This section is from the book "Handbook For Scoutmasters. Volume 1 & 2", by Boy Scouts of America. Also available from Amazon: Handbook For Scoutmasters.
AND now, we are ready to consider that auspicious occasion: the starting of the Scout Troop. With an understanding of the principles of Scouting, the fundamental set-up and the program material, the forming of a Troop might be considered comparatively simple. It is. And yet there is much ground work to be done before any permanent Troop can be established.
And permanency is necessary-for the sake of the boys.
They must not be disappointed. Practical experience in launching healthy new Troops has established a sound procedure which should be followed, a procedure which divides itself naturally into three parts: The impetus, the ground work, the actual start.
An impetus, strong and burning, a great desire for the establishment of a Troop is of prime importance for its successful beginning. Without such zeal- fervor, if you prefer-no Troop should ever be attempted. A Troop should never be started as a matter of routine. Someone must care-tremendously.
This original impetus-the spark that touches off the conflagration, so to speak-may originate from many sources:
1. An institution-church, school, men's club, boys' club, or other local association-may wish to use the Scout Program in its scheme of boys' work.
2. The Local Boy Scout Council may decide to encourage the formation of a new Troop in a particular location.
3. A group of citizens-the parents, possibly, of prospective Scouts-may have found that the boys of their community need the influence of Scouting.
4. An old Troop with a waiting list of boys, a superabundance of energy and available leaders may get the vision of "fatherhood" and establish an "offspring," "a chip off the old block."
5. A group of boys may become enthusiastic about Scouting and want to form a Troop.
6. A man who sees the citizen-building opportunities in Scouting may desire to become a Scoutmaster to serve as many boys as he can reach.
They once were boys, these Troop Committeemen who help the Scoutmaster in many ways as the Troop moves forward.
With the enthusiasm at fever heat the ground work for the future Troop gets under way. Where the impetus for the new Troop originates with the prospective Scoutmaster himself, as in the last instance just cited above, he will be intimately related to every phase of the organization procedure. In the more usual situation, however, the impetus will originate elsewhere, and the Scoutmaster will enter the picture after some of the groundwork has been established.
But recognizing that all Scoutmasters should be acquainted with the necessary steps in developing a sound new Troop, the full procedure is included here very briefly.
Except where the impetus itself comes from an interested institution, as in the first instance above, the first step is to transmit this enthusiasm to an institution whose members as a body are willing to take upon themselves the sponsorship of the Troop and to pledge themselves to its support.
Occasionally where no institution is available for sponsorship, a group of citizens may sponsor a Troop without institutional backing. This occurs in rural communities where no one social center has enough boys to form a Troop. In this case a "Community Troop" is formed, sponsored by a group of responsible citizens, including representatives of the religious, educational, civic, and business life of the community.
The Sponsoring Institution, in accepting a charter for its Troop, obligates itself to provide adequate facilities, supervision, leadership and opportunities for the boys under its care for a healthy Scout life. This permanent foundation is absolutely essential for a successful Troop.
 
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