Troop 494

HOW TO JOIN TROOP 494

A special invitation from one of our scouts Click to see it.

We're happy that you're interested in joining our troop.

To join the boy scouts, you must be a boy that:

Is 11 years of age; or
Have graduated from the 5th grade (must be at least 10 years of age) ; or
Have received your Arrow of Light Award from Cub Scouting (must be at least 10 years of age)

The following items are required to join the troop.

completed and signed Boy Scout Application
Class 1/ Class 2 Medical Form
check for $19 made out to Boy Scout Troop 494 for registration fee with the Boy Scouts of America and a subscription to Boys Life

Once you join, you should work on earning your Scout Rank.

SCOUT AWARD

Webelos that have earned their Arrow of Light should have little difficulty earning their Scout Award. The Scout Award is earned by knowing and doing the following:

Repeat the Pledge of Allegiance
Demonstrate the Scout sign, salute, and handshake

Scout Sign

The Scout sign shows you are a Scout. Give it
each time you recite the Scout Oath and Law. When
a Scout or Scouter raises the Scout sign, all Scouts
should make the sign, too, and come to silent attention.

Scout Salute

Scout Salute

The Scout salute shows respect. Use it
to salute the flag of the United States of America. You may also salute a Scout leader or another Scout.

Scout Handshake

The Scout handshake is made with the hand nearest
to the heart and is offered as a token of friendship.
Extend your left hand to another Scout and firmly grasp his/her left hand.

Demonstrate tying the square knot (joining knot)

The square knot is tied by taking the rope and tying it 'right over left and left over right' or 'left over right and right over left'

Understand and agree to live by the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the motto, the slogan, and the Outdoor Code
Describe the Scout badge

Describe the Scout Badge

	Shape	The three-point design of the top half is like the north point of an old sailor's compass. This shows that a Scout is able to point the right way in life as truly as the compass points it in the field.
	Three Points	The three points of the trefoil are like the three fingers used in the Scout sign. They stand for the three parts of the Scout Oath: duty to God & country; duty to others; duty to yourself.
	Eagle and Shield	The eagle and shield, national emblem of the US, stand for freedom and a Scouter's readiness to defend that freedom.
	Two Stars	The two stars stand for truth and knowledge of the Scouting movement. They guide you by night and suggest a Scout's outdoor life
	Scroll	The scroll is turned up at the ends to remind us of the corners of a Scout's mouth raised in a smile as he does his duty. The Scout motto is printed across the scroll.
	Knot	The knot attached to the bottom of the scroll represents the Scout slogan, Do a Good Turn Daily.

With your parents, complete the exercises in the pamphlet in the front of your new Scout Handbook
Participate in a Scoutmaster conference

If you earned the Arrow of Light, you have mastered most of these requirements. If you have not earned the Arrow of Light, one of our Scouts that is a Troop Guide, will teach you the joining requirements to earn your Scout badge.

SUMMER CAMP
Please note that summer camp requires a Scout to have had a physical examination by a doctor within 3 years. If you have had a physical, please have the doctor fill out the back of the medical form. If not, please have your parent or guardian fill out the front of the form anyway and turn it in; it provides us with a medical release for any troop outing. Before your physical, we can provide you with an additional form for the doctor to fill out. We strongly urge all scouts to participate in summer camp since it's a lot of fun and gives the scouts a great opportunity to learn and advance.

Parents Information

Additional information is contained in the Guidebook for Parents, that will be handed out at the Scout's induction ceremony. Troop 494 uses an e-groups site to send out updates and reminders. (All about our e-group) Also at the site are sensitive information that is not suitable for the public website. To get access to the e-groups site, you will need to get a Yahoo! ID and request membership at the e-group site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BSATroop494/ You will get an email asking for the name of your scout, home number, and home address so that we can verify and authorize.

How to get a Yahoo! ID It's suggested that you get an Yahoo!ID that's easy to remember and for us to recognize.

Please take time to fill out the Troop Resource survey. This allows us to fit your skills and interests with areas that we may need support.

Troop Resource Survey

We will also require information about your vehicle(s) including insurance coverage, car license number and driver license information. This information is required for parents that provide transportation on outings in order to receive coverage from BSA insurance;

And scouting can always use more merit badge counselors. There are over 100 merit badges and if you work in the field or a strong avocation, please consider becoming a merit badge counselor. It requires an Adult Leader application, merit badge counselor application and a 90 minute training session.

Scout Uniform

As member of Troop 494, you will need to obtain a Scout uniform. You can purchase the uniform at the South Bay Scout Shop run by the Santa Clara County Council. At your induction, the Troop will provide you with a Scout handbook, Troop Numerals, red shoulder loops and World Scout Patch. The official uniform for Troop 494 consists of official shirt, pants (long or short), socks and belt. At times, there are uniforms that are donated by scouts that have outgrown them. Please contact one of our leaders for the contact information.

The South Bay Scout Shop
The Scout Shop is in the Santa Clara County Council office located at 970 W. Julian Street, San Jose.

Hours of operation are 9am to 6pm, Monday through Friday and 9am to 5:00pm Saturday Phone: 408-279-2086.

Last updated: September 2004