The Scout troop is a unit of Scouts, Boy Scout

Boy Scout

A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...

s, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts that usually meet weekly. Girl Guides often use Unit or Company instead. The troop is the fundamental unit, which a Scout joins and via which he or she participates in Scouting activities, such as camping, backpacking, and canoeing. The troop leadership, youth and adult, organizes and provides support for these activities. The troop size can vary from as few as a half-dozen Scouts to several dozen. Troops work on badge

Badge

A badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...

s and awards together, and arrange activities, events, and camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

 trips together.

Each troop is divided into patrols of five to ten Scouts. A patrol's independence from the troop varies among troops and between activities. For instance, a troop typically holds ordinary meetings as a unit. Patrols' autonomy becomes more visible at campouts, where each patrol may set up its own cooking area. However, on a high adventure trip which only a small part of the troop attends, divisions between patrols may disappear entirely.

In many countries a local organization called a Scout Group

Scout Group

The Scout Group is the local organisation for Scouting in most countries where it is active. It combines together the different sections into a single body. Scout Groups can consist of any number of sections in the different Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding...

, combines a Scout troop with other groups of different age levels together in a single body. For example, a Beaver Scout Colony, a Cub Scout

Cub Scout

A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...

 Pack, a Scout troop, a Venture Scout

Venture Scout

Venture Scouting is a section of the Scout Movement, mostly in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, for young people roughly in the 14 – 20 age range.-Australia:...

 Crew and a Rover Scout Crew together might form a Scout Group. In other countries, the different sections are independent of each other, although they might be sponsored or chartered by the same community organisation, such as a business, service organisation, school, labor group veteran's group, or religious institution. The chartering organization is responsible for providing a meeting place and promoting a good program.

A key component of the Scout method is that troops are run by the Scouts under the advice and guidance of adult leaders. The patrol method is the most common way that scout-run troops are run, especially in Boy Scouts.