GLOSSARY OF SOME COMMON TERMS

GLOSSARY OF SOME COMMON TERMS

As in any organization, acronyms and unfamiliar terms are often used that can be confusing. Does your son return from a scouting activity and seem to be speaking a foreign language? Do you note some strange words on a flyer or calendar? This page is an effort to help define some of the more frequently used terms. If someone uses a term you are not familiar with simply ask them to explain it (we too all had to learn it some where), or sneak a glance at this glossary if your bashful about asking.

When the troop goes camping, all of the adults form their own patrol for meal planning, shopping, cooking, eating, and sleeping. The adults try and set a good example of how a patrol should operate.

The PLC meets to plan the next years activities with the guidance of the Scoutmaster. This plan is then presented to the Troop Committee for approval to make sure the plan meets BSA guidelines and that necessary resources can be provided. This normally occurs in the spring to plan the next school years activities.

See Patrol Leader.

See Scoutmaster (SM).

ASPL - Asst. Senior Patrol Leader

See Senior Patrol Leader (SPL).

Lord Baden-Powell was the founder of the scouting movement. The Baden-Powell training program is designed to get new scouts the basic scout skills and help them to advance to First Class. This can be achieved within the first year if the scout is active.

Basic Leader Training

The basic Adult Leader Training. Although this is sometimes called Scoutmaster Fundamentals, this is an excellent training program for any adult wanting to become more involved in the Boy Scout program, or who just wants to learn more about how the program works.

The motto of Boy Scouting. Be prepared for what?

A safety zone around someone using a pocket knife, hatchet, ax, or other sharp tool. Basically it is an arms length plus the length of the tool in all directions. No one should be in another persons Blood Zone when a sharp tool is in use.

In order to work with a Merit Badge Counselor the scout must first obtain a Blue Card from the Scoutmaster. Blue Cards are the record of Merit Badge progress and are turned in to receive the Merit Badge after all the requirements have been met and the counselor has signed off the card. The scout should keep his copy of the the blue card until after he has reached the Rank of Eagle. The plastic baseball trading card holders work well for storing completed Blue Cards.

As a requirement for each rank advancement a scout must appear individually before a group of three to six adults (members of Troop Committee) to ensure that the scout has met the requirements for that rank. By policy the Scoutmaster (SM) and Asst. Scoutmasters (ASMs) can not set on a BOR. A Board of Review takes place after a Scoutmaster Conference for Rank Advancement, or when a Scout requests it or if the Troop Committee feels the Scout needs it. Eagle boards are conducted at the district level.

A ceremony where Webelos Cub Scouts cross a ceremonial bridge to signify their transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. This is normally done at a Cub Scout Pack Meeting with Boy Scouts from the Webelos' new troop participating. This is NOT a graduation ceremony from Cub Scouts, it is rather an induction ceremony into Boy Scouts.

: A 3 year certification awarded to scouts or scouters who meet prescribed requirements in aquatic skills.

When ever a scout needs to go somewhere at camp, hiking, Merit Badge Class, etc. it is always done in groups of at least two. A scout always takes a "buddy" scout with him. Also used as part of the "Safe Swim Defense" program.

Scout; Tenderfoot; Second Class; First Class; Star; Life; Eagle; Eagle Palms: Bronze, Gold, Silver

Camp out attended by several troops within the district. Usually there are various competitions between the patrols attending. These are generally held twice a year. The Spring Camporee and Fall Camporee is currently put on by the district staff and volunteers.

Adult member of the Troop Committee who provides guidance to scouts related to observance of the 12th point of the Scout Law - A Scout is Reverent. This adult works with the Chaplain Aide, a youth leader.

The organization that is officially chartered by the Boy Scouts of America to carry out the scouting program. The main liaison between the charter organization and the troop is the Charter Organization Rep. (COR). Our charter organization is the Ponagansett Middle School.

Different types of activities require different uniforms. Class A is a complete uniform, Class B is a scout T-shirt with Scout Hat, Class C is causal or street clothes, Class F is formal. A complete description with insignia placement help is provided here.

Adult volunteers working at district or council level. Unit commissioners are assigned to units and should be a friendly resource to the unit leaders.

A registered adult appointed by the Charter Organization to chair the Troop Committee. Presides at Troop Committee meetings. Works closely with the Charter Organization Rep (COR) and Scoutmaster (SM) to ensure the scouting program meets BSA guidelines.

COPE

Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience. (Boy Scout activity involving heights, trust and team building).

More information: at USSP

Charter Organization Representative - A person assigned by the chartering organization to be the liaison between the troop and the charter organization. Our charter organization is Ponagansett Middle School.

