Troop 4027 is excited to welcome girls to Scouting America! Join us for monthly adventures in local parks and waterways, where you’ll learn how to “Be Prepared” while making memories and new friends!
Formerly known as Boy Scouts, Scouting America offers a program rich in outdoor adventures, leadership development, and opportunities to make a positive impact in your community.
Troop 4027 is a “linked troop”. This means there are two separate troops: Troop 27 for boys and Troop 4027 for girls. We refer to them together as “T27” for short. The two troops operate as one – we meet together, go on outings together, and celebrate our achievements together! But there are important distinctions:
● Troop 4027 has its own dedicated youth leaders – such as Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, Secretary, Historian, Patrol Leaders, etc.
● Girls patrols are separate from boys patrols.
● An adult female leader (over 21) is always present for all meetings and activities where girls are present.
The linked troop structure allows the two troops to share resources like meeting spaces, equipment, and adult leadership while still giving girls their own space to thrive. We offer girls access to the incredible resources of Scouting America T27, including:
● The benefits of being part of an established troop – Troop 27 was founded in 1951 and is one of the oldest troops in the area. We’re fortunate to have more trained adult leaders than most other troops in the area, with about 20% of them being women.
● A structured, proven, and well-supported advancement system that fosters skills and character development
● The prestigious Eagle Scout award, open to both girls and boys
Who can join?
Troop 4027 is for girls that meet any one of the following three criteria:
● Are at least 10 years old, currently in the fifth grade and register on or after March 1 st ,
OR
● Have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old,
OR
● Are age 11 but have not reached age 18.
For younger scouts, check out Cub Scouting, which is for boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grade. For girls that are age 14 or older, you might also be interested in our Venture Crew 27, which offers higher adventure activities for young men and women up through age 21. Several girls in our troop are dual-enrolled in both Troop 27 and Venture Crew 27.
What kind of prior experience should girls have?
There is no prior experience needed. All we ask for is a willingness to try new things and a sense of adventure! Many of our scouts started without any prior experience in Cub Scouting, camping, or outdoor skills.
What is the difference between Scouting America and Girl Scouts?
Scouting America and Girl Scouts are two distinct, separate organizations with different philosophies and program focuses, though both provide character development for youth.
| Scouting America | Girl Scouts | |
| Focus | ● Emphasizes outdoor skills, camping, hiking, survival skills ● Earning individual merit badges in various fields like trades, science, and business. ● Provides a structured path for leadership development | ● Emphasizes community involvement, STEM, entrepreneurship, life skills, collaboration, and leadership ● Highly visible annual cookie sales teach girls entrepreneurship and business skills ● Designed by girls, for girls, fostering women’s empowerment and leadership. |
| Membership | Girls can participate in Scouting America’s co-ed programs, including Cub Scouts (ages 5–10), Scouting America (ages 11–17), Venturing (ages 14-21), and others. | Exclusively for girls in an all-girl environment, which proponents say builds courage and confidence. |
| Highest Award | ● The Eagle Scout rank is awarded for completing numerous merit badges and a service project. ● More of a “marathon” that builds over many years. The total time commitment is spread out and includes earning many rank-specific requirements and merit badges, in addition to the leadership experience gained from the final project. | ● The Gold Award is the highest achievement, requiring a significant community service project. ● More of a “sprint” project in high school with a concentrated, minimum time commitment of 80 hours on the project itself. It focuses on in-depth, self-directed research, planning, and sustainable community impact. |
| Badges/Advancement | Merit badges encourage individual exploration and expertise in a wide array of specific fields, often with career-oriented requirements. There are about 135 different merit badges structured according to the six different age-based program levels. ● STEM: Aviation, Chemistry, Digital Technology, Electronics, Game Design, Programming, and Robotics. ● Trades and Professions: American Business, Architecture, Dentistry, Programming, Public Health, Veterinary Medicine. ● Outdoor Skills: Archery, Backpacking, Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Whitewater, and Wilderness Survival. ● Arts and Hobbies: Art, Basketry, Chess, Coin Collecting, Music, Photography, and Theater. ● Life Skills and Citizenship: Citizenship in Society, Communication, Cooking, First Aid, Personal Fitness, and Personal Management. | Badges and activities within 4 areas: ● STEM: Includes topics like robotics, coding, website design, digital communication, and environmental science. ● Outdoors: Focuses on skills like camping, hiking, and ecology. ● Entrepreneurship: Teaches girls business skills, often through the annual cookie program and badges like “My First Cookie Business”. ● Life Skills: Covers a wide range of practical and leadership skills, including financial literacy, civic engagement, and mental wellness. |
What kind of safety measures are in place for girls at troop events?
