New Parent’s Guide

Our Troop

1. Troop 412 has been in existence since the 2019. Our troop is a Girls only BSA Troop.  Our purpose is to support our scouts by providing a fun environment to learn life skills through the great outdoors.

2. We are currently sponsored by the Lake Murray Presbyterian Church. We meet in the Scout Hut behind the church on Wednesday from 6:30-8:00.

3. We are an active troop that focuses on outdoor activities, particularly camping and backpacking. We feel that this type of program offers our young women the best in scouting. We typically schedule one (1) weekend activity each month.

4. Due to the weather in South Carolina, our troop activities are all year long.  In the summer, we go to a summer camp where our scouts can enjoy a weeklong experience learning new skills, games, swimming, and campfires. The rest of the year, we are camping around the South Carolina area.  We have been kayaking, hiking, backpacking and snowtubing.  We are always finding something new and usual to do.

5. Our meetings are run by out scouts. The Senior Patrol Leader oversees the troop meetings and Patrol Leaders oversee patrol meetings. When a new scout joins the troop, our older scouts will help to guide and teach her what she needs to know.  As the scout progress, they will develop into a leader and have a chance to guide and teach young scouts. 

6. Our adult leaders act as counselors and advisors.  The leaders are there to help guide the scouts and make sure there are in a safe environment.

Meetings

1. Troop Meetings take place once a week (Wednesday from 6:30-8:00 pm).  Attendance is monitored (using a sign in sheet) as scouts are required to be “active” within the troop to be considered for rank advancement. It is strongly encouraged you attend as many meetings and activities as possible. If there are time conflicts due to other activities, we still encourage scouts to attend as much of the activity as possible.

Parents are encouraged to get involved with the troop and attend the troop meetings, or at least stay for the announcements at the beginning of each meeting. This is the best way to get information about outings, activities, and other things that our happening within the troop.

2. Each scout, upon joining the troop, will be assigned to a patrol. Patrols are smaller groups of scouts within the troop. Patrols meet as a group each Wednesday.

3. Each meeting, the scouts will play a game, work on a skill or merit badge and participate in their patrol meetings.  Patrol meeting usually are used to complete requirements for rank, discuss ideas for camping trips or merit badges, discuss issues with the troop, or prepare for a camping trip.

4. Troop Meeting attire is provided by the Senior Patrol Leader prior to the meeting.  Troop 412 has a Class A uniform which includes an official Scout shirt, pants, and belt. These items may be purchased in the local scout shop (715 Betsy Dr, Columbia), Scoutstuff.org , or borrowed from the troop inventory. Each scout should have a scout book.  This scout book is the Scouts BSA Handbook for Girls. They may also be purchased at the scout shop or through Scoutstuff.org. Troop 412 also has a Class B uniform. The Class B uniform consists of a t-shirt with the BSA logo on it.  The t-shirt may be from a summer camp, a troop activity or other event.

Uniform Information:

5. Feel free to ask any of the adult leaders or parents for help and guidance.

6. To register with our troop, it cost $109.00. This includes $25 new scout fee, $72 Registration and $12 Insurance fee. This pays for the entire year. The registration will be pro-rated based on when you join.

Activities

Camping:  Our older scouts teach the new scouts how to camp.  They provide them the information they need to be successful at camping.  At least once a year, our scouts get together and determine where they would like to go camping, what they would like to learn, where they would like to go and what type of service they would like to do. Our camping is pay as you go.  If you go on a camping trip, someone will schedule the camp site and by the food.  These costs are divided by everyone who goes camping.  The average price for a 2-day camping trip is around $15.00. Sometimes, we do special trips in which may cost more.

Registered leaders will attend every camping trip.  Our goal is having lots of fun, but to be safe also. Parents are always invited to come camping with us.  As per BSA Safe scout practice, all adults attending camping trips must have Youth Protection to attend a camping trip.  For more information, please check with a leader.

Service Projects: Our scouts are very active with Service Projects.  We support the council service projects, like Scouting for Food.  However, the troop has also recorded book reading for children who couldn’t get out due to COVID, help weed flower bed for Generational living at a nursing facility and help clean up around the church.  Our scouts enjoy giving back to the community.

