The First-Year Program

New Scouts join the First-Year Program, which people in the Troop call "Firsties". It runs from March to the following February, and it is designed to help new Scouts build skills, make friends and advance quickly through the early ranks: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class.

A group of Scouts sitting together on a log on a beach at dusk

How it works

Scout-led teaching. Older Scouts serve as Troop Guides and Instructors, who teach younger Scouts the basics: camping, cooking, knots, first aid, lashings, plant and wildlife identification, and more. It gives older Scouts real leadership practice too.
Patrols. The First Year Program Director assigns patrols and tries to keep dens and friend groups together. The first-year patrols meet together, and in the winter, just before the next group starts, they merge into the main Troop.
A first-year pattern. The program starts in March with a first meeting and a parent orientation. Over the spring, Scouts work through fitness, first aid and swimming requirements, go on a first hike, and take a first campout without parents. Summer camp usually follows in July. Exact dates are on the calendar.
Safety training. Scouts complete Personal Safety Awareness with a parent as part of their early ranks.

For parents

See the new family checklist for what to do and when, and the First Year Parent Orientation slides (Troop 33 families only; sign in with the Google account the Troop has on file for you). The FAQs cover common questions about the first year, including whether parents should come on early campouts.

Thinking about joining? See how to join.