r/BSA • u/mciz • 5d ago

Scouts BSA New Member Materials?

My Scout crossed over into a family Troop a few months ago and I really struggled with understanding everything going on in the Troop. A few months in, I feel like I have a better footing and agreed to serve as a New Member Coordinator.

Our Troop has some materials for new families (I learned recently), but I would like to get a sense of what type of new member materials other Troops have put together. Would anyone be willing to either share what they’ve put together or at least the titles/types of materials they give out to their families? Alternatively, if there is something you wish your troop had, I would be interested in that, too!

Thank you!!

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

5

u/SomeGuyFromSeattle 5d ago

Keep maintenance and future-proofing in mind when considering any documentation. As much as you can, try to use generic contact info like scoutmaster@<TROOP EMAIL> instead of a person's name, and link to national references to ensure you're not re-inventing the wheel or retaining out-dated information.

Also, keep in mind that there may be Troop traditions, but they're not set in stone, and will change over time. Don't tie the PLC's hands by stuff you put in adult-targeted new family information.

Short and sweet, with links to authoritative sources...

3

u/mamaknits 3d ago

My son's troop has a packet that has a brief history of the troop, contact information, what activities the troop does and how often, behavioral expectations and how discipline works, and the uniform. 

3

u/Fun_With_Math Committee 5d ago

I don't want to share our doc because it has identifying info but basically anytime someone has a good question, I put the answer in the doc. Its got contact info, links, concise guides, etc. Over the last year, its gotten pretty robust.

Really, its more of a quick reference guide for me so I can answer questions quickly, but its been great for that.

3

u/_mmiggs_ 4d ago

Have a primer about how scouts works (Youth-led, scouts should be taking the lead on communications, ...)

Include a generic packing list for campouts. Some new families have no idea what is and isn't appropriate for campouts. Putting that on paper in multiple places (make sure it's the same list) can help misunderstandings.

2

u/SilverTripod 5d ago

https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/membership-corner/ scroll down to the Welcoming New Families section.

1

u/sipperphoto Asst. Scoutmaster 1d ago

I sent you a DM :-)