A group of Districts make up a Council. Our Council is Narragansett Council.

Is located at 10 Risho Avenue East Providence, RI 02914 their mailing address is PO Box 14777 East Providence, RI 02914, phone # 401-351-8700.

An awards ceremony held quarterly at which scouts are recognized for their rank advancements, merit badges earned, and other awards.

A scout term for a social gathering with refreshments after a meeting or activity. Often an evening activity at camp before taps.

A Boy Scout who helps a Den Leader direct the activities of a Cub Scout den.

A subdivision of a council. The Narragansett Council has 8 districts a Venturing Division and a Learning For Life Division. The districts are Netop, Blackstone Valley, Cachalot, Massasoit, Pokanoket, Quequatuck, Shawomet and Thundermist. Netop District includes Providence, North Providence, Cranston, Scituate, Johnston, Smithfield, Foster and Glocester.

DE/ District Executive

The paid professional in charge of over seeing a District.

A large cast iron covered pot used to bake and cook in.

A certification given to Scouts who know and understand fire safety rules.

Friends of Scouting - annual fund raiser for the council. The council does not get any share of your registration fee and is grateful for your donation.

"Do a Good Turn Daily" is the scout slogan. A good turn is something you do without being asked or expected to do it and for which you expect no reward.

This booklet is the Bible when it comes to safety related issues in scouting. Those items in BOLD print are rules that MUST be followed. Everything else in the booklet are recommendations that should be followed. Troop leaders frequently consult this to see if planned activities are being done safely and within prescribed BSA policy.

Training classes to prepare adults and older youth leaders to plan, lead, and supervise High Adventure Activities such as backpacking, white water, rappelling, canoeing, wilderness first aid, etc.

Jamboree

Scout meeting or camp out on a grand scale. There are national and international jamborees.

Jamboree On The Air (JOTA)

Scouting and ham radio join forces to make many international contacts through the "air" waves.
Traditionally the 3rd weekend in October.

JASM - Junior Asst. Scoutmaster

A youth between 16 and 18 who has already held major leadership positions within the troop. Appointed by the Scoutmaster to help in guiding the troop and youth leaders. See Junior Leader Job Descriptions for more details of duties.

Junior Leader Job Descriptions

Junior Leader Training (White Stag)

JLT is a week long training program for youth leaders held in the spring. This is an advanced Junior Leader Training program for the more senior youth. You must be First Class or above, 13 years old, and have Scoutmaster approval to attend.

A game requiring a keen eye and memory. Played by first studying twenty or so articles on a table for a short period of time, then retiring to make a list of what items you have seen. From Rudyard Kipling's story Kim.

A winter/snow oriented camporee. Overnight camping experience in the snow with team building games and activities.

What the Boy Scouts call an outdoor bathroom without plumbing.

To advance in the more senior ranks a scout must hold a leadership position for a set period of time. The rank requirements in the Boy Scout Handbook (as revised) lists the leadership positions that qualify.

A set of guidelines that set standards for outdoor activities that are environmentally sound and considerate to others using the same area.

A Saturday event in January where scouts can earn Merit Badges. Some adult training is also often offered at these events.

As scouts earn Merit Badges they are sewn on a Merit Badge Sash (available at the Scout Shop). The Merit Badge Sash is normally worn only for formal occasions such as a Court-of-Honor.
NESA: National Eagle Scout Association. Open to membership to any youth or adult who attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

A national brotherhood of scout honor campers of the Boy Scouts of America. Members are elected by their peers after meeting basic requirements of camping knowledge and experience. Also called OA. The OA motto of "Cheerful Service" indicates their purpose. They are often found improving scout camps, running council events, and providing service to the scouting community. More Info on OA

The initiation ceremony experience for new OA members generally involving personal introspection, service to improve camp or trail and ceremonies based on Indian legend or lore.

After a scout reaches the rank of Eagle, they can earn a Palm for every 5 additional Merit Badges they complete. You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the 21 required for the rank of Eagle. The Bronze Palm represents five merit badges, the Gold Palm 10, and the Silver Palm 15. For example a scout with 20 additional Merit Badges would wear a Silver and a Bronze Palm.

The Patrol is the basic unit within a troop. Made up of 6-10 scouts who camp, cook and eat together. They work as a team at various activities and events. They elect their own leader.

The Patrol Equipment consists of tents, stoves, lanterns, and cooking equipment. The Patrol is responsible for the storage and upkeep of this equipment. This equipment is stored and transported in Patrol Boxes which need to be cleaned after each outing.

The elected leader for the patrol. He appoints an Asst. Patrol Leader (APL) to help in running the patrol.

Made up of the youth leadership of the troop. They meet once a month to plan the following months activities and annually to plan the upcoming year.

