Just got everything submitted to be an Assistant Scoutmaster and I’ll be joining my 6th grader to Camp Meriweather in August! We are both super excited. We’ve been to camp McLoughlin before but a BSA camp will be new to us. I’ve heard other leaders say that the scouts largely manage themselves during camp. My son is still pretty young and although he is responsible I am curious how much of the camping experience is truly self guided with an 11 year old? Should I expect to be helping him out quite a bit or is it expected that he be managing himself and his own affairs as developmentally appropriate? Thanks in advance.

I got this patch and want to know how many were made ever

I got my son involved in scouts in September of 2025.

It was the best choice for his path in life.

I am striving to get him involved in the community, find new friends, learn new skills, open new doors for him.

He had started going off the rails and taking a path that was going to end him somewhere bleak and unproductive- I'll say that. He was constantly suspended from school and making bad friend choices.

Whenever things go good for him, he gets his recognition and dopamine for doing something good.

Whenever things go bad for him, he tells me about how he didn't even want to join and I MADE him join. Which, yes... I did. But it has opened more doors for us as a family than any family counseling ever could. We have friends, we do things together. We struggle and we rise.

We went to summer camp. He was put in PATH as a first year.

He ended up raging on the third full day, took his whole tent down and put everything together to go home. Said I'm ready, let's go. I never agreed to go home, and genuinely if we DID just quit and go home I'd only reinforce the negative behaviors I've been working on correcting for literal years. He is 14 now, has struggles in school and family.

I whole heartedly believe scouting is the best thing in his life right now, though sometimes he cannot see it. He takes stabs at me when things don't go his way. And I cried. I cried at summer camp. I shut myself in my tent. He had his fit. Came back and decided he was going to stay so he can go fishing.

I guess he's not going to get very many merit badges this year. Told him to tough it out so he can go further next summer. But for now he's doing his own thing and we'll see where it goes, idk.

I'm not even sure where I'm going with this post. I'm just very sad today. Scouting community is some of the most supportive people I've ever met. And I've been crying a lot... and there is still two more nights left. It was the lack of freedom with PATH and he didn't do enough of the things he wanted to do that got him to breaking point. It's a great program in my opinion.

Edit- we are in individual counseling, and had family counseling several times over the past several years.

what are your troops requirements to be SPL? Rank, age, training, past attendance, time in the troop?

What are the expectations? Once elected?