New Scout Welcome Ceremony
| Category: | Scout Ceremonies |
|---|---|
| Props: | Troop neckerchief and slide for each new Scout |
| Props: | Patrol patch for each new Scout |
| Props: | Scout Handbook (if the troop provides one) |
| Notes: | For welcoming Scouts who join the troop without crossing over from a pack: a new family in town, a friend a Scout brought along, or anyone joining at 11 to 17. Crossing-over Scouts get the crossover ceremony instead. Keep it short, and put the new Scout's patrol at the center of it: the patrol leader, not an adult, does most of the welcoming. Replace [TROOP NUMBER], [SCOUT NAME], [PATROL NAME], and [PATROL LEADER NAME]. Pairs with the rank-scout-the-first-step minute. |
Setup
Hold it at the start of a regular troop meeting. The troop stands in patrols in a horseshoe. The new Scout waits with their parent near the open end.
Participants
- Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) - runs the ceremony
- Patrol Leader of the new Scout's patrol
- New Scout and a parent or guardian
- The whole troop
The Ceremony
SPL: 'Troop, attention. Tonight we have a new Scout joining Troop [TROOP NUMBER]. [SCOUT NAME], please come forward.'
(New Scout steps into the open end of the horseshoe.)SPL: 'Every Scout in this troop belongs to a patrol. Your patrol is the group you will camp with, cook with, and count on. [SCOUT NAME] is joining the [PATROL NAME] Patrol. [PATROL LEADER NAME], come get your Scout.'
(Patrol Leader steps forward.)Patrol Leader: '[SCOUT NAME], welcome to the [PATROL NAME] Patrol.'
(Patrol Leader gives the new Scout the patrol patch and the Scout handshake.)SPL: 'The neckerchief is what every Scout in Troop [TROOP NUMBER] wears. Parents, please help put it on.'
(The parent puts the troop neckerchief and slide on the new Scout. If the troop provides a handbook, the SPL presents it now.)SPL: '[SCOUT NAME], everything in that handbook can be learned. The one thing nobody can teach you is to show up. Show up, and your patrol will teach you the rest.'
SPL: 'Scouts, the Scout sign.'
(The troop makes the Scout sign. The Patrol Leader shows the new Scout how.)SPL: 'Let us say the Scout Oath together, so [SCOUT NAME] can hear what we promised.'
(The troop recites the Scout Oath. The new Scout listens, or joins in if they know it.)SPL: '[PATROL NAME] Patrol, take your Scout home.'
(The new Scout's patrol gives its patrol yell, and the new Scout joins the patrol's spot in the horseshoe.)SPL: 'Troop [TROOP NUMBER], welcome our newest Scout!'
(Applause.)Tip: Pick a buddy in the patrol before the meeting - someone close in age who will sit with the new Scout, explain the meeting as it goes, and make sure they have a ride figured out for the first campout. A good welcome takes three minutes. A good first month takes a buddy.