In order to go on any outing the scout must have a Permission Slip signed by his parent. The Permission Slip also provides details about uniform, departure time, food, etc.

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) is a standardized file format to make documents and forms readily available on the Internet. You need the free PDF Reader to view these file types. Many forms and documents on this web site are in the PDF format.

Personal Floatation Device (PFD) otherwise known as a life vest. Those used in scouting must be U.S. Coast Guard approved.

Annual process of re-registering the troop, scouts and scouters. Each unit designates leaders to collect the information and present updated paperwork to the council. Our charter year is January 1 to December 31. We start processing re-charter paperwork in October or November for the following years term.

Monthly meeting for leaders to exchange ideas, fellowship, and, a few announcements that is run by the district. Roundtable for the Netop District is the 2nd Monday of the month at the Legion Post on Legion Way in Cranston (behind City Hall)

A eight step plan for conducting swimming activities in a safe manner.

Guidelines for safe troop activities utilizing water craft.

Any registered adult leader.

Adult leader who trains and guides the youth leaders in carrying out the scouting program. One or more Assistant Scoutmasters (ASM) help the Scoutmaster and are often assigned specific roles and duties.

A formal meeting that takes place at a Troop meeting or activity between a Scout and the Scoutmaster, or a person he designates, to review a scout’s progress. A Scoutmaster Conference takes place at advancement time prior to a Board of Review, when a Scout requests it or if the Scoutmaster feels the Scout needs it.

National Good Turn: Every year, Scouts collect food for the fight against hunger. Bags for canned food are distributed on a Saturday in November and then collected the following Saturday. The food is turned over to local food banks for distribution to needy families. Scouting For Food is a national "Good Turn" of the Boy Scouts of America. Food distribution centers rely on this huge influx of food right before the Thanksgiving holidays.

Large scouting event. Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops display some of their favorite activities. The scouts help out their units and also get time to visit other units displays.

Non-denominational religious observance of reflection usually conducted on camp outs. Allows each Scout the opportunity to obey the twelfth point of the Scout Law in his own way. Please, let us know if you do not want your son to participate in this activity, as we wish to respect every family's religious beliefs.

The way a scout tries to live up to the Scout Oath, Law, Slogan, and motto in his everyday life.

A pin worn over the left shirt pocket of the uniform to denote the number of years of service.

A recognition given by the National Court of Honor for distinguished service to youth within the council.

Spirit Patrol

Patrols earns this recognition by demonstrating good Scout Spirit. The Spirit Patrol conducts the opening and closing at troop meetings and holds the Spirit Stave until the next month when a new Spirit Patrol is selected by the troops senior youth leaders.

The senior most elected youth leader of the troop. The SPL is in charge of the troop at all functions and activities. He appoints one or more assistants (ASPL) to help him in running the troop.

A certification that enables the bearer to use knives, axes, and saws. It must be earned by the Scout through educational and hands-on safety sessions led by an adult leader or older scout appointed by the scoutmaster. Any time a Scout is observed doing something unsafe with a sharp tool, a corner is cut off his Totin' Chip card. When all four corners are gone, the card is taken away and must be re-earned.

A document that must be filed with the council office before any official scouting activity can take place. Special permits are required for travel out-of-state, over 500 miles, or for flying activities.

Adult committee of registered adults that provide oversight, assistance, and guidance to the Scoutmaster in carrying out the scouting program within the troop. The Troop Committee is responsible to provide the necessary resources requested by the PLC and Scoutmaster that are required to carry out the scouting program. The Troop Committee meets each month generally on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. All registered adults are part of the Troop Committee, key members include the Committee Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Outdoor/Activities Coordinator, Advancement Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Equipment Coordinator, and Fund Raising Coordinator.

A software program used to track scout advancement. The Scout Handbooks are used to update this database. Reports from this software are used to order awards and other patches from the council office. It is important that a scout make sure his advancement progress is recorded in the database.

Two Deep

Two Deep Leadership is a Boy Scout Policy. A minimum of two adults must always be present with any youth. One of these adults must be 21 years old. This is part of the BSA Youth Protection Guidelines. Our troop also requires that tour leaders are New Leader Essential/Scoutmaster Fundamentals trained.

Advanced Training for Boy Scout adult leaders. Woodbadge. Any adult who has taken Basic Leader Training can attend this advanced training course to expand their knowledge of the scouting program and be of more help to the troop.

Yearly Planning Meeting

See Annual Planning Meeting.

Nothing in this glossary should be considered policy or method of operation. It is intended only as a short description of some of the more common terms used in scouting. Official BSA or troop policy should be consulted if there are any questions.