As of today, young women of Troop 77 Buttonwoods celebrate  of their 5-year anniversary.  On February 1st, 2019 Troop 77 became the first all-female scout Troop in Narragansett Council (RI-MA-CT) not long after  Boy Scouts of America (BSA) revised a one-hundred-year-old policy that opened the scouting movement to female youth. 

Troop 77 started with five young women and has grown to a current membership of 13 scouts.  The troop is always seeking more candidates to show the new world of scouting to and has planned celebrations and recruiting events through the spring.  These young women success in overcoming challenges of growing a new troop during a worldwide pandemic, when the Scouting movement was experiencing a significant decline in participation and membership, is worthy of celebration.

The highest rank awarded by the Scouts BSA program is Eagle Scout.  Troop 77 awarded the first female Eagle Scout rank to founding member Ms. Morgan Nathan in January 2021. The second Eagle Candidate comes this year in the person of Claire Fitzgerald, founding member of Troop 77.  She will showcase her Eagle Project, building three Little Free Library boxes,  to the Board of Review, a selected panel of trained adult leaders, on the anniversary of her Troop’s initial Charter.  

Troop 77 is independent of the all-male Troop 7 that will mark its 30th anniversary  in September.  The two troops share an adult advisory board that meet at  Sts. Rose and Clement church hall  111 Long St; Warwick, on most Wednesday evenings at 7pm.  Youth age 11 to 18 are eligible to participate in Scouts BSA programs.  Adult leaders must pass a screening process which also includes criminal background checks, recurring Youth Protection Training and position-specific training, and strictly adhere to the Guide for Safe Scouting and other BSA policies.

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the Scout Oath and Scout Law.  These ideas are instilled using the patrol method (youth leading youth) to tackle new skills and challenges associated with organizing and executing a safe outdoor adventure.  These tasks require newer scouts to master technical skills which lead toward BSA rank advancement including First Class Scout.  Upon achieving this milestone, scouts become more involved in the direct leadership of the other scouts. Methods for developing personal growth and leadership shift toward more abstract skills including the various rolls in the youth-led executive board, the Patrol Leaders Council.