The About Us / Welcome Troop 629 section of our website contains a lot of information in how Troop 629 operates and what the expectations are. Below are all of the sections for ease of navigation, scroll down to read the current section.

Philosophy

Purpose of the Boy Scouts of America:

The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America—incorporated on February 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916—is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness.

Specifically, the BSA endeavors to develop American citizens who are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit; have a high degree of self-reliance as evidenced in such qualities as initiative, courage, and resourcefulness; have personal values based on religious concepts; have the desire and skills to help others; understand the principles of the American social, economic, and governmental systems; are knowledgeable about and take pride in their American heritage and understand our nation’s role in the world; have a keen respect for the basic rights of all people; and are prepared to participate in and give leadership to American society.

Aims and Methods of the Scouting Program:

The Scouting program has three specific objectives, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They are character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

The methods by which the aims are achieved are listed below in random order to emphasize the equal importance of each.

Ideals. The ideals of Boy Scouting are spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout motto, and the Scout slogan. The Boy Scout measures himself against these ideals and continually tries to improve. The goals are high, and as he reaches for them, he has some control over what and who he becomes. This is the basis for the Troop’s discipline policy. 

Scouts that attend activities are expected to participate at the best level they are capable of doing, follow their scout leaders’ guidance, not be a disruptive influence on other scouts and use the ideals of scouting to gauge their behavior.  Scouts who are not actively participating and showing poor scout spirit will not be invited to attend activities and may be asked to be picked up early by the parents at their expense.  The Troop is not a “baby sitting” service and scouts who cannot follow the rules are a liability to themselves as well as others and cannot be tolerated.  Safe and fun activities for all need rules and everyone must support the established policies.

Patrols. The patrol method gives Boy Scouts an experience in group living and participating citizenship. It places responsibility on young shoulders and teaches boys how to accept it. The patrol method allows Scouts to interact in small groups where members can easily relate to each other. These small groups determine troop activities through elected representatives.  The Senior Patrol Leader runs the Patrol Leader’s Council, which meets monthly, to plan and organize Troop activities.

Outdoor Programs. Boy Scouting is designed to take place outdoors. It is in the outdoor setting that Scouts share responsibilities and learn to live with one another. In the outdoors the skills and activities practiced at troop meetings come alive with purpose. Being close to nature helps Boy Scouts gain an appreciation for the beauty of the world around us. The outdoors is the laboratory in which Boy Scouts learn ecology and practice conservation of nature’s resources.

Advancement. Boy Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles and steps in overcoming them through the advancement method. The Boy Scout plans his advancement and progresses at his own pace as he meets each challenge. The Boy Scout is rewarded for each achievement, which helps him gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help a Boy Scout grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others.

Advancement is the tool with which scouting uses to teach its aims.  It is only one measure of success and not to be construed as success or failure in any scout’s total learning experience.  Advancement is not focused on specific times or specific ages.  If a scout chooses to shoot for the Eagle rank, he has until his 18th birthday to complete all the requirements on that trail. Initially, a  scout advances working with older scouts and some adults to learn the basic outdoor skills.  The Troop meetings and outings provide opportunities for the scouts to achieve their requirements, but are not the primary reasons for those gatherings.  As a scout advances, a series of merit badges are offered, some of which are required to achieve the Eagle rank.  Generally, merit badges are not conducted in a school group setting, except for summer camp.  Instead, the boys work at their own pace with a merit badge counselor who has expertise in the selected merit badge field.

Each advancement step normally requires a scout to demonstrate increasing competencies in leadership as well as showing improved scouting spirit, active participation in Troop activities and providing service to others.  It is the Troop policy that no parent may be involved in any “approval” for advancement of their son. While parental teaching and assistance is encouraged, the actual certification/approval must be given by another individual.  Troop 629 holds boards of review with the adult committee once each month at Mount Pisgah Church.  A scout must obtain a scoutmaster conference prior to attending a board of review.  The scouts are formally recognized during a Court of Honor gathering with the families at least four times a year.  Instant recognition is also attempted for each particular item in a Troop setting.

Associations With Adults. Boys learn a great deal by watching how adults conduct themselves. Scout leaders can be positive role models for the members of the troop. In many cases a Scoutmaster who is willing to listen to boys, encourage them, and take a sincere interest in them can make a profound difference in their lives.

Personal Growth. As Boy Scouts plan their activities and progress toward their goals, they experience personal growth. The Good Turn concept is a major part of the personal growth method of Boy Scouting. Boys grow as they participate in community service projects and do Good Turns for others. Probably no device is as successful in developing a basis for personal growth as the daily Good Turn. The religious emblems program also is a large part of the personal growth method. Frequent personal conferences with his Scoutmaster help each Boy Scout to determine his growth toward Scouting’s aims.

Leadership Development. The Boy Scout program encourages boys to learn and practice leadership skills. Every Boy Scout has the opportunity to participate in both shared and total leadership situations. Understanding the concepts of leadership helps a boy accept the leadership role of others and guides him toward the citizenship aim of Scouting.

In the Troop or District, normally once a year, a special Intro to Leadership Skills for Troops(ILST) is available to selected scouts and attendance at the council’s week long National Youth Leader Training Course (NYLT) is recommended by the Scoutmaster.  Additionally, many Troop positions are available to help those scouts fulfill their leadership requirements for advancement towards their Star, Life and Eagle ranks.  The scouts elect some key positions and others are appointed.  It is the desire of the Troop to retain its best youth leaders as long as possible.  Generally, the SPL and PLs should be at least graduates of both a ILST and NYLT course as well as meeting the minimum age (13 years) and rank (first class) requirements.  SPLs should be at least a Star scout and have served as a staff member of a NYLT course. The desire of the Troop is also to have an adult assigned as a mentor for each patrol who can help develop the individual patrol leader as the scoutmaster develops the SPL and PLC.