Troop 333 meets from 7-830pm on Tuesday. We meet at two locations: the Taraval Police Station Community Room and the SF County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park.

Troop meetings pause at the end of the school year—usually mid to late June.

For those interested in High Adventure, we offer an extended backpacking summer trip.

The troop attends Camp Royaneh the last two weeks of July. Most Scouts attend one of the two weeks. Some attend both.

Regular meetings resume in late August.

New Scouts form their own patrol and work as a unit to learn the fundamentals of Scouting. Scouts take turns serving as Patrol Leader.

A dedicated youth leader mentors the the Patrol Leader and helps train the new Scouts. An advanced youth leader supports him.

As they advance, new Scouts may be integrated into different parols, balancing for age, rank, and ability.

In general, parents do not attend meetings.

Unlike Cub Scouts, the Boy Scouts program is youth-run. Experienced Scouts serve in staff positions, planning the troop’s programming, events, and meetings. Trained adult leaders provide oversight and guidance.

Parents on the troop committee sometimes attend meetings to provide support in specific areas (e.g. tracking advancement progress, conducting a Board of Review).

We close each meeting with a circle for reflection, announcements, and the Scoutmaster’s “minute”. All parents and family are invited to join the circle.

At it’s core, Scouting is a method that helps young people develop independence. Allowing your Scout to meet the challenges of our program with their own ingenuity and resilience will help them to experience Scouting to its fullest.

We welcome parents to attend outings and events. Parent chaperones and drivers are often needed as well..

In accordance with Scouts BSA youth protection policies all adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant.

This is a family decision but one we are happy to consult with you on. We recognize that children develop confidence and independence at different ages. If your Scout would benefit from having a parent participate, please join them.

Scouting is also a place for young people to develop self reliance, confidence, and experience the support of their peers. Allowing your Scout the freedom to have those experiences is sometimes the best part of summer camp.

We typically offer 2-3 camping trips in the fall and 3 camping trips in the Spring, plus day hikes. The weather in the Bay Area is notoriously finicky. We train and encourage Scouts to “be prepared” which includes hiking and camping in inclement weather. It may sound miserable, but many Scouts recall those trips as their most memorable and fun.

If the weather is really bad we sometimes convert the camping trip to an optional day hike. If the weather is dangerous we reschedule the outing.

We communicate through email and an internal Troop website. During outings we communicate via text and phone. The Troop also has a private What’s App channel.

We provide tents for camping. Scouts can also bring their own tents if they prefer. Besides appropriate footwear and clothing, they will also need their own sleeping bag, sleeping pad, mess kit and the “Ten Essentials”

Ten Essentials
• Pocket knife*
• First aid kit
• Extra clothing
• Rain gear
• Water storage
• Flashlight or headlamp
• Trail food
• Matches/lighter*
• Sun protection (hat, sun screen)
• Compass
• Insect repellant

*Must be trained to carry/use these items

Scouts wear the classic field activity uniform for meetings and official events. For certain ceremonial occasions we wear the field dress uniform—the activity uniform with the addition of a merit badge sash.

Class B uniforms substitute a troop t-shirt for traditional field shirt. Scouts wear this version during weekend trips, hikes, and work parties. The troop provides Class B shirts.

Uniform inspections are part of our weekly meetings. New patches are expected to be added to a Scout's uniform by the troop meeting following award of the badge. The troop provides all badges.

We have approximately 22 registered Scouts in our unit, all of whom are active (most attend all meetings). Our small size helps us provide dedicated mentorship to each Scout.

Troop 333 is proud to have the City’s first and only partnership with SF Recreation & Parks. Scouts work alongside city employees to maintain Lake Merced. This is a bi-monthly commitment. In addition, we generally offer two beach cleanups per year and there are usually 2-3 Eagle projects per year.

Scouts working on their camping merit badge also perform a resoratin project.

We understand that youth have varied interests and commitments. We ask that Scouts make a good faith effort to attend as many meetings and outings as possible. If there is an opportunity to apply a Scout’s particular talents to Scouting we welcome it. We have a Scout who is a bugler and plays trombone in his school band.

Annual dues are $200. Dues include most campsite reservations, permits, access to shared equipment, a class B t-shirt. badges and troop-specific uniform accessories. BSA National and our local Council charge separate annual fees (currently around $66)

Scouts pay for their own food for campouts. Summer camp and some special trips may require additional fees.

If a Scout's family cannot afford the annual dues then private arrangements for payment are made with the Troop Adult Leadership.

We hold a popular fundraiser dinner and auction every two years. Families often donate goods or services to the auction, but we primarily work with the business community to provide auction items and prizes. Scouts are asked to promote the event and we encourage all families to attend, but we aim to have the bulk of our funds come from outside sources.

Our Troop accepts all Scouts. We have Scouts with special needs and do our best to provide an equitable and inclusive Scouting program. If this is a particular concern of yours we’re happy to discuss the specifics with you.

We have a mix of virtual and in-person meetings. The weekly Troop meetings are in-person. Parent and Scout leadership planning meetings are generally via Zoom.

We request that Scouts attend 75% of the troop meetings and 50% of the weekend events. In our experience, this is the minimum necessary for advancement.

Scouts with leadership roles must attend 5 of the 6 Scout leadership planning meetings. If Scout leaders do not meet these expectations they cannot receive credit for leadership towards their next rank.