Here are the basics about the Boy Scouts of America:
Boy Scouts of America or BSA
· Founded on 8 February 1910, in Washington, DC, by Chicago publisher William Boyce
· Chartered by the US Congress in 1916 (a few other youth programs have congressional charters, including the Civil Air Patrol [1946], Girl Scouts of the USA [1950], the Boys & Girls Clubs of America [1956], Future Farmers of America [1961], and 4-H [1902])
· Headquarters in Irving, Texas (near Dallas)
· The BSA is the USA's only Boy Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (many countries have several Scouting programs).
· The BSA actually provides the Scouting program to three countries: the US plus the Pacific island nations of the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, which are served by Hawaii's Aloha Council.
· The BSA is divided into about 300 local Councils.
· The BSA and its local Councils employ about 4000 full-time professional staff.
· The BSA is the second largest Scouting organization in the world (the largest is Indonesia).
The BSA has four program divisions, three traditional Scouting programs based on grade or age, plus a fourth classroom-based non-traditional subsidiary:
Cub Scouting Division (boys, grades 1 through 5)
· Members in grade 1 are called Tiger Cubs.
· Members in grades 2 and 3 are called Cub Scouts, and work on Wolf rank (grade 2) or Bear rank (grade 3).
· Members in grades 4 and 5 are called Webelos Scouts, and work on the Webelos rank and the Arrow of Light rank.
· Webelos Scouts usually graduate into Boy Scouting in about February of grade 5.
· The overall Cub Scouting program is family-centered, adult-run, and offers very little camping or outdoor activities.
· Adult leaders can be male or female, over age 21 (age 18-20 for certain assistant positions). The leader of the pack is the Cubmaster, and each den is led by an adult Den Leader.
· The only boy leadership position is Denner, rotated monthly among the den members, which consists mostly of helping the Den Leader and making a den report at the monthly pack meeting.
Boy Scouting Division (boys, age 10-1/2 until 18)
Two programs—Boy Scouting and Varsity Scouting
Boy Scouting
· Boy Scouting is traditional Scouting for boys age approximately 10-1/2 until 18.
· In addition to the general camping program for all Scouts, older Scouts in a troop can form a Venture patrol to do high adventure activities. Note that the troop's Venture patrol and Venturing (see below) are completely separate and unrelated programs, despite the confusingly similar names.
· Boy Scouts work on 6 ranks: Tenderfoot,Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, Eagle. Eagle Scouts can also earn Eagle Palms, but these are not ranks.
· The overall Boy Scouting program is mostly boy-run with adults providing guidance and training, and is strongly oriented toward a camping and outdoor program.
· At about age 14, a Boy Scout can choose to remain in the troop, or transfer to a Varsity team, or transfer to a Venturing crew.
· Adult troop leaders can be male or female,over age 21 (age 18-20 for Assistant Scoutmasters). The adult leader of the troop is the Scoutmaster.
· The boy leader of the troop is the elected Senior Patrol Leader, and each patrol is led by an elected boy Patrol Leader.
Varsity Scouting
· Varsity Scouting is a separate, optional,non-coed, and little-used program for boys age 14 until 18 (mostly used by the LDS/Mormon church).
· Varsity Scouts wear the same uniform as Boy Scouts (with slightly different insignia), and work on the same ranks.
· Varsity Scouts typically camp like Boy Scouts, and often compete in team sports.
· Adult team leaders can be male or female,over age 21 (age 18-20 for Assistant Coaches). The adult leader of the team is the Coach.
· The boy leader of the team is the elected Team Captain, and each squad is led by an elected squad leader.
All BSA Rank Requirements, Tenderfoot through Eagle, 1910—Today
Venturing Division (young men and young women, age about 14 until 21)
· Replaces the former Exploring program
· Venturing replaced the Exploring program in 1998; its coed crews focus on six experience areas: Citizenship, Leadership,Fitness, Social, Outdoor, and Service.
· Venturing crew "specialty clusters"include: Outdoor, Sports, Arts/Hobbies, Youth Ministry, and Sea Scouting.
· Sea Scouting (formerly Sea Exploring) is part of the Venturing program.
· The former career-awareness Exploring program is now part of Learning for Life.
· Male Venturers can work on the same ranks as Boy Scouts (technically, they must earn the ranks through First Class as a member of a Boy Scout troop). In addition, all Venturers have their own advancement system, culminating with the Venturing Silver Award. And Sea Scouts have an additional advancement program, culminating with the Quartermaster award.
· BSA's Venturing Division is unusual compared to the equivalent programs in most other countries because high-school-aged young men have the option of being a Venturer, or they can remain in a Scout troop or join a Varsity team.
· There is no BSA program equivalent to the Rover programs available in some countries (for those over age 21).
· Adult leaders can be male or female, over age 21 (age 18-20 for associate Advisors). The adult leader is called the Venturing Advisor.
· The key youth leader of a Venturing crew is the elected crew President.