop 64 does its best to keep all fees to an absolute minimum. We strive to have a $0 balanced budget for all regular outings. We are not a profit making group, nor are we actively seeking to spend all of our money. We make a conscious effort to break even with all events. Generally our camping fees do not exceed $20.00 for the weekend. Summer camp fees depend on whether we go to Goosepond or Hidden Valley. The first costing about $175.00 per Scout the second about $350.00 per Scout for the week.
The location of any camp is determined by the Patrol Leader Council.
Fundraising
Please participate in the fundraisers. Registration fees alone do not support all the Troop business, fundraising does. Rather than raise our registration fees, Troop 64 uses two fundraisers a year to provide additional operating capital and to generate funds for "the extras". Scouts have the opportunity to earn funds for their 'Scout accounts'.
We currently participate in a bi-annual Wolfgang Candy Sale. This takes place prior to Easter and Christmas every year. The Scouts earn up to 35% of all sales which is put into their own account for scouting expenses. There is a Troop policy and guideline in place that manages all Scout account spending.
The funds generated from these two candy sales as well as other donations we receive allow us to provide Troop 64 Scouts with a financially sound program and to purchase equipment when needed.
What Role Do Parents Have?
Parents play an important and vital role in Scouting. You should encourage your son to work on advancement and to participate in Troop 64's program. If you consider Troop 64 as a glorified babysitting service, you can be certain your son will not think much better of the program and will most likely not be happy with his experience. Without exception, every Eagle Scout we have seen earn his rank has had at least one parent or adult mentor who has actively assisted in guiding, supporting, and motivating their Scout to always participate in the Troop.
Scouts should not be expected to earn their Eagle rank without some help along the way. It is a tough set of requirements for them to fulfill, but the Eagle rank is within every Scout's reach. You are invited, and encouraged, to attend troop activities, from troop meetings to camp outs, from courts of honor to committee meetings as often as your schedule will allow. Troop 64 needs your active participation to keep the program alive.
Parents may not sign off any rank advancement or merit badge requirements. Advancement in all ranks is signed by the registered Scouts or Scouters appointed by the Troop (typically these are adult leaders, Eagle Scouts and merit badge counselors).
Parents need to do their best to pick up scouts promptly after camp outs. Our leaders also have things they need to accomplish prior to returning to work on Mondays.
You should never remove your Scout from an event without letting an adult leader aware. We do our best to know where every Scout is at an any time.
We start every meeting with an opening and end each meeting with a closing. All Scouts should be present for these two very important parts of the ceremony
If you have special skills, hobbies or abilities, please learn how you can become a merit badge counselor and share your knowledge with our Scouts. We're all in this together, and together we have an awesome program.
There is always a need for more adult leaders. The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters simply cannot do it all; nor can the Troop Committee. It takes many adults willing to enjoy the Scouting experience and provide a safe haven for youth to make a healthy, successful troop.
Camping With Us
Camping is the heart of Boy Scouting. While parents may accompany our Scouts on camp outs, all Scouts camp with their patrol and not with their parents or family members.
Adult / Youth Tenting - BSA youth protection policies forbid an adult and a youth (below age 18) sharing the same tent. While these youth protection policies allow a father and son to tent together (if no other Scout or adult shares the tent), it is Troop guideline that Scouts tent with Scouts, and adults with adults. If a father tents with his son, it is our experience that the Scout will lose out on many opportunities to make decisions and be part of the patrol.
Scout Leadership - Adults should not interfere with the functioning of youth leaders, even if they make mistakes (we all learn best from our mistakes). Step in only if it is a matter of immediate safety or if the mistake will be immediately costly. If at all possible, involve a uniformed adult leader first.
Scout Growth - Never do anything for a Scout he can do for himself. Let him make decisions without adult interference. Let him make non-injurious mistakes so he can learn from them. Be willing to help Scouts learn and teach without criticism.
Boy Scout camping activities are based on what the BSA calls the patrol method, where Scouts learn teamwork, leadership, and most camping skills from their peers. It is important that adults not be in the middle of patrol activities such as site selection, tent pitching, meal preparation, and anything else where boys get to practice decision-making.
A key difference between Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting/Webelos is youth leadership. Look for the word "leader" in a Scout's job description, and you will begin to appreciate the difference. The responsible person for a Cub/Webelos den is the adult Den Leader. The responsible person for a Boy Scout patrol is the youth Patrol Leader.
This is not token leadership. A Patrol Leader has real authority and genuine responsibilities. Much of the success, safety, and happiness of six to ten other Scouts depends directly on him. This leadership is a requirement to advance to the next level in scouting.
Boy Scouting teaches leadership. And Scouts learn leadership by practicing it, not by watching adults lead.
So what do we adults do, now that we've surrendered so much direct authority to Scouts? Well, we have a really good time and still stay busy.
The underlying principle is worth repeating: Never do anything for a Scout that he can do for himself. We allow Scouts to grow by practicing leadership and by learning from mistakes. And, while Scout skills are an important part of the program, what ultimately matters when our Scouts become adults is not how well they remember to use a map and compass, but whether or not they know how to offer leadership to others in tough situations; and that they live by a code of conduct that centers on honest, honorable and ethical behavior.
When a parent goes on a camp out, he or she is automatically included as a temporary member in the "Bucktail" Patrol. This patrol has several benefits - really, really good food and camaraderie while providing an example the Scouts can follow without having to tell them what to do.
If you go camping with us, we hope you will merely enjoy our program, talk to your son and the other Scouts, ask what's going on and how things are going. At the same time, remember to give the guys room to grow while you enjoy the view. Try to understand the values of a scout led troop. We know that initially this is not easy.
Do not hesitate to show a Scout how to do something, just do not do it for him. Do not jump in just to prevent a mistake from happening (unless it's serious or involves safety). Encourage Scouts to make their own decisions ... ask them what they think should be done or how they are going to solve a problem. We all learn best from our mistakes and a big part of our job as adults in the Troop is to provide them with a safe environment in which they can make mistakes.
And above all, remember to let the youth leaders lead. That is their job, not ours.
Camping with the Troop is more fun than you probably imagine and is something you should do if you can. The "Bucktails" Patrol is made up of men who are committed to being a part of the troop and contributing to its health. Everyone pitches in and the workload is shared.
