The Scout Troop Committee and Advancement

The Scout Troop Committee and Advancement

Welcome to the family of Scouting; as a Troop committee member you can enrich the lives of boys and make a difference in the kind of men they become.

Since 1910, it has been the Mission of the Boy Scouts of America:
To prepare young men to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

Scouting works toward Three Aims:
Growth in Moral Strength and Character.
Participating Citizenship.
Development of Physical, Mental, and Emotional Fitness.

To accomplish these aims, Scouting uses Eight Methods.
Ideals – Patrols – Outdoors – Advancement – Adult Association – Personal Growth – Leadership Development – Uniform –

The Scout Oath:
On my honor, I will do my best —
To do my duty to God and my Country, and to obey the Scout law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

The Scout Law
A Scout is Trustworthy
A Scout is Loyal
A Scout is Helpful
A Scout is Friendly
A Scout is Courteous
A Scout is Kind
A Scout is Obedient
A Scout is Cheerful
A Scout is Thrifty
A Scout is Brave
A Scout is Brave
A Scout is Clean
A Scout is Reverent

The Scout Motto — Be Prepared
The Scout Slogan — Do a good turn daily
Scout Spirit is defined as the Living the Scout Oath and Scout Law in a Scout’s everyday life.

These Ideals of Scouting are what set the Boy Scout of America apart from other programs for boys and young men; and are among the basic values which guide the building of the Character of our young men.

Organization
Your troop is “owned” by a chartered organization which receives a national charter yearly. Since the troop committee works on behalf of the chartered organizations, your troop must be operated within the organization’s policies.
The troop committee’s primary responsibilities are supporting the Scoutmaster in delivering a quality troop program and handling troop administration. A quality program holds the boys while the Ideals of Scouting are being incorporated into the boy’s character and value system.

The Troop Committee Guidebook lists over sixty ways a troop committee can strengthen a troop program including the following:
Supports leaders in carrying out the program.
Serves on Boards of Review and Courts of Honor.
Supports the Scoutmaster in working with individual boys and problems that may affect the overall troop program.
Provides for the special needs and assistance some boys may require
Assists the Scoutmaster with handling boy behavioral problems.
Keep adequate records in the Troop/Team Record Book
Encourage Scouts to advance in rank.
Arrange quarterly boards of review and courts of honor.
Develop and maintain a merit badge counselor list. [Recruit MB counselors for each required MB]
Ensure troop leaders and committee members have opportunities for training. [including MB counselors]

The forgoing information is from the Troop Committee Guidebook. We now present some principles from the book Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures.

Declaration of Religious Principle p16
The Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God. In the first part of the Scout oath or Promise the member declares, “On my Honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the Universe and the grateful acknowledgment of his favors and blessing are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are wholesome precepts in the education of the growing members. No matter what the religious faith of the member may be, this fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before them. The Boy Scouts of America, therefore, recognizes the religious element in the training of the member, but it is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the home and the organization or group with which the member is connected shall give definite attention to religious life.

General Principles p. 16
Education is the chief function of the Scouting Movement and it shall be the basis of the advancement program. A fundamental principle of advancement shall be that the boy’s progress is a natural outcome of his activities in his unit.
In Boy Scouting, recognition is gained through leadership in the troop, attending and participating in its activities, living the ideals of Scouting, and proficiency in activities related to outdoor life, useful skills, and career exploration.

Advancement Principles p. 3
Personal growth is the prime consideration in the advancement program–This growth may be measured by how youth live the Scouting Ideals, and how they do their part in their daily lives.
Learning by doing—a scout may read about a skill or behavior, he may hear it discussed, he may watch others in action, but he has not learned it until he has done it.
Each Scout progresses at his own rate—Advancement is not a competition, but is an expression of their interest and participation in the program.
A badge is a recognition of what a Scout is able to do, not merely a reward for what he has done.
Advancement encourages Scouting Ideals—A Scout learns to care for himself and to help others. Advancement should reflect the desire of Scout to live the Scout Oath in his daily life.

