Scouts can help out their troop and learn to lead others by taking on positions of responsibility. Four months of active service in a position is required to advance from First Class to Star, and Six months is required to advance from Star to Life or from Life to Eagle. Active service requires attendance, participation, and communication in addition to the scout's best effort to accomplish the duties of the position.
- Run for, and be elected Patrol Leader or Senior Patrol Leader
or
- Talk with your fellow scouts, the Scoutmaster and patrol mentor about how you can help the troop
- Ask the Senior Patrol Leader to appoint you to a position of responsibility
- Start helping the troop
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All scouts in positions of responsibility are expected to wear the scout uniform properly, set a good example, and demonstrate scout spirit
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Scouts in positions of responsibility will be assigned a (adult) position mentor
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Scouts should understand their role in the troop, set goals at the beginning of each term, review progress towards those goals, and maintain a "to-do" list
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Prolonged absences do not earn credit. If you have a sports season or some other long conflict, talk to your position mentor about how you may be able to fulfill some of your duties and earn credit.
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Positions of responsibility end every 6 months and you must be elected or appointed again if you want to continue.
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Your position credit doesn't start when the SPL says "OK". It starts when you demonstrate responsibility for the position.
See below for explanation of Attendance/Communication/Participation requirements
(Troop 162 specific duties are mentioned here, other duties are mentioned in the Scouting America official literature):
- Senior Patrol Leader*
- Eligibility: First Class or above and a previous position of responsibility. Candidates must contact the Scoutmaster prior to the election, we will not accept nominations "from the floor"
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: High
- Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
- In Troop 162, we have more than one ASPL, each one manages a different part of the staff
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: High
- Works for: Senior Patrol Leader
- Patrol Leader*
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: High
- The patrol leader of the new scout patrol may serve a shorter term of office to provide other scouts an opportunity to learn.
- Must complete "signing pen" training and be at least First Class to be able to sign rank requirements
- Troop Guide
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: High
- Troop guides lead the monthly "Trailhead Tuesday" meeting
- Must complete "signing pen" training and be at least First Class to be able to sign rank requirements
- Works for: ASPL for Advancement
- Quartermaster
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Medium, but must organize and lead a monthly Quartermaster Workday and be available to help return items to the troop shed after outings
- The Quartermaster organizes the monthly Quartermaster Workday where each patrol sends a representative to help maintain the troop equipment
- Works for: ASPL for Program
- Scribe
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: High
- The Scribe also helps prepare the PLC for the quarterly long-term planning meetings
- The Scribe takes attendance during meetings and reminds people that go on campouts/outings to put in attendance if he wasn't there
- Works for: ASPL for Admin
- Instructor
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Medium
- Our instructors are expected to provide one troop skill instruction lesson per month
- Must complete "signing pen" training to be able to sign rank requirements
- Works for: ASPL for Program
- Webmaster
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Low
- Our webmaster manages this wiki as well as our public homepage
- Works for: ASPL for Admin
- Librarian
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Low
- Our librarian helps manage the troop online library
- Works for: ASPL for Admin
- Head Grubmaster - a type of Librarian/Instructor for Food
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Medium
- Maintains the troop recipe collection
- Teaches cooking methods
- Teaches food planning/shopping/storage
- Teaches cast iron care and storage
- Works for: ASPL for Admin
- Historian
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Low
- Our historian helps take care of the flags and our ribbons/awards, as well as maintaining our photo collection
- Our historian puts descriptions and photos from campouts on our public webpage
- Creates and presents a photo gallery or short presentation at each court of honor
- Works for: ASPL for Admin
- Den Chief
- Attendance/Communication/Participation Requirement: Medium for troop activities, high for activities with your assigned Cub Scout Den.
- We try to work with Packs 126 and/or 162, contact the Scoutmaster for information
- Works for: Den Leader, ASPL for Program
*Elected Position
- High:
- Attend every meeting during each 6-month term or arrange for a scout to perform your duties during that meeting.
- Attend most campouts during your term or provide a suitable reason why you cannot attend
- Regularly communicate with related scout positions and your mentor (response time appropriate for the urgency of the communication)
- Lead, assist the leaders and participate fully in the scouting activity at meetings. Encourage participation by other scouts.
- Medium:
- Attend most meetings, required when you are responsible for part of the meeting program
- Attend 1-2 campouts during your term or provide a suitable reason why no campout participation is possible
- Communicate with related scout positions and your mentor (response time appropriate for the urgency of communication)
- When attending meetings, participate in the scouting activities planned
- Low:
- Attendance not required. Discuss an ongoing conflict (sports season) with your position mentor.
- Campout attendance encouraged but not required. Discuss with your position mentor.
- Communicate regularly with related scout positions and your mentor (response time appropriate for the urgency of communication)
- When attending meetings, participate in the scouting activities planned
- It's ok to remind your scout about their responsibilities. It is not ok to do those responsibilities for the scout. The purpose is personal growth. It is better that the scout do a C- job themselves, than for the parent to do an A job.
- Let your scout do the communicating. Even if you stand over them and teach them to write an email, this is better than the parent writing the email for the scout.