The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.

For over a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through over a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.

Mission

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

Scout Oath On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Boy Scouts

• Motto: Be Prepared
• Slogan: Do a Good Turn Daily
• For boys who are 11 through 17 years of age, or have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light award and are at least 10 years old, or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old
• Ninety-five percent of all Boy Scouts participated in Cub Scouting at some time.
• 2012 membership, troops, and leaders:
  • 848,263 Boy Scouts
  • 38,713 Boy Scout troops
  • 497,187 Boy Scout leaders

Outdoor Activities

• Camporees: camping with other troops, involving competition using Scouting skills and knowledge
• Summer camps: weeklong camps with troops learning outdoor skills
• Scouting shows: gala events demonstrating to the public how Scouting serves youth in the community
• National and world jamborees: camping events held at four-year intervals where Scouts and leaders from the BSA or the World Scouting Association come together

National High-Adventure Bases

Philmont Scout Ranch

Located in northern New Mexico, this high-adventure base offers a variety of rugged activities, including backpacking treks, horseback cavalcades, and training and service programs. Volunteer leaders may attend the Philmont Training Center each summer for a weeklong conference.

• 31,432 Scouts, Venturers, and leaders attended in 2012.

Northern Tier National High Adventure Program

This adventure base, located in Minnesota and Canada, offers wilderness canoe expeditions and cold-weather camping.

• 6,991 Scouts, Venturers, and leaders attended in 2012.

Florida National High Adventure Sea Base

Sea Base offers aquatics programs in the Florida Keys.

• 13,309 Scouts, Venturers and leaders attended in 2012.

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve

Located in New River Gorge, West Virginia, the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is the newest high-adventure base in Scouting. It is the permanent home of the national Scout jamboree and the site of the 2019 World Scout Jamboree. The Summit property is on 10,600 acres adjacent to the New River Gorge National River area. This area provides access to incredible outdoor terrain in the Appalachian Mountains, which provides some of the world’s best whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

Publications

Boys' Life Magazine

Produced monthly for 1.1 million subscribers in three demographic editions:

• For all Tiger Cubs and Cub Scout subscribers through age 8
• For Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts 9 years and older
• For all Boy Scout-age subscribers and all other subscribers

Scouting Magazine

Produced six times a year for adults registered in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing.

Handbooks

The BSA publishes handbooks for all phases of the Scouting program for use by youth members, adult leaders, and parents.

Merit Badge Pamphlets

There are currently 130 merit badge pamphlets produced by the Boy Scouts of America to assist Scouts in earning merit badges.

Troop 7086 is located in Harvest, AL and is 1 of 50 Packs in the North Alabama area that belongs to the Talakto District of the Greater Alabama Council (Council 1).

Our regional council has 21 Districts that serve 22 North Alabama counties.  Troop 7086  is comprised of boys from Monrovia Middle School, Sparkman Middle School, Sparkman High School, and Private/Home schools in northwest Madison County.

Troop Meetings Our troop meets weekly at Ford's Chapel United Methodist Church on Tuesday nights. At least two adults are required at all meetings. This is known as two deep leadership and is a universal rule in Boy Scouting. These meetings are planned and conducted by the Senior and Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders. This is in accordance with being a "boy-led" troop. The troop is comprised of 1 or more patrols, senior scout leaders, and adult leaders.
Patrol Meetings A Patrol is a group of Boy Scouts who belong to the same troop and who are probably similar in age, development, and interests. The patrol method allows Scouts to interact in a small group outside the larger troop context, working together as a team and sharing the responsibility of making their patrol a success. A patrol takes pride in its identity, and the members strive to make their patrol the best it can be. Patrols will sometimes join with other patrols to learn skills and complete advancement requirements. At other times they will compete against those same patrols in Scout skills and athletic competitions. The members of each patrol elect one of their own to serve as Patrol Leader. The troop determines the requirements for patrol leaders, such as rank and age. To give more youths the opportunity to lead, most troops elect patrol leaders twice a year. Some may have elections more often. Patrol size depends upon a troop's enrollment and the needs of its members, though an ideal patrol size is eight Scouts. Patrols with fewer than eight Scouts should try to recruit new members to get their patrol size up to the ideal number. Our patrol meetings are held weekly as a segment of the overall troop meeting.
Patrol Leaders' Council Meetings The patrol leaders' council is made up of the Senior Patrol Leader, who presides over the meetings; the Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders, all Patrol Leaders, Troop Guides, and others as determined by your PLC. The patrol leaders' council plans the yearly troop program at the annual troop program planning conference. The PLC then meets monthly to develop plans for upcoming meetings and activities. PLC meetings used to be called "Green Bar" meetings because of the green bars on some of the youth position patches. The PLC is composed of the following voting members: Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) - Elected by boys in the troop, SPL runs the Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC) meetings. Patrol Leader - Elected by his patrol, the PL represents his patrol PLC meetings and the annual planning conference. Reports PLC decisions to his patrol. Assistant Senior Patrol Leader - Serves as a member of the patrol leaders' council and fills in for the SPL as needed. Troop Guide - Attends patrol leaders’ council meetings with the patrol leader of the new-Scout patrol. Scribe - Attends and keeps a log of patrol leaders’ council meetings. The scribe is a non-voting member of the PLC; however in the practices of some troops, scribes have been granted voting privileges. At its monthly meetings, the PLC organizes and assigns activity responsibilities for the weekly troop meetings. The troop committee interacts with the patrol leaders' council through the Scoutmaster. Some troops' PLC includes others who may be assigned tasks and may be voting or non-voting members such as: Instructors - May be assigned training tasks or report on previous training Quartermaster - May report on condition and availability of equipment and needs Librarian - May report on condition and availability of the troop library and needs Historian, Chaplain Aide, etc. The PLC is guided by the Scoutmaster and has direct support by key Troop Committee members: Troop Advancement Chair ensures that the unit has at least monthly boards of review and quarterly courts of honor. Troop Equipment Coordinator - work with the Quartermaster with unit equipment. Troop Outdoor/Activities Chair - secures tour permits and permissions and serves as transportation coordinator.
Committee Meetings The committee meeting is attended by all committee members and the Scoutmaster.  The Scoutmaster is not actually a member of the troop committee, and has no vote.  The committee's primary responsibility is supporting the troop program.  It is important that mutual cooperation between the two groups of leaders exists for the smooth and successful operation of the troop. Our committee meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm at FC UMC.

Roundtables Roundtables are where Scouting ideas are exchanged by leaders of the whole district. All adult leaders are encouraged to attend Roundtables. Parents are also welcome. Roundtable is the first Thursday of every month at Trinity Presbyterian Church and starts at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted. Usually the first one in January is moved to the second week due to New Years.