Frequently-Asked Questions | Troop 1607 Southbury

Any young person ages 10 through 17. We're a combined troop serving both boys and girls, with separate boy and girl patrols that camp and advance together as one troop.

Most Scouts join at 10 or 11, often crossing over from a Cub Scout pack, but there's no disadvantage to joining later. Scouts who start at 12 or 13 catch up quickly.

Yes. Come to a meeting or an outing any time- you don't need to register, pay, or fill anything out first. Just show up and see whether it's a fit.

We meet Monday nights, 7:00 to 8:30 PM, at the George Newton VFW Post 1607, 150 Lee Farm Drive, Southbury. Check our calendar or let us know you're coming first.

The complete annual cost to be a member of Troop 1607 is $310, which includes 10 campouts per year, all patches and awards earned, national and regional membership dues, and much more. We include everything you need in the cost of troop membership.

We will not turn away any scout who wants to join and can't afford the cost. Contact our Committee Chair about financial aid. Requests stay confidential to the Scoutmaster, Committee Chair, and Treasurer.

See Scouting is Affordable.

No. Troop 1607 doesn't sell popcorn, and cookies are sold by Girl Scouts- a separate organization from Scouting America. You and your scout will not be asked to meet any quotas or participate in weeks-long fundraising efforts.

Our fundraisers are all one-day events the whole troop turns out for. The biggest is Christmas tree recycling: on a Saturday in early January, teams of scouts and parents drive routes around the Southbury area, collecting people's trees for a donation. The scouts have also been the sole food vendor at the Town of Southbury's Memorial Day Picnic for over 20 years.

Our very successful one-day fundraisers are a large part of why weekend campouts are included in your dues instead of billed trip by trip.

Meetings are Monday nights, 7:00 to 8:30 PM, throughout most of the year.

Camping is one weekend a month, September through June. Summer camp is one week in July. High adventure trips, for older and more experienced Scouts, run about a week in August.

We also hold three Courts of Honor a year, which are celebration events families are invited to attend.

Scouts get the most out of the program when they come consistently, but we understand that sports seasons, family trips, and school commitments also exist. Missing a campout doesn't set a Scout back.

No. Plenty of parents never camp, and their Scouts do fine.

That said, the troop runs entirely on volunteers, and adults on campouts are what make them possible. If you'd like to come, you're welcome. Adults drive, supervise, and mentor; the Scouts do the leading, cooking, and teaching.

That's typical. Most Scouts arrive having never set up a tent or cooked over a fire, and learning those things is the point.

New Scouts are placed in a patrol with more experienced scouts who teach them as they go. Nobody is expected to show up knowing anything.

The troop owns the big items- tents, cooking equipment, coolers, canopies, backpacking gear, dutch ovens, even canoes. You don't buy any of that, and troop members can even sign out the troop's gear for their personal use outside of Scouting.

Each Scout brings their own personal gear: a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, duffel bag, closed-toe shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, a mess kit, a water bottle, a headlamp, rain gear, a daypack, and a small first aid kit.

You don't need to buy it all at once, and it doesn't need to be expensive. Ask before your first campout- we can usually point you toward what's worth spending on and what isn't. Scouts and Scout parents also qualify for significant discounts through outdoor gear insider programs.

Yes, and no- not necessarily new.

Scouts wear the official Class A uniform at troop meetings. We maintain a Uniform Exchange of hand-me-down shirts, pants, and accessories, available for free. Just ask and we'll show you what's in stock.

The neckerchief and patches are provided by the troop, and every new Scout gets a troop t-shirt free- that's the Class B uniform worn on outings and service projects.

Every Scout also needs their own copy of the Scout Handbook, which is their personal guide to Scouting and where they track their progress.

It means the scouts run the troop, and the adults advise rather than direct.

Scouts are organized into patrols of six to eight, each electing its own Patrol Leader. The troop elects a Senior Patrol Leader who coordinates the program. The scouts plan the campouts, cook the meals, teach the skills, and handle the problems.

In practice, this means your scout talks to their Patrol Leader rather than to you when something goes wrong on a trip, packs their own bag, and requests their own advancement conferences. It also means watching them struggle with things you could easily do for them- which is uncomfortable, but it's exactly where the learning happens.

Scouts advance through ranks by completing requirements in their handbook, which are signed off by senior Scouts rather than by parents. Along the way they earn merit badges, chosen from more than 140 subjects spanning hobbies, trades, professions, and life skills.

The final rank in the progression is Eagle Scout.

The pace is up to the scout. Some move quickly, some take their time, and both are fine.

Come to a troop meeting first- there's no obligation and no paperwork.

When you're ready to join, there are three steps, and someone from the troop will walk you through all of them:

1. Register with Scouting America online.

2. Pay troop dues, which can be done online or by check.

3. Submit a completed medical form and waiver, which is required before your Scout can camp.

4. Get your uniform and handbook set up.

You don't need a Scouting or outdoors background. The troop needs drivers, campout volunteers, fundraiser help, merit badge counselors, committee members for the behind-the-scenes work, and Assistant Scoutmasters who work directly with the Scouts.

Troops with engaged parents run better programs for every Scout, including yours. Most volunteers also find it deeply rewarding.