LORD ROBERT BADEN-POWELL - SCOUTINGS' FOUNDER

The acknowledged founding father of scouting is Lord Robert Baden-Powell. He was a British military hero who is credited with starting the scouting program in England in 1907, when he formed a camping troop of 22 boys and began to teach them scouting skills. He published the original scout manual, "Scouting For Boys", in 1908. Scouting came to our country in 1910, and received its federal charter from Congress in 1916. Today, there are scouting programs in 185 of the (approximately, as they change) 192 independent countries in the world.

MINIMUM AGE/GRADE TO JOIN

To join Boy Scouts, you need to be at least 11 years old (but under 18), or have completed 5th grade, or earned your Arrow of Light as a Webelo Scout.

REGISTRATION FEES/ TROOP DUES

To Get Started:
You will need a Boy Scout Handbook, a scout uniform and will need to begin to compile your E-10, all of which will be better described in the pages that follow.

New Scouts:
Registration Fees: First year registration fees for scouts are $30.00, which includes the $18 annual registration fee we pay to our District Council and a one-year $12 subscription to Boys' Life Magazine (Boy Scout version). If the scout is already registered with Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts, then you may pay a $1 transfer fee, instead of the $18 fee.
Troop Dues: New scouts joining in late January/early Feb. will also pay troop dues of $81.25, which includes our annual dues of $75 for March 1st through Feb. 28, and a pro-rated amount of $6.25 for February.
Total fees and dues: $30.00 + 81.25 = $111.25 (less if already registered).

New Adults:
Fees/Dues: Each scout must have at least one parent or guardian registering with our troop. Adult registration fees are $12 (which we pay to our District Council), or a $1 transfer fee if the adult is already registered with Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. There are no troop dues for adults.

Annual Fees:
Each year we re-register in November and collect annual registration fees of $18 per scout and $12 per adult, plus the optional $12 subscription fee to Boys Life', to send to our District Council for our Re-Charter in December. Each year we collect annual troop dues of $75 per scout on March 1st.

SCOUT HANDBOOK AND UNIFORM

All you really need to get started is a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook and certain parts of the official Boy Scout uniform. We require Scouts to wear what we call their "1st Class uniform" to all Courts of Honor (awards ceremonies), to Scout meetings, public appearances, and going to and from camping trips and other outings. The "1st Class uniform" consists of the official Scout shirt (with the "319" numbers and other required emblems and patches), either the official Scout hat or our alternate Troop 319 hat, and the official Scout neckerchief and slide, with appropriate other clothes of consistent color. This rule can be relaxed by the Scoutmaster for Scouts who are 1st Class rank for some activities and during summer months. At other times, the Scoutmaster may allow our Scouts to wear their "2nd Class uniform", which may be either the official scout shirt or our Troop 319 T-shirt, in the Scoutmaster's discretion. Merit badges earned and camping or event patches are affixed by the Scout to an official Scout sash, which is worn over the shoulder and across the Scout shirt, and should be worn to all Courts of Honor and other special occasions.

We have Troop 319 hats ($8.50), T-shirts ($8), and hooded sweatshirts (about $26), all in green, available for sale.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

You will need to satisfy the Scoutmaster that you understand and pledge to live by the principles of:

The Scout Oath or Promise	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, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
The Scout Motto	Be Prepared.
The Scout Slogan	Do a Good Turn Daily.
The Outdoor Code	As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded.

You will need to know how and when to use:

The Scout Sign	Cover the nail of the little finger on your right hand with your right thumb, then raise your right arm bent in a 90 degree angle, and hold the three middle fingers of your right hand upward.
The Scout Salute	Form the Scout Sign with your right hand and bring that hand upward until your forefinger touches the brim of your hat or the arch of your right eyebrow, without the palm of your hand showing.
The Scout Handshake	Extend your left hand to another Scout and firmly grasp his left hand, without interlocking the fingers.

PARENT RESOURCES

Information about our troop can be found in many places:

Our Parent Information Guide, our Troop Bylaws & Policies, our monthly Parent Committee Meeting Minutes, talking to our Scoutmaster, Parent Committee Chair, or any of our adult leaders, attending our parent meetings, Scout meetings and outings, and of course, on our web site. Resources about scouting in general can be found at our San Diego-Imperial Council's web site at www.bsasdic.org.

BOY LED, BOY RUN

Scouting is intended to be a "boy led - boy run" program. This means that the boys lead the troop, choose and organize their activities, run their own meetings, and are as self-sufficient as they can reasonably be on outings, setting up their camp, cooking for themselves, building their campfires, leading their hikes, etc. The adults provide assistance, support and supervision as needed.