The Boy Scout advancement program is subtle. It places a series of challenges in front of a Scout in a manner that is fun and educational. As Scouts meet these challenges, they achieve the aims of Scouting.
The Scout advances and grow in the Boy Scout program in the same way a plant grows by receiving nourishment in the right environment. The job of adults is to provide the right environment.
In the Scout Oath the Scout promises to keep himself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Sterling W. Sill said the body is nourished physically by what we eat, the mind is nourished by what we think, by what we hear, and by what we see, our spirits are nourished by what we do; by living a clean moral life, by attending to our religious duties, and by serving others. These three phases of a scouts life are very much intertwined; the actions performed as a Scout does a daily good turn may well provide daily refreshment to body, mind and spirit.
The advancement program is designed to provide the Boy Scout with many experiences and opportunities to achieve the three aims of scouting; citizenship, growth in moral strength and character, and mental and physical development. As a scout advances he also grows in confidence, self-reliance, and leadership.
The Four Steps of Advancement
1. The Boy Scout learns. A scout learns by doing. As he learns, he grows in the ability to do his part. As he progresses, he is asked to teach others; in this way he begins to develop leadership.
2. The Boy Scout is tested. On rank requirements, he may be tested by his patrol leader, Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee member, or troop member as determined by the Scoutmaster. The Scout’s Merit Badge counselor teaches and tests on Merit Badge requirements.
3. The Boy Scout is reviewed. When a boy has completed all requirements for a rank, he has a board of review conducted by members of the troop committee. A Scout can sense that he is or is not advancing properly, and can be encouraged to make the most of his Scouting experience. It is important to review those scouts who have shown no progress in their rank advancement.
4. The Boy Scout is recognized. He should receive recognition as soon as possible. This should be done in the next troop meeting; The Certificate of rank advancement may be presented later at a formal Court of Honor.
Troop Advancement Goals
It is important that the Troop Committee and the Scoutmaster set an advancement goal for the year. A basic goal should be for each Scout to advance a rank during the year. New Scouts should earn the First Class rank during their first year in the troop; by doing so, they become contributors to the troop and able to care for themselves and can help others.
When reviewed regularly by the troop committee, Scouts will recognize the importance of advancement. Not only it important review those Scouts who have earned a rank but also to review those Scouts who have shown less progress and are receiving a rank advancement.
Scoutmaster Conferences
Scoutmaster Conferences are a truly an opportunity to get to know a Scout and help him chart his course in life. A good conference should be unhurried; it helps the Scout evaluate his accomplishments set new goals with his Scoutmaster. Goal setting by the Scout makes it possible for the Scoutmaster to help him with his weaknesses and encourage his to use his strengths. It is especially important before a board of review to make certain that the boy has met all the requirements for the rank advancement and that he will not be embarrassed by coming up short in a board of review.
Boards of Review
There are a number of objectives that can be accomplished in a Board of Review. The members of the board should have their objectives in mind for each scout as they conduct the review. These objectives include:
To ascertain that the Scout has done completed the requirement for the rank.
To determine the Scout’s attitude and his acceptance of Scouting’s Ideals. A discussion of the Scout Oath, Law, and in doing a daily good turn is in keeping with the purpose of the review, to help the candidate recognize and understand the value of Scouting ideals in his home, unit, school and community.
To see what kind of experience the Scout is having in his patrol and troop. The board should ascertain that good standards have been met in all phases of the Scout’s life.
To recognize the Scout’s good character traits, to commend him for his character, and to encourage the Scout to continue to progress in rank advancement and character development.

Because many boys are ill at ease when talking to adults, it is important that the board be held in a relaxed atmosphere. A certain amount of formality and meaningful questioning should be used during the review. It should be the desire of the board to encourage the Scout to talk so that the review can be a learning experience for the candidate and the members of the board.
The review is not an examination. The scout has learned his skill and has been examined. This is a review. The Scout should be asked where he learned his skill, who taught him, and the value he gained from passing this requirement
The Scout reviews what he did for his rank. From this review, it can be determined whether he did what he was supposed to do. The review also reveals what kind of experience the scout is having in the troop. With that knowledge, the troop leaders can shape the program to meet the needs and interests of the Scout.
The board should attempt to determine the Scout’s ideals and goals and commend the Scout for his progress.