Meeting Information
Troop 774 meets Tuesday evenings at San Dieguito United Methodist Church, 170 Calle Magdalena, Encinitas CA 92024.
Meetings start at 7:00 pm and end at 8:30 pm. The troop keeps a continually updated calendar, available on the 774 website. http://www.troop774.org.
The following is a list of specific meeting types:
Troop meetings
All Scouts meet to help one another with rank advancement and learn basic boy scout skills.
Green Bar meetings
The Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders meet once per month to discuss and plan events for that month. There is no regular scout meeting; when the Green Bar meets, usually the second Tuesday of the month. (check the website calendar for exact dates.)
Committee meetings
The Troop Committee, made up of parent leadership, meets once a month. They work to help support the troop program. Both the Green Bar and the Committee meetings are held concurrently. Parents are always welcome and encouraged to attend all meetings.
Parental involvement is a crucial part of both a successful Scout troop and creating enriching opportunities for our boys.
Court of Honor
Meetings recognize and honor rank advancement and earned merit badges.
Registration and Uniform
New scouts typically join the troop when bridging over from their Cub Scout program. Boys between the ages of 11 and 18 are encouraged to join. All Scouts register by filling out a Scouting application and paying troop dues of $50, which covers registration, Boys Life magazine, awards, etc.
All scouts must dress in a Class A uniform for all troop meetings, boards of review, court of honors, flag ceremonies, and outings which do not require physical outdoor activity.
During physical active outdoor events and informal activities, Scouts may wear a Class B uniform made up of the troop T-shirt, along with appropriate shorts or pants.
Scouts must purchase:
The official short sleeved khaki Scout shirt
Belt and buckle
Neckerchief slide
Appropriate Scout patches
(the Scout Shop will be able to help with this)
Boy Scout Handbook
Boy Scout hat (optional)

The Troop provides:
Class B Troop 774 T-shirt
Troop neckerchief

Pants / Shorts:
This is where we differ slightly from other troops. Scouts may wear official Scout pants or shorts, jeans, khakis, madras plaid shorts or whatever they choose.
The key is being clean and neat.
It is important that they tuck in their shirt.

Troop Organization
Troop 774 is a boy-led troop headed by an elected Senior Patrol Leader.
When boys join the troop, they become part of a multi-aged Patrol. An older scout, Patrol Leader, is assigned to each
patrol and acts as both a leader and mentor to the new group.
A Boy Scout troop is a small democracy. With the Scoutmaster’s direction, the Senior Patrol Leaders plan the troop’s program and make it a reality. In order for this to happen, a troop relies upon Scouts serving positions of responsibility.
The key boy leaders of the troop run the Green Bar meetings.
Troop meetings are run by the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and his assistants.
The meetings are designed to be Scout-led with some support from the Scoutmaster and his assistants.
The role of adults in our large group is crucial to the smooth running of the troop. The Scoutmaster depends on three groups of adults for help: Assistant Scoutmasters, Troop Committee, and our parents.
The Assistant Scoutmasters focus on helping with meetings and outings.
The Troop Committee manages and administers key functions within the troop, such as finances, equipment purchase and maintenance, registration, rank advanvcement and Scoutmaster selection.
PARENTS are encouraged to register with the Boy Scouts of America and participate as an Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee
Member, or an INVOLVED participant!
Please volunteer to drive to outings, and participate, as often as you can. We can offer and maintainan active program by spreading out the responsibility of adult leadership and support on these outings.

Ranks
The Boy Scout program is based on rank advancement.
The requirements for each rank are outlined in the Boy Scout Handbook.
The ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class encompass basic scouting skills.
With the help of their Patrol Leader, new scouts will acquire these skills and can be signed off by any Scout of First Class or higher.
Scouts must bring their Boy Scout Handbook to all meetings and outings
since rank requirements are likely to be taught, tested, and signed off in their handbook.
BSA recommends that boys reach the First Class rank within 12-18 months, although there are not time limits for any rank advancement.

The four steps to rank advancement:

1. A Scout learns.

2. A Scout is tested.
First by a Senior Scout or Assistant Scoutmaster who signs him off once they feel a particular requirement has been learned, and then by the Scoutmaster at a "Scoutmaster Conference.”
This conference is set up by the SCOUT
(not the parent) when all requirements
for that rank has been completed.

3. A Scout is reviewed.
The Scout will then meet with members of the Troop Committee at a “Board of
Review” to discuss the Scout’s overall experience within the Troop.

4. A Scout is recognized.
The Scout will receive their new badge at a troop meeting and the Scout plus his parent will be recognized at a “Court of Honor.”

There are also special opportunity awards available for Scouts to earn.