Summer Camp: Each year our troop attends a summer camp.  Summer camp is the time to go have a week’s worth of fun while enjoying the great outdoors. From swimming to paddleboarding, Moviemaking to Retile Study, and Fishing to shooting shotguns, our scouts have the time of their lives. From sunrise to sunset, they are on the go all week long enjoying the fun summer camp has to offer.

High Adventure Camp: The summers also bring High Adventure Camps.  From Sea Base in the Florida Keys to Philmont in New Mexico, there is always new places to go and visit. Our group is also expanding the horizons to start to look at troop trips to Florida and Washington

Advancement/Merit Badges

1. The scout enters the BSA Scout program as a rank of Scout.

2. To advance ranks, the scout must complete the requirements in the BSA Scout Handbook for girls for each rank with the help of their Patrol Leader. The requirements will include camping, cooking, safe scouting, orienteering, swimming, first aid and leadership. Older scouts and leaders will help the scout through the Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class and First-Class rank. Once the requirements are completed, the scout will go through a Scout Master conference to make sure they remember what they have learned and will then go through a Board of Review to discuss their progress in scouting. As the scout grows, they will become more responsible for their rank requirements.  Once a scout reaches First Class, they can pick and choose the Merit badges they would like to do. They will need to serve in a leadership capacity and have time in with the troop.  After also earning service hours, these scouts will advance to the highest achievement which is Eagle. 

3. Merit badges can be earned several different ways including camps, classes, Merit Badge University, or local counselors.  A merit badge is a study of a specific study.  BSA has over 135 merit badges from pet care to archery, swimming to law, and Farm Mechanics to ice skating. Each merit badge has its own requirements. Scout must learn those requirements and work with a Merit Badge counselor to complete the Merit Badge.  The Scoutmaster is responsible for making sure the scout is ready to take some merit badges.  When the scout has completed their merit badge and their counselor has signed off on the merit badge, they will award the merit badge at a Court of Honor.

4. Eagle Required Merit Badges: These merit badges include: First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in Society, Communication, Cooking, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, Environmental Science OR Sustainability, Personal Management, Swimming or Hiking or Cycling, Camping and Family Life. Scouts must earn 14 Eagle required merit badges and 22 total merit badges to make the Eagle rank.

5. All rank advancements, merit badges and awards are presented at a Court of Honor (COH). Courts of Honor are held throughout the year.

Dues/Fundraising

1. The troop does not collect dues.

2. We participate in the Council fundraiser selling Trail’s End popcorn in the fall and camp cards in the Spring. A percentage of these funds will go back to the scouts in a Summer Camp Fund.  Scouts may use the Summer Camp fund for anything scout related.  Should the scout leave the troop, they will not be able to take the funds with them.

3. Other fundraisers may be taken on in addition to or in place of current options depending on troop need.

Camping Equipment

1. Camping equipment can be very expensive and costs can add up fast. There are a few large items that each scout will need; these are listed below. There is also a list of 10 essentials in the BSA Scout handbook for Girls that should be taken on every outing. Do not get caught up in purchasing too many gadgets early on. There may be loaner backpacks, tents and sleeping bags for new scouts.

2. For younger scouts, we suggest finding a good duffle bag at the start to carry gear on a camping trip. As the scout grows, they will probably want to invest in a good backpack to carry all their “stuff” in one place.

3. A good quality sleeping bag is also recommended.  The troop does have sleeping bags in which a scout may borrow for a while. If a scout would like to purchase a sleeping bag, we do suggest that the bag goes down to 30 degrees. For cold weather camping a scout can bring additional blankets or another sleeping bag to allow the sleeping in below 32-degree weather.

4. A sleeping mat is essential to protect the scout from the cold ground. 

5. If a scout wants to purchase a tent, we suggest a 3-person tent for Car Camping or a backpacking tent if the scout is interest in backpacking.  We prefer our scouts to sleep two to a tent to socialize, be available to help during an emergency and to provide safety to each other.