New Scout Information
New Scout Campout
This series of pages is provided to new scouts and their families for reference to critical information and processes to get you started in Troop 18656.
Questions? - Please ask!
New Scout Assistant Scoutmaster
Josh Mills
New Scout Campout Introduction and Importance
This campout is designed just for the New Scouts so that they can learn the basic skills they need to participate in our full troop campouts. Our Troop Guides have designed this single night of camping to be at a slower pace and just focus on critical camping skills.
As an example of how this campout is different, on our full troop campouts, we arrive at the campsite Friday evening after dark. Our scouts need to put up their tent in the dark with a headlamp. This can be a tough challenge for both scouts and adults. On the New Scout Campout, the boys work on setting up their tents during the day so they can practice, struggle, and learn.
Please make every effort for your son to attend this one – it’s fun and provides a great jumpstart into the program.
Parental Involvement and Boy-led Troop
Troop 1865 loves that you all want to support your son’s venture into boy scouts, and we welcome parents who want to help by joining the committee, becoming an adult leader, and/or helping with transportation and logistics.
If you are looking for ways to help out please talk to Don Parente, Matt Jones, or me.
One challenge for many parents (myself included) when they are involved is understanding and trusting the boy-led process and finding how to step back enough to let the boys fail, learn, and then succeed.
Wherever practical, please let the Troop Guides lead and try to take a step back rather than providing immediate solutions or direction to solve any problems. The Troop Guides and the New Scouts will make mistakes and those are important learning opportunities that are all part of what makes scouting the great leadership crucible that it is.
If your son asks for your help, please direct him to the Troop Guides. I KNOW this is hard but to be successful as a boy led Troop we need the New Scouts to develop trust in their Troop Guides. So if your son needs help setting up his tent please do not help. Maybe suggest that he ask a Troop Guide for help. Let the Troop Guides help and/or develop a plan such as pairing up the scouts into teams to put up the tents. This process will not be efficient, and I can guarantee it will take at least 5 times longer than if you helped but please let the situation and dynamics play out between the Troop Guides and New Scouts.
The key exception to the above is regarding safety. If you see something obviously unsafe, please immediately notify a Troop Guide or Adult Leader (generally wears a tan shirt at meetings) or, if its time-critical, step in and stop the activity and/or correct the behavior.