Boy Scouts of America - Decatur First United Methodist
Family Participation
Troop 175 has grown very large in recent years. We’re excited that boys want to join us. As part of Troop 175, boys enjoy monthly outings, a fun-filled summer camp and many opportunities for leadership and rank advancement.
Family Participation Policy
As the Troop has expanded, so has our need for adult support. While we strive to make the boys responsible for most things, we also rely on parents for logistical support: driving, chaperoning, committee work, etc. To ensure we have enough adult volunteers to plan and carry out our ambitious programs and outings, we have implemented a policy of mandatory adult participation. This participation is required as one of the conditions for scouts to be eligible for summer camp.
BSA Troop 175 Family Participation Policy 9/9/2018
Overview
We have two requirements for parents in our Troop:
- An adult from each family will contribute a minimum of 10 hours per year to support Troop activities.
- Each family must drive on 2 trips per year.
- An adult from each family will join the troop as an adult member.
Registration involves a criminal background check and an online leader training program, including Youth Protection training
10 hours per family
Volunteer hours are accrued from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Hours accrued during the calendar year will count towards camp the next calendar year. For example, hours earned 1/1/2018 – 12/31/2018 would count towards 2019 summer camp.
Driving Requirement
Each family is expected to drive on 2 trips per year. With 80 scouts in the Troop, we’re averaging 34 scouts for each trip and we often run short on drivers. We need each family to volunteer twice a year for driving, and not just the short, nearby trips. Drivers must commit once they have signed up and must follow through.
Family Participation FAQs
Click here to open the Word document Family Participation FAQ, Aug. 2018. This document also outlines things that count (and things that don’t count) towards the required participation hours.
New scouts
Families that join Troop 175 after July 1 will be required to provide 5 volunteer hours and drive on 1 one trip between July 1 and Dec. 31 of the partial year.
How do we earn our 10 hours?
Family Participation hours can be fulfilled in a number of ways such as:
- Working at summer camp
- Teaching a merit badge
- BSA Youth Protection training (The completion of the course counts for two (2) volunteer hours.)
- Driving scouts on a trip
- Recordkeeping for merit badge purposes
- Organizing events (Family Softball, Banquets)
- Providing monitoring during regular meetings
We need you!
Here are the tasks we need help with right now:
- Programs: coordinates the monthly Troop meeting activities. You don’t need to lead the activities, but will coordinate other adults to lead the activities based on input from the
Scoutmaster and SPL. If you’re organized and want to really get involved with the Troop but don’t want to go camping, this is the role for you.
- Merit Badge Coordinator: maintains a list of Merit Badge counselors. Tracks parent skills to recruit new MB counselors as needed.
Need help finding ways to volunteer?
Contact Michael Burns-Kaurin at [email protected]