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Troop 240, Bronx, N.Y. About The Scouting Program "The Eagle's Nest" |
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Troop 240, Bronx, N.Y. About The Scouting Program "The Eagle's Nest" |
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The Troop has tried to gather together a set of resources on the Site that will be of use to new and more experienced Scouts, adult leaders (known as "Scouters"), and parents alike. Those who are unfamiliar with Scouting should first read the factsheet "At A Glance" to gain an overview. In addition to the material below, we hope to place on-line the full contents of the Troop manual.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was incorporated to provide a program for community organizations that offers effective character, citizenship, and personal fitness training for youth.
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.
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THE SCOUT OATH |
The Scouting program works on two levels: the Patrol Method and individual advancement.
The patrol is the basic unit of Scouting, a group of 5-10 Scouts that work as a team. It is within the Patrol Method that Scouts learn teamwork and develop leadership skills. Each patrol has a Patrol Leader (PL) and an Assistant Patrol Leader (APL) who are responsible for the operation of the patrol. Every scout in the patrol shares in both the tasks and the responsibility for accomplishing the Patrol's objectives.
The youth leadership aspect of Scouting continues on the Troop level, where the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and his Assistants run the Troop and coordinate the patrols. The Troop Guide is the junior leader responsible for new Scouts, and in Troop 240, oversees all the youth training. The focus of the overall program is selected and planned by the Patrol Leaders Council (consisting of the patrol leaders, Senior Patrol Leader, the Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders, and the Troop Guide) under the advice of the Scoutmaster. The PLC meets every month to coordinate that month's activities, and on an annual basis in the late winter to plan the next year's themes and events.
The second major aspect of the program is advancement. Scouts get the opportunity to master the basic scout skills with the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks. They also get to work on advanced skills and new, broadening areas of interest through the merit badge program. A combination of work on 12 required merit badges, 9 elective merit badges, and leadership development in the patrol and Troop leads a scout through the higher ranks of Star and Life, finally reaching Eagle Scout. Check out the Troop's advancement pages and the requirements for each of these ranks on the rank requirements page.
The National Council of the Boys Scouts of America issues a great many factsheets on various topics, from a basic overview of the various programs to more specific items such as the William Hornaday Award for conservation. Below is a list of some of these that we've reproduced on this Troop 240 Web Site:
Many other fact sheets are available at the National Council site. The Troop has also gathered a great number of verified and safe links to other scouting resources on the Web which provide additional helpful information on all aspects of the program.
Training is the cornerstone upon which good program is built, and Scouting offers lots of it both for adults (Scouters) and youth (Junior Leaders). For Scouters, training runs from basic Leader Essentials to the advanced Wood Badge Course. First and foremost for Scouter training is Youth Protection, a training course that is mandated for all Scouters and which is aimed at insuring that Scouts have a safe experience in Scouting. For your information, the Youth Protection course is accessible online through the Greater New York Councils Training Page.
There are also a wide variety of courses offered for Junior Leaders, including a week long session held every year just before the start of summer camp at Ten Mile River. You can click here for descriptions of the various training programs.
