About Troop 266
Welcome to Boy Scouts of America Troop 266. Chartered in 1943 to West University United Methodist Church, Troop 266 maintains a reputation as one of the highest quality troops in the Sam Houston Area Council. We have a tradition of providing a full Scouting experience. Regular troop meetings, community service projects, leadership positions, and outdoor programs that include weekend tent camping, backpacking, biking, rock climbing, and canoeing offer Scouts every opportunity to advance at their own pace. Additionally, we attend a week-long summer camp each year, and high adventure trips to Philmont, Florida Sea Base, Boundary Waters, Alaska, and other exciting destinations encourage our older Scouts to take their skills to the next level.
Scouting is a game with a purpose. Fun is the game. Values are the purpose. Every Scouting activity, whether it is camping, troop programs, games, or community service, moves these youths toward three basic aims: character development, citizenship training, and mental and physical fitness. As the old adage goes, it is easier to build a teen than to repair an adult.
Leadership is at the core of scouting. Empowering them to lead patrols and the Troop allows them to learn by doing. The scouts themselves develop the Troop’s program, then take responsibility for figuring out how they will achieve their goals. The adult leaders are there to provide direction, coaching, and support. The Scouts will make mistakes now and then, and will rely on the adult leadership for guidance. Only through real hands-on experience as leaders can they learn to lead.
Invest in your Scout. The transition from eleven to eighteen is challenging with many life changes. By building a supportive, trusting, nonthreatening troop environment, Scouts are encouraged to channel their energy into worthwhile activities, helping them make sense out of their changing circumstances.
Parental involvement is critical to the success of our mission, and parents are expected to become involved. The Troop Committee structure serves as a “Board of Directors” and offers support in the areas of finance, activity transportation, fund raising, community service projects, scout advancement, charter renewal process, leader selection, boards of review, courts of honor, and recruitment, among others. With the foundational support of the committee structure, the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters are afforded the opportunity to concentrate on the Scouts. A wide variety of adult leadership positions are open to men and women in both the committee structure and as assistant scoutmasters.
