Troop Scribe

Dear Scouts,

As I mentioned in my previous email, there are other troop junior leadership positions, besides the positions of Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader. The positions of Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader are the only troop junior leadership positions which are elected. All other troop junior leadership positions are appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader in consultation with the Scoutmaster.

One very important troop junior leadership position is the position of troop scribe:

http://www.math.msu.edu/%7Emccarthy/troop272/troop.organization/troop.scribe.html

According to the programs and policies of the Boy Scouts of America, Boy Scout troops are "boy-led". The primary vehicle for this junior leadership is the Patrol Leaders Council:

http://www.math.msu.edu/%7Emccarthy/troop272/troop.organization/patrol.leaders.council.html

"Junior leaders make up the patrol leaders council - the board of directors, so to speak. It's the decision-making team. The patrol leaders' council plans the annual program, then the weekly meetings leading up to the monthly outdoor adventure."

The success of our troop program, which is planned by the Patrol Leaders Council, depends upon the PLC having accurate information about the present state of the troop. This information helps the PLC plan activities which will enable the troop, the patrols in the troop, and all the Scouts in these patrols to make progress in realizing the objective of Scouting, to help young boys grow into responsible men, through Scouting, "a game with a purpose".

Much of this information is kept by the troop scribe:

* Attends and keeps a log of patrol leaders' council meetings

* Records individual Scout attendance and dues payments

* Records individual Scout advancement progress

In order to keep a log of PLC meetings, the troop scribe is required to attend PLC meetings, even though he is not a voting member of the PLC.

If you would like to serve your troop in this important position of troop scribe, please speak to your Senior Patrol Leader about your interest in this position. He will talk with me about appointing you to this position. If we decide together to appoint you to this position, he will inform you of your appointment to this position, at which point your responsibilities to fulfill the obligations of this position will begin.

In order to serve effectively in this position, in addition to being a scout who is a good example to his fellow scouts, you should be able to take careful notes of the discussion at PLC meetings, so that our troop will have an accurate record of the important decisions which are made by the PLC at these meetings, and keep careful records of our scouts involvement in our troop, so that the PLC can make well-informed decisions at these meetings.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this important junior leadership position or any other junior leadership positions:

http://www.math.msu.edu/%7Emccarthy/troop272/troop.organization/junior.leaders.html

http://www.math.msu.edu/%7Emccarthy/troop272/troop.organization/patrol.positions.html

Sincerely,

John D. McCarthy