PG2002b

All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind are convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.
--Aristotle

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Boy Scouts of America! By becoming a parent of a Boy Scout, you are setting your son out on the grand adventure of Scouting. This is a tremendously important and rewarding endeavor that you will be able to share with him.

What is it all about? What will you be expected to do? What does it cost? We have prepared this booklet to answer these questions.

The following pages describe the organization of Troop 287 and the advancement pattern that each Scout will follow. Reading this will help you understand how your Scout can progress through the ranks with your help. It will help you understand how you can help and what the various adult volunteers are doing to help the troop.

You are joining a great organization that includes tens of thousands of adult leaders, interested parents, and the BSA professional staff. Scouting is much more than enjoying the outdoors. The troop teaches leadership skills and community skills. Scouting also shows the Scouts how they can keep themselves strong and healthy and make the most of school. With hard work and dedication, your son will be able to serve as a leader in the troop and advance in rank along the trail to Eagle.

Above and beyond anything else said in this package, the Scouts and us "big kids" are in Scouts to have fun!
For more information, contact:

Dan Bunker, Scoutmaster

(H) 616-329-1196

e-mail: dbunker@iserv.net

BOY RUN TROOP

Troop 287 believes that our goals in Scouting, to develop character, citizenship and leadership ability, can best be achieved by giving our Scouts responsibility for organizing themselves to plan and implement the troop programs. While the Scoutmaster and the Adult Leaders are ultimately responsible for the troop, the week-to-week leadership of the troop is handled by the Scouts themselves. To the maximum extent consistent with safety and national Boy Scouts of America policy, we intend to let the Scouts learn by having the opportunity to try, occasionally fail, and more often succeed - but to do so while the adults stand aside and let the Scouts have the initiative, experience and pride of their own efforts. This is what we mean by a BOY RUN TROOP - THIS IS OUR GOAL!

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

There are three aims to Scouting:

· Aim I -- To build character
· Aim II -- To foster citizenship
· Aim III -- To develop fitness

These three aims are the bedrock of the American Scouting movement they represent the long-term outcomes we want for every Scout.

It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people, and in other ways to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.

The values we strive to instill are based on those found in the Boy Scout Oath and Law.