When visiting troops, Webelos parents come with a lot of questions; but they don’t always know everything to ask. The old philosophy still applies. There are no stupid questions. Ask away!!!
Over the years, there is a common set of questions that need to be answered whether they are asked or not. Here is a sampling of questions that Webelos parents should always ask and the troops should be prepared to answer.
- The troop: Who runs it? The boys or leaders? What if there is a problem? What is the patrol method? How do they get into a position? Who teaches the new scouts how to be a patrol leader? Is someone assigned to helping the new scouts through the first year?
- Fundraising: What means of fund raising do you utilize? What percent goes to the scouts?
- Scout Accounts: Do each of the scouts have their own scout account? What does that money go toward? What is done with money that is still in the account when they age out or earn their Eagle rank?
- Camping Attendance: Can the whole family camp? Do you have a family campout? Does a parent have to go? Do the scouts have to camp to meet rank requirements?
- Camping Gear: What do they need? What do they REALLY need? What is too much?
- Camping Meals: What is a grub master? Will a scout be allowed to go hungry? Who cooks for the scouts?
- Camping Facilities: What type of activities does the troop do? Where does the troop go? How do they shower? What about clean clothes? What about a child that needs medication? What if a child is injured? What if a scout doesn’t want to participate in part of a campout such as climbing or rappelling? Does the troop exercise Challenge by Choice?
- Camping – Long Term Campouts: What is a long term campout? What long term campouts does the troop participate in? Do they always go to the same camps, rotate between a few, or do they pick something new every year? What is the average budget for long term campouts? Why should a scout go to a long term campout?
- Leadership: Who can be a leader? Does the troop allow females to be assistant scout masters and camp? Do new parents have to wait to become a leader? What training is needed before becoming an ASM (Assistant Scout Master)?
- Committee: What kinds of committee positions are open? Do new leaders have to start in the committee before becoming an ASM?
- Rank Advancements: What does the troop do if a scout falls behind? What if a scout is an over achiever? How old does the troop like to see a scout be before becoming an Eagle? Why?
- Merit Badges: Where does the troop stand on new scouts earning merit badges? How do they start a merit badge? Who signs off on the merit badge completion? Does all merit badge work have to be done at a scout meeting? Can they earn all the Eagle required badges before the non-required? Who are merit badge counselors for the troop?
- Training: Where can a new parent get training? Is there any available online? Does the troop have leaders trained or available for things such as climbing, canoeing, and COPE?
That should be a good starting set. If any of the other leaders can think of things I missed, send it in. I’m sure there’s many things I’ve forgotten.
[…] Scouts. Dualscoutmom has done a series of good posts about this process and her latest one is to compile a set of questions when you are visiting troops to see which one your son will have the best experience […]
Great list of questions, but…to be really useful for Webelos parents, there ought be a list of what the answers should be? Maybe even a “best answer”, “okay answer” and “run away and dont look back answer”.
The trick is, WindChill, that there aren’t really any right or wrong answers to the questions. Well, accept if a troop allows non-boy scout siblings on campouts (due to safety reasons, siblings aren’t allowed). They can however go if there is a family campout and they are separate from the boys.
The purpose of the questions is to determine if it is the right troop for each individual kid. One of the hardest things for upcoming boy scouts to embrace is that they don’t have to pick a troop as a group. It’s all about ‘the boy’. Because they all need different things to make their experience a success, they need to visit several troops to give them all the best shot at finding the right fit.
This actually gives me a good idea for my next blog. 🙂
Okay, “what is a grubmaster” doesnt have a right/wrong or even a better/worse answer.
But “What does the troop do if a scout falls behind?” definitely has a right answer. If it isnt something to the effect of “We encourage scouts to advance but they advance at their own pace so there is no falling behind” then it is a wrong answer. Maybe Im cynical because Ive read too many Ask Andy columns about troops making up their own rules that go against BSA policy.
Many of the questions also offer opportunity to teach the Webelos and parents about the program. For example, “How do they start a merit badge?”. If the answer includes “the scoumaster tells them to start it”, that is wrong and they are being cheated. If the process is explained, that is good. If the process is explained and they are told what page of the handbook explains it, then they see that there is a specific, documented way and that the troop follows the program.
My point is that Webelos and their parents dont know how the program is supposed to be run so they have no way to judge the answers they get. If the only goal is to find a fun troop, they can tell that in just a few minutes without the questions. But if they really want to find the right troop, a troop that is both fun and “doing it right”, then they need to know what to look for in the answers they get.
It would be interesting to see how different troops answer the questions. Or how the boys of a troop versus the adults of a troop would answer.
Fair points.
A grubmaster is selected for each campout to solidify a menu for the event and have it approved. They then work within their budget to shop (with a parent’s assistance, but not interference) for the items. They are responsible for seeing that the meals are properly prepared. ~ In our troop, the patrol selects a grubmaster for their patrol. In other troops I know of, there is a grubmaster that plans the meals for the entire troop and a group shops for the meals. ~
Personally, I agree about there is a right answer to ‘what if a scout falls behind?’. That is, the troop must work to get the scout caught up and not let them get lost. The variable is in how the troop does that. Is it an adult? Is it a scout? ~ In our troop, the scouts who are Star and above work with the lower ranked scouts who are falling behind. At the first year level, we have a 1st Year Emphasis that works diligently with the new scouts to teach them the ways of boy scouting for a period of each troop meeting. They also work with the older scouts to be sure the needs of the newer scouts are met at the campouts. ~
I couldn’t agree more on your point about merit badges. Are you sure you aren’t from our troop? ~ If we have a campout and it includes things that could be used for a merit badge, it is up to the scout to ask permission to start the badge. However, it is up to the leaders to be sure the scouts understand the process. ~
I also agree on the information part of the meeting with the parents. That is actually the point of my post. They don’t always know what to ask and can go away without learning what the troop is about and how it runs. With these questions as a spring board, it gives a troop a guideline to at least start with to be sure they are prepared to educate the visitors.
Perhaps in a later post, I’ll answer the questions from our troop’s perspective.