A primary objective of every Boy Scout Troop is have Scouts take responsibility for the leadership of the troop. Scouts should run Boy Scout troops, with adults only participating to ensure safety, a quality program and to give support and assistance when needed and asked. This ensures that the troop continues to meet the needs of the youth in the community while helping to train tomorrow’s leaders of our nation. This is the major difference between Cub Scouts, where the Cub Scouts participated in activities coordinated by their parents.
Every Boy Scout troop is made up of patrols, groupings of three to eight scouts who work together as a team. Each patrol has its own leader. The Patrol Leaders, with a Senior Patrol Leader as their head, form the Patrol Leaders’ Council. It is this council's job to plan and run the troop program
Six Reasons For Using Patrols
Friends: Patrols permit a scout to be in the group his friends are in.
Small Size: Means each scout gets involved because he is really needed.
Responsibility: Patrol jobs for everyone means everyone gets a chance to learn and practice responsibility.
Adults Helped: Boy leaders run the activities, which allows adult leaders to concentrate on ensuring a safe, quality program.
Democratic: Patrols provide real experience in the democratic way of doing things.
There Is A Sixth Reason, Of Course – Nothing Else Seems To Work Better!
The Scoutmaster is the adult leader of the troop. He is dedicated to bringing learning, adventure, and good times to you and other scouts. He is present at every troop meeting and goes on most hikes and camping trips. Patrol leaders look to him for guidance.
Assistant Scoutmasters are recruited by the Scoutmaster and approved by the troop committee to assist the Scoutmaster in the operation of the troop. Assistant Scoutmasters help the Scoutmaster in various capacities. Sometimes they take charge of troop meetings or iactivities.
The Troop 304 Committee is responsible for overseeing the program, managing the budgets and maintaining the relationship with the sponsoring organization and The Boston Minutemen Council. Members of the Troop Committee are all volunteers. All parents of scouts are invited to attend and help to improve the program. Troop Committee meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month immediately following the troop meeting.
