Introduction to Troop 782
Initially chartered in 1977, Troop 782 is nearly 50 years old with a long tradition of excellence. We are very diverse and high-adventure focused. We are chartered by the Pacific Youth Alliance, and have both the 782B Boys Troop, and the 782G Girls Troop. Currently we have approximately 80 registered scouts and 35 registered adults.
While 782B and 782G often meet and attend events together, and share the same committee, they are two separate entities as required by Scouts BSA.
It is important to know that 782B and 782G are scout led. That means that adult support for safety and learning are in place, but much of the decision making and execution is done by the scouts themselves. This means that they make mistakes and poor decisions from time to time, but within a safe environment, and that is the best way for youth to learn. Our adult leaders are trained to understand this and know when to step in, and when to simply observe. When coming from a hands-on environment like Cub Scouts, this can be a challenging transition for some parents. However, by watching, asking questions, and being engaged with experienced adult troop volunteers, you will soon observe the transformation that takes place as your son or daughter matures into a fine young adult through the scouting program.
NOTE: If you have any questions or suggestions related to this material, feel free to email scoutmaster@troop782.org
Meetings
During the school year, 782B and 782G meet at Skyline Elementary in Solana Beach every Monday that school is held. If there is a school holiday on a Monday, we do not meet that day.
It is important that scouts come to meetings wearing the most complete uniform they have. All scouts are gently encouraged to wear a complete uniform. Uniforms can be very expensive, so the troop collects uniform parts that are freely distributed, and older scouts are encouraged to donate them to the troop when they are outgrown. If you want to purchase new uniforms, that can be done at the Scout Shop in San Diego, on Upas St.
Meetings begin at 7:15PM, but arrival by 7:00PM is requested to set up for the meeting.
Meetings typically end at 8:30PM, but cleanup sometimes extends that a bit.
Please arrive to pick up your scout no later than 8:30PM, because the adults cannot leave until all scouts have been picked up.
While the meetings are run by the scouts, and can seem chaotic at times, parents are encouraged to stay and observe. It’s also a great time to talk to adult leaders about volunteering, or just ask questions. It is also good to listen in on the announcements of upcoming activities at the end of each meeting, in the “unlikely” event your scout forgets to tell you!
When school is not in session, we often meet at 7:00PM at Carmel Creek Park for outdoor meetings.
Most of the time, an email is sent out on Sundays reminding everyone of the meeting and its location. Often, important things to remember to bring to the meeting are included in these emails. See Communication below.
Communication
Our troop activities and communications center around the troop782.org website. Some of the site is open to the public, but much of it is accessible only to registered troop members, to protect potentially sensitive information. To get access to the site to sign up for events, get emails, etc., go to https://troop782.org and click Register. Be sure to put the name of your scout in the form so that we can verify who you are. Otherwise, your registration will not be approved.
Emails from Troop 782 Webmaster (one of our scout positions) are the main form of communication, so you will want to monitor them closely. Be aware that at times you might get quite a few emails because multiple activities are occurring at once.
While we understand that some parents don’t want their scout to have their own personal email, it is sometimes useful for them to have one and be registered separately on our website so that they can learn to monitor things themselves when you feel they are mature enough. Remember that Cyber Protection is an important skill that scouts are taught. Regardless, registrations for campouts and other events allow for both the scout and parent to enter email addresses so that you and your scout are both in the loop.
The troop supports several email aliases to make it easy to communicate with the person(s) you need. See Adult Roles and Contacts for the email aliases, as well as a description of what that person does.
NOTE: We do not provide email aliases for the scouts, to protect them from spammers and hackers who maliciously try to get access to our youth on a regular basis.
Outings
The troop endeavors to have at least one outing, often called a campout, each month. Many months have multiple activities, but typically there is only one overnight outing due to the amount of planning and adult support required.
Announcements about outings are made at each meeting, but you should always visit the Events calendar on troop782.org to see the latest events. You can search the events from the first page.
NOTE: Unless you are registered with the troop website and logged in, you will not be able to see the event details, including which scouts are signed up, or register for an event.
The troop promotes the patrol method at all times. That means that at the Monday meeting before a campout, the patrol leader needs to know who from his/her patrol is attending, so that the number of meals can be decided. The patrol then decides on a menu, and one scout is chosen to purchase the food to bring to the campout. The patrol leader also assigns cooking and cleaning duty to patrol members attending the campout.
NOTE: When purchasing the food, the scout should retain the receipts and send them to treasurer@troop782.org for reimbursement. See Troop Receipt Reimbursement for more details.
Camping fees are typically around $35 per person. Both adults and scouts pay these fees to cover food and transportation costs. However, some campouts can be significantly more expensive. Some examples are Skypark in Lake Arrowhead, and the Snowsports Merit Badge event at Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Adult Participation in Campouts
Adult participation in overnight activities is limited by Scouts BSA to only those that are registered with Scouts BSA and have completed the Scouts BSA Youth Protection training as well as California Youth Protection training and a background check (AB506). Please see the Adult Participation Policy for details.
However, there are times when transportation of a large troop our size (most outings consist of 30-35 scouts) requires a lot of seatbelts. Parents can help drive scouts to/from the outing, but cannot stay the night. If you are interested in registering with the troop as a registered adult leader, so you can participate in overnight outings, contact registrar@troop782.org.
Summer Camp
Summer Camp is a special time in a scout’s life. It is a great time to learn scouting skills and develop self reliance in a fun, safe environment.
Our troop generally schedules summer camp in late June or early July, depending on where the scout leadership decides to go, and also camp availability. Summer camp locations are typically selected in December at our annual planning session, for the following summer. Numerous notifications and sign up forms are distributed throughout the year.
Long-term High Adventures (Philmont and Sierra Trek)
The troop plans at least one long-term, high-adventure activity each year. Typically, the troop goes to Philmont on even numbered years, and takes a self-guided trek in the Sierra mountains on the odd numbered years. Numerous announcements are made throughout the year about these events.
NOTE: All of our high-adventure training activities require training in advance, and are not suitable for all levels of scouts. It is up to the sole discretion of the scoutmaster to determine who is ready for these events.
Advancement
Scouting is about the journey, not the destination. While the journey is long, it is important to most scouts to be honored for their achievements and to set their sights on the next goal.
Our troop philosophy is to support each scout to achieve the level they want to achieve, while having fun and adopting good scouting values and skills. Being an “Eagle mill” is not within the aims of scouting, nor is it a part of our troop charter. The rank of Eagle Scout is one that is earned through participation, achievement, and leadership. It is not something that should be bestowed upon someone who has not truly met every requirement. Otherwise, it would lessen the accomplishments of those that have gone before.
We provide all the help, support, and mentoring a scout needs to achieve the highest goal of scouting to every scout that dedicates himself/herself to putting in the time and effort. See our Eagles Nest for a list of scouts that have climbed the mountain to scouting’s highest honor.