Parent Guide

Pencil illustration for the Troop 23 Brooklyn Parent Guide: a parent and a boy arriving at the door of the parish hall while scouts work around a table with a map and a coil of rope

Welcome to the Scouting family where we help enrich the lives of boys and endeavor to make a positive impact in the kind of men they become. By becoming a parent of a Boy Scout, you are setting your son out on the grand adventure of Scouting. This is a tremendously important and rewarding endeavor that you will be able to share with him.

Troop 23 is an active troop that engages in monthly camping activities from September to June. We also participate in fundraising activities, service projects, and activities within the community. The success of the Troop includes the leadership of the troop leaders, committee members, and parents!

Meetings

The Troop Meeting is held every Monday, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Cavanaugh Room at Our Lady of Angels. Weekly meetings run between September and June. Scouts should wear Class A to all meetings and bring their handbooks. Scouts work on rank advancement, Scout skills and prepare for outdoor activities.

Patrol Leaders Council: Each month the Patrol Leaders’ Council meets with the Scoutmaster to plan the next month’s Troop Meetings, events and review past meetings and events. The Patrol Leaders Council is made up of the Patrol Leaders and lead by the Senior Patrol Leader.

Costs

A year in Scouting has two separate bills. One is paid to Troop 23, the other online to Scouting America. They are not the same money, they do not arrive together, and only one of the three items below is optional.

Troop dues — $100 a year, paid to the Troop

This is the Troop's own money and it stays here. It covers:

National registration — $145 a year, paid online

This one never passes through the Troop. It is two items on one online form:

Scout Life magazine — $15 a year, optional

The third line on the same online form, and the only one you can decline. Skip it and the year costs $15 less. Nothing in the program or in advancement depends on it.

So a full year is $245 — $100 to the Troop and $145 online — or $260 if you take the magazine.

Figures are for the 2026-2027 season. Subject to change.

Camping Trips

Monthly weekend camping trips. Trips include fun activities like hiking, visiting caverns, cooker-ees, and more. It is expected Scouts attend all camping trips. This offers the Scouts time to work as a unit, learn different skills, and foster comradery.

Troop camps in tents at Boys Scout Camp Reservations, County Parks or State Parks.

Trip costs generally run $30 to $80 depending on the trip, the food and the number of Scouts attending. Specialty trips like going to Washington D.C. will cost more. Note: Trips occur during the Winter (February) and Spring (April) school breaks.

Troop typically leaves on Friday night and returns around Sunday at noon. (May vary when there's no school) Troop leaves as a unit and Scouts wear Class A uniforms when traveling. Scouts should bring their handbooks as well.

A permission slip is required for every Troop activity away from the Monday meeting — camping trips, day trips, service projects and competitions alike. If one parent is coming along, we still need the other parent to sign. The form is available through Scoutbook, but a signed slip cannot be sent back electronically: print it, sign it, and hand in the paper.

Every Scout and every adult on a trip also needs a current Annual Health and Medical Record, parts A and B. It is filled in at home, renewed once a year, and handed in on paper — units are not permitted to keep these records electronically. Summer camp, treks and any event longer than 72 hours also need part C, a physical examination signed by a doctor, so book that appointment well ahead. Blank forms are at scouting.org.

Scouts should pack all camping gear in one backpack. Duffel bags are not preferred. Scouts should wear backpacks so they have two available hands to carry camping equipment.

Cell phones are not permitted on trips. Leaders will contact parents as needed.

Summer Camp

The Troop spends one week at summer camp- usually in July. Camp runs from Sunday to Saturday. Space is limited and advance sign up is mandatory with camp deposit fees due around March 1st. Costs are approximately $690 per Scout for the week (2026-2027 season), a little less if you sign up during the early-registration window, and needs-based financial assistance is available. Meals are included in this fee - snacks are not. Transportation is usually provided by parent volunteers. Duffel bags are permitted for summer camp.

Summer camp is fun and offers Scouts to work on merit badges. First year Scouts typically focus on basic camping skills, including cooking, wilderness survival, and craft merit badges. Experienced Scouts focus on waterfront and other outdoor badges as well as high adventure activities. Initial merit badge sign ups take place in March and April.

In addition to summer camp, the Troop offers 5-day High Adventure trips during the summer such as a trek to Katahdin — 85 miles by bike and on foot, including a climb to the highest summit in Maine — and a 50-mile backpacking trip.

Service Projects

In addition to weekly meetings and monthly activities, Troop 23 Scouts develop a sense of citizenship and strengthen their community by participating in special Service Projects throughout the year.

Courts of Honor – Parent’s Night

Troop 23 conducts Parent’s Night four times a year to recognize Scout advancements and awards. The Court of Honor is a public ceremony, and is a chance for the Scouts to be recognized for their achievements. Families and all other interested individuals are strongly encouraged to attend.

Fundraising

The Troop runs two fundraisers a year to supplement camping trips and Troop equipment: a wreath sale before Christmas and a flower sale in the spring. Between them they fill four selling weekends — one for the wreaths, and three for the flowers, around Palm Sunday, Easter and Mother's Day.

