Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, said, “Scouting is a gang of boys, led by a boy under the guidance of an adult who has not given up his boyish ways.”
Troop 1707 is organized to give each Scout a wide variety of fun, adventures, and experiences. New Scouts entering the troop form into Patrols. If a boy was a Cub Scout then he will usually be placed in a Patrol of boys of his same age from his Pack.
Early in the development of the Boy Scout movement, Lord Baden-Powell realized that "the patrol method is not a way to run a troop, it is the only way." Each Patrol members elect their own Patrol Leader (PL) and he selects his Assistant Patrol Leader (APL).
The Senior Patrol Leader ( SPL) of the Troop is elected by all of the Scouts in the Troop. In a “boy-run” Troop the SPL runs the Troop. He appoints Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPLs) to help him. Patrol Leaders report to the SPL through the ASPLs. The Patrols in the Troop also have Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM), who are adults, assigned to them. Assistant Scoutmasters report to the Scoutmaster. There may also be a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster (JASM), a Scout 16 or older, who supports the other boy leaders as assigned. The Scoutmaster, ASMs, and JASM support the SPL in running the Troop.
First year Scout Patrols also have two older Scouts assigned to them to teach the basic scouting skills and to sign off the new Scouts requirements for their rank advancement. The older Scouts are called Troop Guides and are First Class Rank Scouts or higher.
Other Troop leadership positions include: Instructor, Librarian, Quartermaster, Historian, Scribe, and Chaplain. Troop leadership elections are held every 6 months.
In addition, the Troop has the backing, support, and resources of the Troop Committee. The Troop Committee is composed of adults and is headed by the Troop Committee Chairman. It is responsible for the physical operations of the Troop. Meeting site, equipment, advancement records, Scout registration and Troop rechartering are only a few functions this group performs for the Troop. Adults joining the Troop are asked to serve on the Troop Committee for one year and attend Basic Scouter training before becoming an Assistant Scoutmaster.
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