Scouting America’s “two-deep leadership” model requires at least two registered adult leaders or one registered leader and a parent/guardian, to be present for all Scouting activities, including meetings, outings, and online communication. At least one of the adults must be an adult female at all activities where girls are present. To become a registered adult volunteer with Scouting America, you must complete an adult
application, complete fingerprints and pass a background check, complete Youth Protection Training, and get approval from the chartered organization. Additionally, all California volunteers must complete Mandated Reporter Training due to state law AB-506.
What is camping like with boys and girls together at T27 outings?
Boys and girls camp separately with their own patrols. At each outing we establish three “towns” where tents are set up: Girls Town, Boys Town, and Adult Town. The girls, boys, and adults set up tents in their respective areas and are not allowed to go into each other’s areas. Only the adult Scoutmasters are allowed to enter Girls Town and Boys Town, and only when there are at least two adults present. All adults participating in an overnight campout must be registered adults that have completed requisite requirements with Scouting America.
Depending on the layout of each campsite, boys and girls may share cooking and eating spaces, with each patrol planning and cooking their own meals. Typical campout activities like campfire, hiking, games, and skills development normally happen with boys and girls together in a shared space, although each patrol normally sticks together during these activities too.
How can parents get involved? What are the expectations for parent involvement?
While there are no minimum volunteer requirements of parents, we encourage all parents to get involved where possible. There are multiple opportunities for parents to volunteer as “trail bosses” to help organize outing logistics like campsite reservations, collecting payments from participating scouts, and organizing drivers. There are also other volunteer posts to help with youth/adult skills training, merit badge counseling, troop communications, advancement/ awards ceremonies, fundraising, and managing troop equipment. We love getting parents involved, but also understand that many parents may not have time to actively participate.
Where and when does the troop meet? What if I can’t make it to all meetings?
The troop meets every Tuesday evening from 7pm – 8:30pm. We meet at the Congregational Church of the Peninsula; 751 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont CA 94002.
There are many kids in the troop who miss some of the troop meetings due to sports, music, or other commitments. It’s not usually a problem as long as they can make it to some (either during the “off-season” or maybe it’s coming a bit late to a meeting). We encourage youth to attend the monthly weekend outings where possible, that’s when they get to build deeper friendships and really get to practice some of the skills they work through during the meetings. Youth that have a leadership position in the troop are expected to prioritize troop activities as much as possible, as there are other scouts in the troop counting on them!
How much does it cost to become a Troop 27 / 4027 scout?
While fees are updated from time to time, the annual fees for 2025 are as follows:
● Troop dues: $2 per month ($24/ year) – this is a bit lower than usual due to strong donations we had last year.
● $85/year BSA National Annual Membership Fee
● $205/year Pacific Skyline Annual Program Fee
Uniforms can be purchased from the local Scout Store – there is one in Foster City and one in Palo Alto. The cost for a complete Scouting America uniform is typically over $100 for a new shirt, hat, patches, neckerchief, and other required accessories.
Participation in outings is managed separately and is priced at cost. A typical weekend campout ranges from $25 – $50 per person (youth or adult). This covers the cost of campsite reservations, transportation, and food. Events run by our council, Pacific Skyline, are often more expensive due to higher program costs. Troop 27’s annual Summer Camp, which takes place in the high Sierras and lasts 7 days, is roughly $300 per youth. Our troop also offers “Camperships” – funds available to scouts to help defray the costs of participation, where needed.
What about camping or outdoors equipment, do scouts need to buy this?
Troop 27 has a large collection of troop gear that scouts use for our outings. This includes tents, tarps, cooking equipment, cooking fuel, boats / paddles, and life vests. Scouts should have their own daypack with their 10 Essentials at all troop events. Our Troop Packing List includes the things scouts (and adults!) are responsible for bringing on camping trips. Many families in the troop also have extra gear that can be borrowed if you’re not ready to invest.