All Scouts are expected to take part, rain or shine. A Scout who wants help from the Troop toward summer camp is required to.

Uniform and Handbook

Each Scout is required to have the Boy Scout Handbook and brought to each Troop Meeting.

Scouts should wear the Boy Scout Field Uniform (unofficially called the "Class A") for all Troop meetings and outings unless otherwise noted.  Class A items include:

NOTE: All shirts should be buttoned and tucked in.

 Activity Uniform (unofficially called the "Class B"):

Donating gently used uniforms: Scouts outgrow their clothing – feel free to pass on gently worn uniforms to the Troop. Before purchasing new items, ask the Troop if there’s any articles that may suit your need.

Troop Committee

The Troop Committee functions as an administration and support organization for the Troop. The Troop Committee takes care of non-program issues surrounding the Troop. For example: newsletters, Troop funds, fundraising activities, membership drives and Troop coordination, activity permits and coordination, advancement records, procurement and maintenance of Troop equipment.

Uniformed Adult Leaders

The Uniformed Adult Leaders are adult volunteers, usually parents of Scouts, who work directly with the Scouts. The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters make up the Uniformed Adult Leaders. All Uniformed Adult Leader are expected to complete the formal Scoutmaster & Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training course (conducted by the Council).

Parents

We are a volunteer-led program. Parent involvement is absolutely necessary. We require parents to assist with the following:

 In addition to volunteering time to the Troop, parents should:

Safeguarding Youth Training (SYT):

Safeguarding Youth Training replaced Youth Protection Training in May 2025 — an older YPT certificate no longer counts. GNYC requires current SYT for every adult who takes part in a troop activity, including driving Scouts on a trip. It is taken free at my.scouting.org: about ninety minutes the first time, then a short refresher and retest once a year. Send a copy of the certificate to the Troop Committee Chair.

Driving is the one volunteer job that costs a parent money out of pocket, and it does not have to. Drivers can be reimbursed for travelling costs on request — ask the Committee Chair. The amount depends on the trip, so it is worked out each time rather than set as a standing rate.

Staying overnight is a separate matter, and it takes longer. Since September 2023 any adult eighteen or older who sleeps at a Scouts BSA activity must be a registered member of Scouting America — unlike Cub Scouting there is no exception for a parent camping with their own child. Registration means an adult application and approval by the chartered organization, so it cannot be arranged in the week before a trip. Adult membership is $65 a year (2026-2027 rate). If you might want to camp with us this year, start now.

Behavior and Discipline

Scouting activities are meant to be learning experiences in an atmosphere that is fun for everyone involved. The rules of Scouting can be found in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. Troop specific rules are listed in this guideline and in our Troop 23 Procedures. The spirit of Scouting dictates high expectations for the behavior of Troop members both during scouting events and outside of scouting events.

Self-control and self-discipline are attributes expected from all Scouts. In order to ensure the health and safety of Troop members and the effective operation of the Troop, disciplinary actions may be necessary. Discipline and control must be treated as an individual matter, realizing that basic discipline is preventative in nature rather than regulatory or restrictive. Good behavior is noticed and acknowledged first: recognizing the Scouts who get it right is the Troop's main tool, and correction follows only where it is needed. Troop adult leaders are ultimately responsible for the behavior of Troop members and are expected to enforce a fair and consistent disciplinary plan. Where behavior is serious or keeps repeating, the matter goes to the Troop Committee, and the Committee decides what happens next.

A concern about an adult goes to the Committee, not to the Scoutmaster. If a Scout or a parent has an issue or a complaint involving any adult in the Troop, it goes to the Committee Chair or to any member of the Troop Committee — not to the Scoutmaster and not to the Assistant Scoutmasters.

If a child may have been harmed, do not wait for the Troop. Everyone taking part in Scouting is a mandated reporter: contact local law enforcement and child protective services, and call 911 in an emergency. Scouting America's Scouts First Helpline is 1-844-SCOUTS1 (1-844-726-8871), twenty-four hours a day.

Advancement

Scoutmaster Conference and Boards of Review

When a Scout has completed all the requirements for a rank, he must meet with an Assistant Scoutmaster or the Scoutmaster who will review the requirements with the Scout to ensure that all the requirements have been met. Thereafter, a Scout appears before a Board of Review composed of members of the Troop Committee. The purpose of the review is not an examination. Rather it is to determine the Scout's attitude and acceptance of Scouting's ideals; to ensure that the requirements have been met for advancement, to discuss the Scout's experiences in the Troop and the Troop's program, and to encourage him to keep working towards advancement.

Ranks

The Boy Scout advancement program provides a ladder of skills that a Scout climbs at his own pace. As he acquires these skills he moves up through a series of ranks, for which he is awarded badges – Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. The higher he climbs the more challenging his tasks – and the more rewarding.
 

Merit Badges

The goal of the merit badge program is to expand a Scout's areas of interest and to encourage the Scout to meet and work with adults in a chosen subject. A Scout working with a registered merit badge counselor earns merit badges. All parents of Scouts are encouraged to become Merit Badge Counselors. Speak to a Troop Leader for more information.



Last updated on September 20, 2026
Parent Guide
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