The troop is divided into groups of boys who make up Patrols, generally of 5 to 7 Scouts each. Each Patrol has a rotating Patrol Leader, who serves for six months. The troop itself is led by a Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) elected by the boys and approved by the Scoutmaster. The SPL is a Scout who is at least 13 years old and has gone through the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) course. He is assisted by one or more Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders, who are qualified to step in as SPL in his absence. There are various other leadership positions in the troop for the boys, such as Scribe, Quartermaster, Troop Instructor, Librarian, and Historian. All Scout troop officers serve for 6 months. The SPL, Assistant SPLs, Patrol Leaders and Scribe form a Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) which meets once a month, with the Scoutmaster, to plan upcoming troop activities and meetings. Once a year the boys have an Annual Planning Meeting, where they vote on outings they would like to schedule over the coming year. The adults then have their own Annual Planning Meeting to review these outings for feasibility, and to set the calendar dates and assign adult leaders to help organize and supervise the trips.

SCOUT MEETINGS

Our Scouts have weekly Monday night meetings, from 6:45pm to 8pm. The meeting opens and closes with a flag ceremony, presided over by the boys' Senior Patrol Leader, with the boys grouped together in their Patrols. After announcements about upcoming or past events, the Scouts will join with one another for whatever activity has been planned for the meeting by their Patrol Leaders' Council (Scout skills, work on a merit badge, organizing for an upcoming trip, etc.). Before the meeting closes, the Scouts will usually all get together to play a fun game that may involve Scout skills or teamwork.


TROOP OUTINGS

You can find out about our troop outings by visiting the Calendar link on our web site, by reading the monthly Parent Committee Meeting minutes, by attending our meetings, or by giving us a call. We like to do a lot of camping, hiking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities.

Some of our activities in 2005 included:
- Summer camp in Maui;
- The Old Salty Rat 15 mile canoe trip around Fiesta Island;
- Backpack training at Camp Mataguay;
- Backpacking into the desert at Canon Sin Nombre for an overnighter there;
- Camping and competing in games at both our own District's Camporee and the International Camporee in Tecate, Mexico;
- Camping at Joshua Tree National Park (twice), Agua Caliente & the Mud Caves (Anza Borrego Desert), San Clemente Island, Palomar Mtn, and the Lagunas;
- Touring and staying overnight on the USS Midway;
- A series of 10 mile hikes, and a 20 miler, for the Hiking Merit Badge;
- Swim sessions for fun and for the swimming merit badge;
- Knotts Soak City; Boomers Miniature Golf; Indoor Rock Climbing Gym (and the Climbing Merit Badge);
- Astronomy campouts for the Astronomy Merit Badge.

Upcoming trips into 2006 include:
Death Valley; Havasu Falls; Kern River Rafting; San Felipe; Zion & Bryce National Parks; Klondike Snow Camp; San Onofre on the Bicycling Merit Badge; Lake Morena and William Heise Campouts; Summer Camp at Camp Kern.

PARENT/GUARDIAN INVOLVEMENT

We depend on the active participation of each Scout's parent or guardian in order to have a successful troop. We expect each adult to be involved with their Scout in the troop, and to help out the troop by assisting in at least one troop job on our Parent Positions job list.

All parents/guardians are urged to attend our Parent Committee Meetings (PCM), generally held on the 4th Thursday of each month. That is where parents/guardians plan and organize the troop support system to provide the adult supervision and assistance to our Scouts that is needed for a successful Scouting program.


OUR SCOUTING GOALS

Our Scouting goals are to provide our boys with a healthy and safe Scouting program, guided by traditional Scouting ideals and principles and a Boy Led, Boy Run troop philosophy, where our Scouts will ....
- Have Fun!
- Make Friends;
- Learn social, leadership and teamwork skills;
- Develop their good character and citizenship, and enhance their mental and physical fitness;
- Acquire a broad base of knowledge and abilities by participation in Scout activities and merit badge programs;
- Advance through the Scout Ranks (Scout, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Star, Life, and Eagle);
- Join in camping trips, hikes, and other outdoor adventures that they might never otherwise have the opportunity to experience;
- Develop closer family bonds by providing opportunities for Scouts and their parents/guardians to join together in Scouting activities.

