Youth Protection

The Boy Scouts of America, as one of the largest youth organizations in the world, has taken a leading position on the protection of children. Scouting has established a number of guidelines and training programs in order to take appropriate precautions for the protection of youth. Troop 16 lives by all youth protection rules and regulations by the Boy Scouts of America, some of which are:

(1)    Training of adult leaders in the recognition of signs of potential child abuse.

(2)    The mandatory requirement of reporting any suspected child abuse.

(3)    Requirement of two-deep leadership on all Scouting activities. The BSA Youth Protection Program policy requires that a Scout must have at least one other person with him at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. BSA policy prohibits one-on-one situations between adults and Scouts. The buddy can be a parent or guardian, brother, sister, relative, friend or another Scout

(4)    An extensive adult leader application process with approval by Troop Committee, sponsoring institution and local Council. Adult Leader training includes participation in Youth Protection Training seminars.

In addition, you should read and discuss the pull-out section on Youth Protection in the front of the Boy Scout Handbook with your son. This is required before your son becomes a full-fledged member of the troop.