Membership FAQ
How old does my child have to be to join Scouts BSA Troop 291?
Any boy age 11 to 17, or at least age 10 and has completed the fifth grade, or has earned the Cub Scout Arrow of Light Award, is eligible to join Scouts BSA Troop 291. We are a boy Troop, which means we do not have a girl Troop equivalent, but we are more than willing to help any girl who meets those same age or rank requirements with finding a girl Troop in their area. Scouting in the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) is for both boys and girls, and we want to make sure that if someone is interested in being in the program, that we do our part to help with that!
Does my child need to have any outdoor experience to join?
That's the best part of Scouting, no experience is necessary! Our program provides the experience, and teaches everything a Scout needs to know to be successful in Scouting, as well as camping and outdoor skills.
I don't really know anything about Scouts BSA, the older age program for the Boy Scouts of America, what can I expect?
Scouting is a program unlike any other. There is no other organization that can your child skills that range sports to cooking to citizenship and beyond. The most important thing to remember when thinking about joining is that we offer an incredible variety. At Troop 291, we like to make sure that our environment is laid back, yet productive. We work with Scouts on an individual basis, as well as in groups, to ensure that they are learning everything necessary to make it through the Scout Ranks.
You can expect weekly meetings, except major holidays & school closures, that is Scout is encouraged to attend. Every month we take our Scouts on a week camping trips, sometimes day trips, that may range from staying in a cabin near home, to pitching a tent on the Appalachian Trail. While we encourage parents to become registered adult leaders, we do not expect every parent to attend our camping trips. We get it, everyone is busy, and we know that some parents have too many other commitments to be able to add a volunteer Scout leader to their plate. If you have any questions, please reach out to us and we'll be more than happy to answer them!
You can expect weekly meetings, except major holidays & school closures, that is Scout is encouraged to attend. Every month we take our Scouts on a week camping trips, sometimes day trips, that may range from staying in a cabin near home, to pitching a tent on the Appalachian Trail. While we encourage parents to become registered adult leaders, we do not expect every parent to attend our camping trips. We get it, everyone is busy, and we know that some parents have too many other commitments to be able to add a volunteer Scout leader to their plate. If you have any questions, please reach out to us and we'll be more than happy to answer them!
Where can I get more information?
There are literally hundreds of resources to find information on Scouting in the BSA, but we've picked out a few to share with you:
- Scouting's homepage at www.scouting.org offers the most out of any website. There is a ton of content which can lead to some challenges when trying to find exactly what you're looking for, but absolutely anything you need is there.
- A site called US Scouting Service Project, available at www.usscouts.org, provides just about all the same information as the BSA's main site, expect it organizes it by topic. This is one of our personal favorites!
- If you live in the Philadelphia area, or even parts of New Jersey close to Philly, check out www.colbsa.org. This is the website for the Cradle of Liberty Council, which is the local BSA council for Scouting units in Philadelphia, Delaware & Montgomery Counties. If you don't live in one of those PA counties, no problem, you can still join a BSA Scouting unit that is physically located in one of them.
- No matter where you live in the United States, the quickest and easiest way to find BSA Scouting units local to you is by visiting www.beascout.org.
If you have any additional questions, or just want to say "Hi!", please reach out at any time!