What is the difference between pack and troop

It is expected that each family take an active role in the troop. Cub Scouts progress through the ranks to earn the Arrow of Light. Cub Scouts: Cub Scouts rely on their den leaders, den chiefs and parents to plan and assist with all advancement activities. Ranks are based only on age or grade. Even if a Cub Scout did not earn the rank for his or her age, he or she moves to the next rank with the den.

Scouts BSA: Parents can guide, but advancement is planned and assisted by patrol leaders and adults. A Scout cannot advance to the next level until all activities are completed in the lower rank.

Eagle Palms may also be earned after Eagle. See this section in the Guide to Safe Scouting to get you started. Cub Scouts: Limited to Scout and parent weekend or day trips. May have some camping in tents or cabins.

Summer camp is limited to two or three nights, usually. Campouts usually have a very structured schedule. Scouts BSA: Monthly or bimonthly camping trips as well as additional outdoor day activities. Much of the program involves activities that can only be done in the outdoors nature, ecology, pioneering, orienteering, conservation etc.

Also available to the Scout is at least a week of camping each summer. Not every minute of the campout is scheduled. Free time is important. Scouts normally get a couple of hours of free time to hang with friends, walk in the woods, work on advancement, sleep, play sports, or do nothing at all. There are different leader requirements for different types of Scouting units. All units must have a Chartered Organization Representative.

If a single organization sponsors more than one unit like a Pack and a Troop , that representative must be the same person for both units. For a Pack you need:. Not required but recommended: Assistant Cubmaster s , Assistant Den Leader s , additional committee members. For a Troop you need:. Not required but recommended: Assistant Scoutmaster s , additional committee members. Linked troops of boys and girls may share a chartered organization representative and committee but must each have their own Scoutmaster.

For a Crew you need:. These geographical areas are called councils. Councils have a volunteer board which employs a Scout Executive to serve as the CEO and give leadership to the day to day operation. The Scout Executive hires staff to provide direct and indirect support to local Scouting programs. In each council there are many more volunteers than staff as the organization is volunteer lead and professionally guided. Councils are different in size based on factors such as population, geography, and local markets.

Most councils operate Scout Camps and local Scout Shops and have a regional office to provides administrative support and record keeping. To identify what council a Scout or an adult belongs to, an identifying patch is worn at the top of the left sleeve shoulder of the uniform. To provide more localized support to scouting, councils create districts. Districts are geographical areas of service. Districts have a volunteer District Committee that provides support to local programs in the areas of membership, finance, and program.

Another group of volunteers called commissioners provide direct service to Scouting programs. Contact your District Executive to learn more about how a district operates. The Boy Scouts of America is the national organization that develops and supports various youth programs. It provides charters to communities to operate a council.