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Chuck, congratulations. I'm anxious to hear about your experiences starting
up a Troop. I am in the initial stages now of starting a new Venturing
Crew. And I have twice now had the experience of coming into a leadership
post in an unfamiliar unit.

The only things I have to offer are things I'm sure you already know, but
which have helped me. (1) Review the Fast Start tape, Troop Program
Planning tape, and JLT tape to get a refresher on what the Boy Scouts think
about what a Troop should look like and how it should operate. After all,
you'll be teaching boys and adults who may not have had the benefit of
having been in an established Troop before. Also review the basic written
materials like the Boy Scout Handbook, the Junior Leader Handbook, the
Scoutmaster Handbook, and the Troop Program Planning guide (that replaced
Woods Wisdom) for cues about organization and leadership responsibilities.
(2) As much as you can, stick to the program the way BSA has laid it out.
You will likely be tempted to model the new Troop after your old
one--nothing succeeds like success, right? But you should examine each
practice before you adopt it--you or one of your new leaders may have a
better idea, or for some reason the old Troop's long-established practice
may not quite conform to current Scout policy, or you may have a different
mix of boys. (3) It's a new Troop--be open to helping the boys build a new
Troop culture, or letting one develop on its own--not just transplanting the
Troop culture you've been immersed in (rich and exciting though it may be).
(4) Enjoy it! What an exciting time--to be building an organization that
might still be around in another 90 years.

Yours in Scouting,
Dan Kurtenbach
Fairfax, VA

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