Starting a new Troop

[Lodge 489]

I am the Cubmaster of an existing Pack and we want to start a new Troop. We have enough boys to get it chartered but I have a few questions about staffing the adult leadership. We have one parent who has volunteered to step us as Scoutmaster and another parent who leave vacate his Cub Scout leadership position to be the Committee Chair of the troop.

 

My question is this: can adults who still hold leadership positions in the Cub Scout Pack also hold leadership positions in the Boy Scout Troop? For example, can my Assistant Cubmaster who is a former Boy Scout also hold a position as an Asst. Scoutmaster? Can members of our Pack Committee also serve on the Troop Committee? Neither the new Scoutmaster or Committee chair have any experience with Boy Scouts - either as a youth or as an adult. We want to try to get several of our Pack Leaders who were active in Boy Scouts as a youth (Eagle Scouts, SPLs, Jr. Asst. SMs, etc.) to be able to help provide some guidance to the new troop, especially in the areas of a "youth run organization" and utilizing the Patrol Method of scouting. Several of the Cub Scout adult leaders who would be helping them out are Wood Badge Trained too.

 

Everyone would like to see that happen but we're just not sure how it would be handles since these leaders are currently registered with BSA in one position and would actually be filling dual roles between the troop and pack. I have heard that BSA requires a minimum of four adults to start up a unit but other than the SM and the Committee Chair, what are any other "required" leadership positions in a troop?

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

[The Blancmange]

It is not uncommon at all for an adult to be registered in both a troop and a pack. I am registered as a Webelos Den Leader and Troop Committee Member, and I know of many others in similar situations. What you are planning is no problem. Since you mention a lack of experience at the BS level, the only thing I would strongly recommend is to have everyone get trained for their new positions ASAP.

[click23]

I know of a pack and troop that are chartered at the same CO that has a combined committee. That is the CC is the CC for the pack and the troop and all of the MC are MCs for both the troop and the pack. It seems to work pretty well for them.

[Basementdweller]

I am an Assistant Cub Master and Assistant Scout Master at on charter org and a den leader and troop committee member at another.

[Phibbles]

My father, back in 1987, rebooted a Troop that had been disolved for many years. He had 7 scouts and only one other adult leader to do it. They had no problems getting chartered and even took the 7 kids to summer camp the first summer after they crossed over from Webelos.

 

Good luck...

[Lodge 489]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Another question that has come up is regarding what uniform the leaders wear who are filling dual roles. Say an Asst. Cubmaster who is also an Asst. Scoutmaster - can he still wear his uniform with the Asst. Cubmaster patch on it and just change out the shoulder tabs when he's doing Boy Scout activities?

 

I guess the real question is in regards to our Webelos Den Leader who will also be an Asst. Scoutmaster. Since the Webelos boys will be camping with the Scout Troop he will in fact be performing two roles at the same time.

[ScoutNut]

You asked what positions are "required" to charter a new Troop. The minimum registered/paid positions are -

 

1 - Charter Organization Representative who is also registered as Committee Chair

 

1 - Scoutmaster

 

2 - Committee Members

 

That is a MINIMUM of 4 paid adults. There also needs to be a minimum of 5 paid youth.

 

The solution for uniforming is to have 2 shirts, and to wear the one that is for the main position you are filling at the moment.

 

The Webelos den leader, who is also an ASM, should wear his Webelos den leader uniform when camping with his den, even if they are camping with the Troop he is an ASM for.

 

When he is with his Cub Scouts THEY are his primary responsibility, not the Boy Scouts.

[Brian85]

I hate to ask this, but is there not another Boy Scout unit that could use an infusion of new people, both scouts and scouters? Is there a personality conflict that needs to be addressed between units?

Where have your boys been going in the past? Is you CO up for starting another unit? The COR should be in communication with the DE, and I will go out onto a limb and bet that the DE will be all for another unit.

Why not speak with your Commissioner and find out if a unit needs help in your area? The satisfaction of providing successful life support to a unit that might fail is much better than starting a new unit. You get to inherit a units history, tenure and pride, and that pride rolls down to the boys.

[Lodge 489]

Nope, no problems with the other local troop at all - we have a great relationship with them. We are located in a rapidly growing town that has gone from just a couple of elementary schools a few years ago to where we now have two high schools, two Jr. high schools and 10 elementary schools. Even with this economic slowdown our town is still growing in new homes and people - not as fast as it was (thank goodness) but still moving forward.

 

Our pack started because the other pack in town was busting at the seams and could not take any more boys. The same with this Scout Troop we're starting - the other Troop says that they can't handle anymore boys so PLEASE start another troop. Plus, our CO (Methodist Church) really wants to have a Scout Troop, so that helps too.

 

And you're right about the DE - if he had his way there would be a pack at every elementary school and two or three more scout troops. I understand that most councils and DEs are just like that - it's all about the number of units.

 

Also, we are really considering the suggestion about just having one committee that serves both the Pack and the Troop. Same CO, same meeting facility, same group of parents that would be involved on both committees anyway - seems to make a lot of sense. The good news is that we are not being rushed into forming this troop. We have plenty of time to think things through and then do it right.

 

Thanks again for everyone's input.

[allangr1024]

You may indeed hold a position in a troop and a position in a pack. B U T !!! I would recommend the guy who takes the Scoutmaster position be dedicated solely to the troop. He will be active, especially in the first year.

 

Be aware that the Boy Scout program is very different from the Cub Scout program. The Cub program is very adult oriented with following Akela and the Webelos leader. But the Boy scout program is to be run by the scouts themselves, with the scoutmaster on the sidelines acting as a couch for the boy leaders (senior patrol leader, patrol leaders, ect) If he talks more than 10 minutes during a troop meeting, or is the center of any camping trip, he is in front too much where the youth leaders should be. A lot of den leaders do not get this when they cross over with their kid. Do the troop a favor, and read as much as possible about the "Patrol Method". Unfortunately, the best written instructions on this is in the Scoutmasters handbook from the 1930's and 1940's. I had to get one on EBAY.

 

I, also, love this scouting stuff.