Merit Badges
Merit badges focus on learning skills in specific areas of interest.
There are over 100 merit badges that can be earned!
Merit badges are not required for Tenderfoot through First Class, but
many Scouts may earn them at summer camp or at a troop activity. For Star,
Life and Eagle, earning merit badges is mandatory for advancement.
To reach Eagle, specific merit badges are required. Scouts should maintain a notebook to keep track of their achievements. A three ring binder works best, with sections for holding merit badge advancement cards, patches for treks, newsletters, calendars, and other related information.
Scouts should also keep track of their service hours and keep a camping log.
If not kept in the notebook, service hours and camping log should be kept in their
Scout Handbook.

Outdoor Adventure
Troop 774 has an active outdoor program.
Activities include:
Overnight camping trips
Rock climbing
Backpacking & hiking
Knife throwing
Canoeing
Ski & snowboard trips
Riflery
Swimming
And summer camps!

Service
An important aspect of Scouting involves service projects. These are projects geared toward helping others in our community and all Scouts should participate whenever they can.
The Troop helps with fund raising events put on by SDUMC every year, as well as community activities involving food drives.
Scouts are also encouraged to help with Eagle projects, which require a lot of time and hard work.

Fundraising
Future fundraising events for Troop 774 will be set up to help Scouts pay for part of their outings and activities. A portion of the money earned will be directed back to the Troop and the remainder will go to the scout.
Troop 774 typically hosts a garage sale in October, selling popcorn, Holiday wreaths and Scout Fair tickets.
Scouts may use a percentage of the money earned from both the sale of popcorn and Scout Fair tickets that is placed in their BSA Troop 774 account to pay for summer camp or other scout related activities.

How to keep informed
1. Your Scout.
Announcements of upcoming activities are always made at Troop meetings. Scouts take notes in their notebooks (that they bring to each meeting). Ask your Scout to inform you of what happened at the meeting so that you can plug it into the family calendar.

2. Troop 774 Calendar.
The troop calendar is assembled at the first family meeting at the beginning of the school year and includes all meetings and outings. Changes do happen, so make sure you always have the most updated calendar.

3. Troop Website.
The troop has a website: www.troop774.org
The calendar is available on the website, along with medical forms, permission slips, etc.

4. Attend meetings.
The easiest, and most fun, way to stay informed is to attend meetings.
Your son is a precious jewel, being involved is one way to show him that you honor the values he learns in Scouts.

Get Involved!
The Troop is constantly evolving and welcomes (and needs) fresh leaders. No assistance will be turned down.
The Troop Committee and Assistant Scoutmasters are the two primary ways of helping out within the Troop.
Parents are urged to participate in as many outings as they clease communicate your willingness to participate to the leader of that activity. If gear or supplies are needed, the Troop will see what resources are available to help. Attending committee meetings is a great way to become involved at the level you are comfortable with.
We also welcome parents who would like to take leadership for a specific activity like
coordinating a fundraiser, helping with an outing by putting together a flyer, finding service projects, or sewing our Troop neckerchiefs.
If you are a Nurse, Computer Professional or have other hobbies, please consider being a Merit Badge Counselor for our Troop. Being a Merit Badge Counselor can be a rewarding opportunity for you to get to know Troop 774 Scouts with a minimum time expenditure.

Committee Positions:
Committee Chairperson
Treasurer
Secretary
Advancement Coordinator
Fundraiser Coordinator
Camping Coordinator
Service Project Coordinator
Webmaster

Please, don’t feel that you can’t participate because you don’t know how Scouting works or you weren’t a Scout yourself. There are numerous training opportunities offered at nominal cost by the Council to give you the skills you need. Listed below is training you can participate in.

Youth Protection Guidelines:
A no-cost sixty minute on-line course that covers how to spot child abuse and how to report it within the BSA organization. Troop 774 REQUIRES that ALL adults who fill leadership positions dealing directly with our boys MUST be youth protection trained.
Training is good for two years and must be renewed. The local Scout council offers both classroom and on-line youth protection training at no-cost.

New Leader Essentials:
New leader essentials provide the initial training for adults leaders. In the 90 minute course, leaders learn about the objectives of the Scouting Program, how youth leadership works, the role of adults in
the troop and program, and other great info.

Advanced Training:
There are advanced trainings also available through our Scout council at nominal costs. Visit the “Training” link on the council website for more information on:
• Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster •Leader Specific Training
•Intro to Outdoor Skills
• High Adventure Leader Trek Training (HALTT)
• First Aid / CPR

Charter Organization
San Dieguito United Methodist Church
170 Calle Magdalena,
Encinitas, CA. 92024.

WEBSITES
www.troop774.org
www.sdicbsa.org