The troop meeting is the glue that holds a Scout troop together. Well-planned meetings run by the troop’s youth leaders can be full of excitement and satisfaction. Meeting time devoted to learning new skills and organizing future campouts, service projects, and other activities will help keep interest levels and enthusiasm high.
Troop meetings serve many purposes, including these:
- Motivating Scouts. From Scouts’ points of view, troop meetings are chances for them to get together with their friends for fun and adventure. For Scoutmasters, meetings offer many avenues to encourage Scouts to learn, to advance, and to improve themselves.
- Strengthening patrols. Patrols have opportunities at troop meetings to meet together, to learn as a team, and to share what they know. Whether they serve as the honor guard during an opening flag ceremony, as the presenters of a Scouting skill, or as the organizers of a game or activity, every patrol can contribute to every troop meeting.
- Learning and practicing Scouting skills. A portion of a troop meeting may be devoted to the demonstration and practice of skills that will enhance Scouts’ ability to hike and camp, and to pass requirements for higher ranks.
- Exercising leadership. The troop’s youth leaders take leading roles in planning, conducting, and assisting the success of troop meetings. Leadership is a skill that can be learned only by experience, and troop meetings serve as regular occasions for that to happen.
- Promoting Scout spirit. Troop meetings offer ideal settings for patrols to take part in contests and competitions that test their expertise and their abilities to cooperate with one another.
Meetings occur at a regularly set date and time to help boys and their families schedule effectively. Troop 809’s meetings generally occur on Sunday afternoons at the Jarrettsville United Methodist Church. Our Calendar has the most up-to-date listing of Troop meeting dates/times, as well as all our other events!
Troop meetings are fun and full of action and excitement. They can be opportunities to learn new skills and plan future activities and service projects. Aside for the Scoutmaster’s announcements, the majority of content and conduct of each section of a troop meeting is the responsibility of the Scouts themselves.