Troop and Crew Relationship

[Hunt]

Our CO sponsors both a troop and a crew, and historically, the relationship has been close, with essentially the same committee handling both. The crew is co-ed, but all (or almost all) of the boys in the crew are cross-registered in the troop and several remain fairly active in the troop. Both the troop and crew are relatively small. What has happened, mostly, is that the crew does certain activities together, but does not really have much of an organizational existence otherwise. In many ways, it functions more like a Venture Patrol than a separate organization.

How have others managed this relationship?

[LPC_Thumper]

Sounds like you are having the worries that many of us have had. Here's what we do...

 

When the Troop needs help with training, we use the Crew to provide that. (Sort of kills two birds with the same stone, since this is one of the things you need for advancement anyway). There are trips that the crew goes on that the troop is not invited. For example, we have gone to all the National High Adventure Bases, but the troop hasn't. We do things as a troop that the crew is not invited to. Most of those things are summer camp (partly because summer camp staff gets all weirded out by co-ed crew)

 

I'm thinking that you understand that Troops and Crews should camp seperately especially if there are girls involved. Just helps the younger Boy Scouts stay on task better.

 

I'm sure you'll get other answers that will help you more. Good Luck!

[BurnsCrew440Advisor]

I have a coed Crew that also is close to our troop. And we have the same CO and most of our committee members are the same. When we have monthly committee meetings we are on the troop's agenda.

 

The crew helps out with training since most of the troop is 1st or 2nd yr scouts. The 1st yr scouts came to Council Jamborall last October. They stayed in our camp. The oldest scout in the troop is the SPL and is 16 and is also a crew member.

 

Do you have Crew Leadership in place? I know you said that the crew is small. We are small to but we have a President who is also the Admin. VP. A Program VP, Treasurer and Secretary. Everyone is on the activity team.We also did a VLSC shortly after we started. So everyone was trained. We even had a Eagle do the training and he said it was different from JLT. You also need to have By-Laws, there are many examples online. The Crew used one and made it their own. They have sections on Public Displays of affection , how camps should be set up ( boys on one side and girls on the other with adults in the middle), and youth protection, they also have a a clause about buddy system because we had a girl who used to wander off by herself.

 

We do have our own calender that has our activities planned out, which we share with the committee so that Troop and Crew activities don't overlap. Talk to your Council and find out who is your Venturing Teen Leadership Council and ask them about council activities. Our TLC is sponsoring a Ranger Qwest at our Council camp in June. They also had a winter campout at the same place.

 

My Crew taught a class on Community Venturing Crews at Scout University in January, they met a lot of members of other crews and are setting up activities with them. We live on the edge of the council and the closest crew is about 3 hours away. Our President was told to make their own program. So they have a trip to go fishing at the lake one day,they have done an Land navagation day,which filled the requirement for Ranger.They are planning a rafting trip and are inviting the 13 yr olds to come along. They have other things planned but they haven't told me yet...