Boy Scout Troop 291 is blessed to be chartered by Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We are an outreach youth ministry of the church, utilizing the tools and rich history of scouting to teach boys practical outdoor skills, and to mold them into thoughtful and considerate community members, strong leaders, and godly young men. Respect for each other, our country, and our God are emphasized. Discipline in conduct, language, uniform, and self are re-enforced.
Our Troop has an amazing group of scouts and dedicated adult leadership, as well as the prayerful backing of a loyal body of believers at Candlelight. Our adult leaders have received training ranging from basic outdoor leader skills, to high adventure, to the coveted BSA Wood Badge program. We also encourage our top youth leaders to aspire to the BSA National Youth Leader Training.
Our objective is to be truly boy led troop, and, as you may have read on the home page, this is one of the main character development methods of the Boy Scout program. And Scouting isn't just a fun outdoor program. Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting said, it's “a game with a purpose.” The Boy Scouts of America expresses that purpose as three general aims. To carry out those aims (encouraging character development, citizenship, and mental and physical fitness) we use eight methods, the combination of which makes Boy Scouts unique among other youth organizations.
The Methods of Boy Scouting
Ideals — The ideals of Boy Scouting are spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout motto, and the Scout slogan. The Boy Scout measures himself against these ideals and continually tries to improve.
Patrol Method — Patrols are small groups of Scouts who camp together, cook together, play together, and learn together. Patrols are where Scouts learn citizenship at the most basic level. They also take on responsibilities within the patrol, and learn teamwork and leadership. Patrols sort of look like Cub Scout dens, but there is one big difference: Patrols elect their own leaders, and through these patrol leaders, Scouts have a voice in deciding what activities the troop will put on its calendar. Patrols are one component of what we call a boy led troop.
Outdoor Programs — Boy Scouting is designed to take place outdoors. We camp. We hike. We get dirty. We get up close and personal with bugs and spiders. There’s no way around it. Our program is largely built around outdoor activities (regardless of the temperature). So, expect to have more laundry after a campout and to hear some interesting stories.
Advancement — Boy Scouting has a system of ranks in which Scouts learn progressively more difficult skills and take on progressively greater responsibilities. The highest of these ranks is Eagle Scout. Becoming an Eagle Scout is an important achievement that your son can be proud of his entire life. But turning out Eagle Scouts is not what the Boy Scouting program is all about. Advancement is probably the most visible of the Boy Scouting methods, and the easiest to understand, but it is only one of eight methods. We strongly encourage advancement, but we never force it—advancement is the Scout’s choice, and he sets his own pace. We don’t do “lockstep” advancement. And many great Scouts, and great men, never became Eagle Scouts.
Associations With Adults — Boys learn a great deal by watching how adults conduct themselves. Scout leaders can be positive role models and godly examples for the members of the troop. In many cases, a Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Member, or a merit badge counselor who is willing to listen to boys, encourage them, and take a sincere interest in them can make a profound difference in their lives. Adult association is also part of what we call a youth-led troop. Adults understand that their role is to create a safe place where boys can learn and grow and explore and play and take on responsibilities—and fail, and get up and try again. If you were involved with Cub Scouting, this is a very different role that can take some time getting used to. (For questions you may have about BSA’s Youth Protection Policies, please visit this link:
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss01.aspx)
Personal Growth — As Boy Scouts plan their activities and progress toward their goals, they experience personal growth. The Good Turn concept is a major part of the personal growth method of Boy Scouting. Boys grow as they participate in community service projects and do Good Turns for others. Probably no device is as successful in developing a basis for personal growth as the daily Good Turn. The religious emblems program also is a large part of the personal growth method. Frequent personal conferences with his Scoutmaster help each Boy Scout to determine his growth toward Scouting’s aims.
Leadership Development — The Boy Scout program encourages boys to learn and practice leadership skills. Every Boy Scout has the opportunity to lead in some way, whether as part of a team, or as the leader of his patrol or as the senior patrol leader of the troop. Leadership development is the critical component of a boy led troop.
Uniform — Like most sports teams, Boy Scouts wear a uniform. We expect our Scouts to wear the uniform when they are doing Scouting, and to wear it properly. It gives them a sense of pride and affiliation with the BSA team, and is a symbol of who we are, what we do, and what we represent.
The boy led concept of Boy Scouting is different than how Cub Scouting works, and it is different from the way most youth activities are run, where the adults decide what to do and the youth do it. Because Boy Scouting is different, it is sometimes difficult for adults to realize that we have a different role and a different goal. In Cub Scouting and in many other programs, our goal is to have fun activities and generate achievements. Our role is to make sure that the activities happen, that the achievements take place. In Boy Scouting, the role of the boys is to have fun activities and generate achievements. The role of the adults is not the destination, but the journey. That is, our adult leaders promote the “process” of Scouting.
What is important for us is:
- Not the taste of the food on the campout, but that the boys cooked it.
- Not a sharp-looking flag ceremony, but that the boys put it together.
- Not who would make the best patrol leader, but that the boys elect one.
- Not that a scout learns his knots, but that another scout teaches him.
- Not that we cover everything on the meeting agenda, but that the senior patrol leader is in charge.
Our goal is not to get things done, but to create a safe and healthy environment with the training and resources that the Scouts need, and then let them do it. It can be a very messy business, and painful to watch. Meetings where the boy leaders are in charge can be very chaotic. Outdoor activities may not run as smoothly as we’d like. It can be very tempting for adults to jump in and sort things out, because that is what adults do. But we have to remember that this is the process of Scouting. That is how they learn — yes, even from disorganization and failure. We just have to remember that our business as adults is not the same as the business of the boys. It is up to them to get things done. It is up to us to make sure they have what they need, but (within the bounds of health and safety) not what they do with it.
Thank you again for visiting our website.
“Train Scouts to do a job, then let them do it.”
—Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting
Parent Support and Involvement
“So what is my role?”
In Troop 291 parents play a critical role, but unlike the full parent involvement in Cub Scouts, parents are asked to become much less involved with their own child and more within the structure of the troop as a Committee Member, Assistant Scoutmaster, or merit badge counselor. Don’t worry, few parents come in to Scouting with a good understanding of the program. BSA and the Troop provide the training to get all the parents on the same page and working toward the goals of Scouting. And believe me, it is truly a blessing to be part of such a life changing program and to watch as your son makes the transformation from a boy into a young man.