New to Troop 203
Welcome to Troop 203. Your Scout is off to Newbie weekend or has just joined the Troop and you're thinking, "Now what?" Joining Scouts BSA or bridging from Cub Scouts is full of changes. Here, you'll find helpful guides to make the transition easier to understand.
Boy Led Troop
One of the major differences between Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA is the very important method of leadership development. In order to teach leadership, you have to let the scouts lead.
Scouts are organized into small groups called Patrols. Each Patrol has a fellow Scout in the positions of Leader and Assistant Leader. And the Patrols are collectively led by a Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant SPL.
A youth-led troop is more work for the adult leadership and requires your cooperation and help, so looking for volunteer opportunities is highly encouraged and welcomed.
Scouting's hierarchy
Scout
Patrol
Troop
Troop Committee
Chartered Organization
District
Local Council
Area
Region
National Council
The first step in Scouts BSA is to fill out an application(even if bridging from Cub Scouts). There is a Youth application for the scout and an Adult application for a parent that plans to be involved. And, a successful troop relies on family involvement. While the youth lead the troop, the adults run the troop, much of it "behind the scenes," so volunteering for even a small part of the running of the Troop goes a long way to improving the scouts' experiences. Visit our Volunteer Opportunities Page to learn more about how you can be a part of Scouts.
New volunteers must complete their clearances to submit along with their BSA application before volunteer service begins.
We also encourage parents to fill out our Resource Survey (Found Here) so we can assist Scouts to find resources within the Troop. Please fill out and submit to the New Member Coordinator, Scoutmaster, Committee Chair, or any other uniformed leader.
All registered volunteers, regardless of position, are required to obtain and submit all state mandated clearances.
Non-registered volunteers over the age of 18, which includes, for example, parents, relatives, and friends, who provide care, supervision, training or control of a youth member in lieu of parental control and/or have regular and repeated contact (routine interaction) with youth members that is integral to the volunteer activities are required to submit the clearances, as well.
Look under the Volunteers Menu for more on the Clearances Process
Mandated State Clearances
The Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance (no fee)
Either the FBI Fingerprint Based Criminal History Clearance (for those who have not lived in Pennsylvania for at least the past ten consecutive years) or the New Birth of Freedom Council Disclosure Statement Application for Volunteers (for those who have lived in Pennsylvania for at least the past ten consecutive years.) There is no fee for the Volunteer Disclosure, and the fee for the FBI clearance is $25.75.
The Boy Scout Uniform
The Uniform is an important part of the Scouting experience. Class A uniforms are worn at most meetings, all community outings, some camping and other activities. If your scout has a tan shirt from Webelos, then all that's needed is to remove all awards and achievements except the Order of the Arrow patch worn under the left pocket. Green epaulettes will replace the blue ones from cub scouts. And if you are joining Troop 203 from another Pack or Troop, then changing the numbers on the left sleeve will be the other change needed. The neckerchief and epaulettes are provided by the Troop. We also have tan and green 203 number patches if you'd like. Just ask any leader.
Cub Scouts often times wear jeans to their Den and Pack meetings. While this is commonly accepted for that age, jeans are not a part of the official Boy Scout uniform so uniform trousers should also be purchased.
To learn about the uniform and how to wear it, check out the BSA Uniform website.
There are two options for purchasing the uniform for your new scout.
• The New Birth of Freedom Council Store is located in Mechanicsburg: Mechanicsburg BSA National Scout Shop, 1 Baden Powell Ln, Mechanicsburg, PA
• Scoutstuff.org is the official online store for the BSA.
The Scout Shop in Mechanicsburg is a fun place to shop for supplies. Not only can you pick up an extra pair of hiking socks or a new belt for your Scout(or yourself), you'll find lots of great scout apparel and outdoor supplies.
The Mechanicsburg Scout Shop is open weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours until 7 PM on Thursday evenings, and from 9 AM until 3 PM on Saturdays. The Scout Shop is closed on Sundays and Holidays.
