FAQ

Our group is called Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Troop 412, a Christian Boy Scout group consisting of about 19-25 boys aged 11-17 yrs old. 

BSA takes a four pronged approach in growing  and developing a boy through: 

1. Outdoor activities (campouts and hiking); 

2. Self-exploration of interests (completing merit badges);

3. Leadership development (rank advancements and leadership training);

4. Servicing community (service projects)

Scouts meet up for Troop Meetings once a month on a Sunday for around 2 hours at ICS. There is usually one campout each month from Sep to May. In addition, other activities are organized, such as hikes, Merit Badge days, service projects, Court of Honor to recognise and honor scouts who move up in rank.

Although BSA is scout-led, the organization would not be possible without the help of parents like yourselves. Not only do we need dads and moms to be adult leaders at campouts and overseas camps, but there are many more jobs, tasks and coordination behind the scenes which require parent volunteers, such as merit badge counselors, panelists who attend the Board of Reviews for rank advancements, committee members, patrol mentors, campsite bookings, treasurer, drivers, cooks, and many more. Some activities in fact cannot be carried out unless an adult leader is present. Please contact your adult patrol leader if you would like to serve with your time, talent, or tithe.

Once the scout has signed up and paid for troop campouts, camp fees are non-refundable as this is the policy of the campsite.  

If the scout cancels the campout 7 days before the campout date, the fee for the meals will be refunded.  Within the week before the campout, the patrol may have bought the ingredients for the campout. This applies to campouts in private campsites which allow scouts to cook their own meals.  Cooking is an important activity in rank advancement in scouting.  

If the red or black rainstorm warning or No.3 or higher typhoon signal is hoisted at any time from 2 to 3 hours before the scheduled meetup time, the campsite may cancel according to their policy.  The adult in charge of the event will send out the announcement to the troop.

According to BSA policy, scouts will pair up with another scout within 2 years of age to sleep in a tent. Due to covid measures, a scout can request to sleep alone in his tent or with his parent. 

Campouts are experiences in nature with your patrol/troop–we believe that the experience is enhanced when there are minimal disturbances. Therefore, mobile phones will be collected for safekeeping at the beginning of the campout and will be returned to the scout at the end of the campout.

Joining BSA is a fun way for a boy to enjoy the outdoors, make friends, take on leadership positions, contribute to service projects and learn about different hobbies and skills through merit badges. Scouting is as much or as little as what the boy would like to make it to be. If his goal is to rise through the ranks (Scout, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class, Star, Life and finally Eagle), then he will need to commit to completing rank requirements, hold different leadership positions within the Troop, finish 21 merit badges–14 of which must come from the list of ‘Eagle required’ merit badges, commit to a certain number of service hours, and at the very end, plan, propose, and participate in a final Eagle Project–all to be finished before the scout turns 18 years of age. To accomplish Eagle Rank is an ambitious endeavor that requires time, commitment, initiative, leadership and discipline. Only 3% of all scouts reach this honorable rank.   

Once the scout has completed his rank requirements, he will request a Scoutmaster Conference (SMC). This meeting can be done in person or on zoom and the purpose of it is for the SM to have a conversation with the scout about his experience within the troop, amongst many other Scouting goals and matters. It is not a retesting of what the scout has learned.  Once the scout has participated in the SMC, he will contact the Advancement Coordinator (AC) to request a Board of Review (BOR). BOR is not required for Scout rank, only for Tenderfoot and above.

A BOR is a meeting between a scout and three or more members of the Committee to have a conversation about the scout’s experience in his scouting journey. Like the SMC, it is not a test of the scout’s knowledge, but more of an opportunity for the BOR members to learn about the scout’s achievements, his goals and his feedback on Scouting. A BOR for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, 1st Class may last about fifteen to twenty minutes, while a BOR for Star and Life rank may be up to thirty minutes. A scout must wear his Class A uniform and be ready to recite the Scout Oath and Scout Law at the BOR. 

Adult leaders who directly worked with the scout on the rank requirement can sign off.  Adult leaders are NOT permitted to sign-off completed requirements for their own son unless it is a group activity.

Scouts who are First Class or above that are two ranks higher (or Junior Assistant Scoutmaster) who worked with the Scout on the requirement can sign off. The higher ranked scout is NOT permitted to sign off completed requirements for his own brother unless it is a group activity.

No. All camping, hiking, and service hours are to be entered into Scoutbook by the Advancement Coordinator (AC). The adult in charge during any of the three activities shall compile the list of participating scouts, dates, start and end time, location, and distance hiked and submit the information to the AC after the activity is completed.

Every year, the troop will host a Merit Badge Day for scouts to sign up based on their interest.

Apart from merit badge day, the scout can choose a merit badge by looking into the list of BSA merit badges online. Here is how a scout should start a merit badge: 

• Scout finds another scout to do MB and inform Scoutmaster (SM)

• SM will inform AC, and together, they will find a merit badge counsellor (MBC) 

• Scout will sign up for the MB on the Troop Google Sign Up Sheet (link is found within the Profile section of the Troop Whatsapp chat)

• SM will sign and pass the blue cards to the MBC.

• Scouts will find the merit badge workbook and pamphlet online.

• MBC will arrange for either zoom or physical meetings with the scouts to go through requirements. Scouts are expected to read the pamphlet and complete the assigned requirements prior to the meeting with the MBC.

• The MBC will update the google sheet of ‘completed’ requirements as they get done.

• Upon completion, the MBC will sign off the blue card, and give them to the SM to sign for final completion. There are 3 perforated portions to a blue card: 1. One to be kept by the MBC; 2. One to be kept by the AC; and 3. One for the scout to keep for his own record. It is very important to keep all merit badge blue cards.

• The scout is responsible for inputting completed MB requirements on Scoutbook, based on dates shown as ‘completed’ on the Google sheet. Scoutbook inputting must be done in order to receive the MB at the Court of Honor (COH).

• The scout will be awarded the merit badge at the COH.

Merit badges are free to scouts upon completion of all requirements and Scoutbook inputting. However, should a scout lose his merit badge, he will need to purchase it at his own expense.

Troop 412’s Scout shop orders coordinator is in charge of purchasing all uniforms and supplies from the Far East Council in Okinawa, Japan. Please submit your request to the orders coordinator and you will be charged upon receipt of your items. Once a year, at time of BSA registration, we will hold a uniform swap. The scout can bring his grown out uniform for swapping or he can search for a bigger uniform within our 2nd hand inventory if he wishes to not purchase a new one. But the scout can inquire with the orders coordinator anytime during the year for uniform availability.

FEC (Far East Council) camps are posted on www.fareastcouncil.org.  If your scout is interested in joining a camp, inform the SM (Scoutmaster) or the committee and we will group together scouts and adults to attend the camp.  Adults attending the FEC camp will be prepared to serve as MBC (Merit Badge Counsler) with other FEC adults.