How Do You Want Your Boy Scouts To Be Treated? - Troop 333 - Charlotte / Huntersville, NC

May 18, 2011 - PRLog -- Boy Scout Troop 333 (http://www.thefamilytroop.org) - a flexible homeschool BSA troop based in the Charlotte, NC metro north region, with families from Huntersville, Charlotte, Mooresville, Kannapolis and more.

Religion and Boy Scouts
Nothing is more apparent than the link between a belief in God and the individual boy scout. What that means to each scout varies according to their beliefs but that is the whole point. The Boy Scouts of America® guidelines are very clear about what is and is not required of a scout. While the chartering organizations (sponsors of each troop) can vary their by-laws, one thing they should not be doing is practicing any form of discrimination.

When you examine the oath, law and other aspects of scouting you will quickly note that the belief in God, celebrating God’s ideals, are engrained in everything a scout believes and supports. These are very general beliefs that link all scouts together. Does this mean that all scouts believe in the same way? No. Not at all.

The impetus for the foundation of the scouts was partly to raise up men who had a good moral compass, as well as the skills to survive in a challenging and changing world. That does not mean they have to pray the same way or even submit to someone else’s idea of what they should be doing spiritually.

How Do I Tell If I Found A Good Troop To Join?
Talk to the other parents, and the scouts. Find out what they like and dislike about the troop if possible. Speak with more than just the Scoutmaster, Committee Chair or Chartered Organization Representative. You can learn a lot and sometimes get an earful, helping you determine if you are making the right choice.

If a troop is dictatorial or its committee members overbearing and you agree with that style of leadership then that is readily apparent from your first encounters. If you are looking for a troop that is more relaxed, and has greater latitude in how it supports and treats the scouts then that is something that might require a little more research. Ask more specific questions.

How Does The Troop Treat The Scouts?
The scout troop is only as good as its leadership in the field. The boys are being taught by these men and women, how to act with others, and whether or not they should judge others. If a troop presents you with a statement of faith on initial inquiry or is seemingly more restrictive chances are they have very specific beliefs and ways of doing things. This can be a big red flag for families that want a more welcoming environment.

Many troops have no specific attitude towards what a scout should believe and how. They understand the Boy Scout ideal of allowing the scout, his family and pastor to explore the scout’s religious ideals, goals, and spirituality. Before you join a troop just for the sake of settling down, you must ask yourself about your own beliefs, those of your son, and how that will work within the troop.

A scout should never be forced to participate in a religious ceremony, devotional or encounter that is not preapproved by the parents. If the troop you are considering has such activities you might want to determine first if these mirror your beliefs or would cause friction. We’ve seen elsewhere from personal experience how a single assistant scoutmaster can make it very uncomfortable for a scout to participate fully in a troop, when their beliefs are openly questioned, commented upon, or they are held up to ridicule.

How Can We Tell For Sure?
In Troop 333, we require a parent to join us on several of the campouts, to come to meetings and sit in the room. We WANT them to know who we are, how we function and how the scout is treated. We never want to hear a negative report about comments made that hurt a scout’s feelings.

If you intend to join a troop, ask about their policy regarding observation, participation and attending events. If they don’t want you there, and ask you to just ‘trust them’ from the beginning, before a relationship has even formed, that could be cause for concern.

We would not leave our children with strangers, and we don’t expect anyone else to do so. As “the family troop”, Troop 333 fosters good parental, familial and scout relationships. We share activity time. While patrols have meetings, the parents gather nearby. We are not a drop-off service, and further, we understand trust is earned.

Every scout has a parent attend the first campouts. If for no other reason than to make sure their son is being treated how they want him to be treated. That his beliefs and personality are not called into question. And that he is completely comfortable with all troop activities before ever considering coming alone.

A Foundation Of Trust
If we follow the golden rule and treat others as we wish to be treated it should be a fairly simple progression from joining, to inclusion, to active participation and joy. By transitioning properly into a group, of scouts and leadership, all the family will be confident and be able to develop the foundation of trust necessary for everyone to succeed.

A little about Us: Online efficiency at our troop!
Troop 333 encourages interactive online meetings through our unique private scout server. Meal, menu, duty roster and camping planning can all take place in live chat, forums, with complete forms upload and editing capabilities. This way scouts can concentrate on more fun physical activity during meetings and hold administrative meetings online in off hours.

To learn more about the flexible homeschool troop visit http://www.thefamilytroop.org.

Serving the counties of North Mecklenburg, South Iredell and West Cabarrus, all families in Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, Kannapolis and surrounding areas are invited to make inquiries at friends@thefamilytroop.org.

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Boy Scout Troop 333 is in the Hornet's Nest District, Mecklenburg Council based in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan region serving Huntersville, Davidson, Cornelius, Mooresville, Kannapolis, South Iredell County, West Cabarrus and North Mecklenburg county.