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I’m not entirely satisfied with the way things are being done in the troop my son just joined, but it hasn’t gotten to the point where we want to leave it outright.* There is another troop we are very familiar with, where a lot of his friends went to after finishing AOL. I’d like to dual register with troop B, if possible, so my son can attend meetings, join a patrol, and get a feel for the troop to help him decide if he wants to switch. I’m pretty sure Troop B would go along with it, if asked.
My question is, what exactly are the mechanics of dual registering? Do we fill out a new application? Do we fill it out a certain way? Who do we submit it to? To the Scoutmaster of the new troop? To the district or council registrar? Do we make another payment? From my research I understand that only one troop will control his advancement in Scoutbook. That’s ok with me, for now. The idea isn’t to get more advancements from troop B. The idea is to get a foothold in troop B, rejoin his friends, and spend time with the other scouts in Troop. And if it ever comes to wanting to switch, hopefully it won’t be a major issue to make the new troop his primary.
Is this doable? Which steps do I need to take, exactly? Is there anything else I should keep in mind?
*Background: There are several pros and several cons with the old troop. Among the cons are: refusing to sign off on completed Scout Rank requirements and waiting until the whole patrol is ready to advance (they said they only do this for Scout rank but I know it’s not the correct method according to the guide to advancement); questionable handing of the totin’ chip; allowing scouts to get credit while ‘listening’ to another scout explain the content of the requirement. There are plenty more issues. On the other hand, there are some great aspects about the troop, notably their physical meeting place is outstanding and unique. And several leaders are pretty great.
Thanks for that doc. I do indeed see the option for “Multiple”. If I click Multiple, will the first troop still be the primary and able to mark advancements in Scoutbook? That is what I would prefer for the time being.
There would be no downside, although this arrangement may last for a while, possibly a few months or longer. I’m not sure how the second troop would feel about having an honorary/unofficial member show up for so long. The reason for the dual registration would be to make him an official member of both units, possibly until the next re-charter. By then we will know which troop he will end up at and can end the dual status.
Allow me clarify our dilemma a bit more. Troop A has an unbelievable facility. You can do almost any scouting activity you can imagine there, including swimming, archery, shooting, etc. It would be difficult to walk away from such a place, right? The problem is they do lots of things wrong. They have a pretty bad case of organizational myopia and do things a certain way, not because it’s better but because that’s the way they’ve always done it. For example - and you should appreciate this being a member of the SUAC - only three people have access to scout records in Scoutbook - the CC who is also the advancement chair, the SM, and the COR who is uninvolved. ASMs including patrol advisors/troop guides can’t even see the scouts in their patrol. And that’s just one out of many issues.
Troop B on the other hand does things more in line with BSA methodology and best practices. Plus, the people - the leaders and the scouts - are fantastic. The reason we didn’t go with this unit originally was because their meeting time conflicted with our religious school. I’ve since learned that some patrols meet on different nights so it could possibly work out.
I’m interested in dual membership because we literally want to be members in both troops. We’d have access to the fun activities in Troop A while having more comprehensive and more meaningful advancement in Troop B. If it’s not actually possible, I would accept it just have to live with one or the other. But if it is possible, I will seriously consider it.
I’d still visit for a bit before you get too deep on the membership plans.
I’m not sure that attending patrol meetings and skipping every troop meeting is a recipe for success either. But maybe I’m misunderstanding something. Either way, just be open about it.
@MichaelK - my personal thought… a facility does not a good scouting program make… As you may well know the scouting method is comprised of eight things and none of them more important than any other… if the culture of the unit works then go for it… if however it does not gel in other areas then feel it out… there should not be a great rush to say yes this is it… see what works well. I know this is not good advice but in the end if it does not work out there will be that regret.