SCOUT RANKS

New troop members start out with the rank of Scout, but quickly progress to Tenderfoot, and then to 2nd Class. One of our goals is to have each boy reach the 1st Class rank by the end of his first year with the troop. Requirements for these rank advancements are set forth in the Boy Scout Handbook, and involve mastering certain Scout skills and knowledge, going on troop campouts, showing improvement on certain physical fitness exercises, learning particular first aid skills, and similar things. Once a Scout earns the rank of 1st Class, he can begin to work on merit badges and serve in leadership positions in the troop. To advance further to the ranks of Star, Life, and Eagle, a Scout needs to earn a certain number of merit badges, including certain ones that are on the required list to become an Eagle Scout, needs a number of hours participating in service projects, and needs to serve as one of the troop officers. To become an Eagle Scout, a total of 21 merit badges need to be earned, including certain required merit badges in specified areas, and the Scout must complete an approved Eagle service project.

BLUE CARDS FOR MERIT BADGES

Before a Scout can begin to work on a merit badge, he needs to get a blue card merit badge from the Scoutmaster or merit badge counselor. Do Not Lose Your Blue Cards! The Scout's progress relating to the merit badge is recorded on the blue card. When all requirements are completed, the card is signed off by the merit badge counselor and Scoutmaster indicating that the merit badge has been earned. The completed blue card is then turned in to the Adult Advancement Chairperson, who will record it and present the merit badge to the Scout at the next Court of Honor.


SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCES & BOARDS OF REVIEW

Each time a Scout completes the requirements to advance in rank, he presents himself in his 1st Class uniform for a Scoutmaster Conference and a Board of Review. These conferences normally occur during the regular troop Monday meetings. The Scoutmaster Conference is a meeting between the Scout and the Scoutmaster, and provides an opportunity for them to review the Scout's progress and discuss future goals. Directly after the Scoutmaster's Conference (the same evening), the Scout has his Board of Review, which is a conference between the Scout and a group of 3 or more adult leaders (not including either the Scoutmaster or the Scout's parent or guardian), where a similar discussion takes place. After these conferences, the Scout is advanced to the next rank, and presented with the new rank insignia at the next Court of Honor awards ceremony.

COURTS OF HONOR

Every three months our troop holds a Court of Honor, which takes place on a Monday night in lieu of the regular Scout meeting. At this time, Scouts are recognized for their progress, merit badge accomplishments, and rank advancements, and are presented with their corresponding awards, patches or other uniform insignia. Our troop Parent Committee traditionally hosts a low cost pizza and salad dinner at each Court of Honor.

TWO DEEP ADULT LEADERSHIP/ YPG TRAINING / CAMPING PROTECTIONS

Scouting is designed to provide a safe and healthy environment for youth, and to protect against any type of potential abuse or abusive situations. All adult leaders are required to be trained in the Boy Scouts' Youth Protection Guidelines, which is a program that alerts them to recognize signs of abuse, shows how to keep children safe from abuse, and how to properly deal with abuse if it occurs.

In addition, Boy Scout policy requires two-deep leadership, which means that two registered adult leaders or one registered adult leader and a parent (one being at least age 21) are required to be on all Scout trips and outings. One-on-one contact between adults and youth members is prohibited, so that there must always be either two or more adults present when alone with a Scout, or two or more Scouts present. Also, Boy Scout policy requires adult leaders to respect the privacy of the Scouts in situations such as changing clothes or taking showers at camp, so that an intrusion upon privacy will not occur unless required for health and safety reasons. When camping in a place where separate shower facilities are not available, policy requires separate times for male and female, and for youth and adult, to be scheduled and posted for showers. When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent or guardian. Any hazing activity is strictly prohibited at all times.

SCOUT BUDDY SYSTEM

While participating in a scouting activity, a Scout is required to have a "buddy" with him wherever he goes. The buddy usually is another Scout, but could also be the Scout's parent/guardian, the Scout's brother or sister, or the Scout's friend.


LEAVE NO TRACE

In keeping with Scout "Leave No Trace" policy, we strive to maintain a clean environment by always picking up after ourselves on camping and other outings, by trying to avoid disturbing flora and fauna wherever we are, and by leaving our surroundings in at least as clean and pristine a condition as when we arrived.

ADULT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

There are many adult training programs available through our Council's scouting offices. We urge parents/guardians to take advantage of these training opportunities, which prepare you to be an adult leader with the troop. Our Training Chairperson keeps us informed of the dates and times of the various programs, and what they are all about. A brief guide is included as the Adult Training Appendix to our Parent Information Guide, and more information can be found at our San Diego-Imperial Council's web site at www.bsasdic.org