| Scout Executive |
Article Index for Scout |
Articles about Boy Scouts Of America |
Website Links For Boy Scouts |
Information AboutScout Executive |
This article is about the national organization. For the Boy Scout program within the BSA see Boy Scouts (Boy Scouts Of America) . The Boy Scouts of America ('''BSA''') is an organization designed for boys between the ages of 7 and 17 and for both young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21Venturer Application 28-303K: Venturers registered in a crew or ship prior to their 21st birthday may continue as members after their 21st birthday until the crew or ship recharters or they reach their 22nd birthday, whichever comes first., based in the United States Of America , with some presence in other countries. As of the end of 2004, the program was serving 3,145,331 youth with 1,173,064 leaders in 126,232 units.1 The BSA has three program divisions, administered at the national level by committees of professionals and volunteers: Cub Scouts provides service to boys from first-grade through fifth-grade, or 7–10 years old and their families. The Cub Scout program uses a fun and challenging system to achieve the aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. The program is divided into age based programs of Tiger Cubs, Wolf Cubs, Bear Cubs and Webelos Scouts. Boy Scouts are the flagship program of the BSA for boys 10–17. The program uses a system of outdoor activities to achieve the aims of Scouting. ''' Varsity Scouts ''' are a modified Boy Scout program available to boys from 14–17 that adds a system of high adventure and sporting activities that should appeal to the older boy. The ''' Order Of The Arrow ''' (OA) is the Boy Scout national honor society for experienced campers, based on Native American traditions, and dedicated to the ideal of cheerful service. Venturing is the program for young men and women ages 14–21. Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults. It is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth, adult leaders, and organizations in their communities. ''' Sea Scouts ''' are the nautical oriented part of this division. IDEALS The BSA is the largest Youth Organization in the United States; over one hundred million Americans have been members. Its educational programs for boys and young adults aim to build character, participatory citizenship, and personal fitness. This purpose is carried on primarily through outdoor activities such as Camping and Hiking . There is an emphasis on personal development through community service, leadership, and individual challenge. These principles are reflected in the Scout Oath, Law, Motto and Slogan. ;The Scout Motto Be Prepared. ;The Scout Slogan Do a Good Turn Daily. ;The Scout Oath On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. ;The Scout Law A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. ;The Outdoor Code As an American, I will do my best to be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, be considerate in the outdoors, and be conservation-minded. ;The Scout Sign :The upper arm is held horizontally out to the right side, and the forearm is held vertically. The palm of the hand faces forward, with the tips of the little finger and thumb joined. ;The Scout Salute :The hand is held in the same configuration as is used for the Scout Sign, with the tip of the index finger (pointer) touching the forehead or hat brim. This is a modification of the Salute used by military organizations around the world. ;The Scout Handshake :This is the traditional Handshake done with the left hand instead of the right. Several conflicting reasons have been given for this modification:
The BSA Scout Oath and Law have remained unchanged since they were first developed in 1910. HISTORY The BSA was inspired by and modeled on the Boy Scouts , established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1907 . It also borrowed ideas from Sir Ernest Thompson Seton , the YMCA , and a number of other "Scouting" organizations for boys that had sprung up in the decade of the 1900s in the United States and abroad. The BSA was established in , met a boy who showed him the way to his destination and the boy then refused an offer of payment for his services. Some assert that the boy vanished into the fog after refusing Boyce's money and never saw him again, but others declare that the two arranged another meeting, so that the boy could show Boyce to the headquarters. Still others hold that the boy was uniformed at the time. The truth of the matter is shrouded in years of Scouting legend and may never be known for sure.2 Some versions claim that Boyce actually knew about Scouting before this event, that the place he was seeking in the fog was actually Scouting headquarters, and that he had in fact come to London to learn more about the organization. (Baden-Powell was associated with the British YMCA; news of the Boy Scouts had reached the U.S. through this organization.) Boyce returned to the United States and, with Edward S. Stewart and Stanley D. Willis, incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8 . The first troop was Troop 1, based at a YMCA. Edgar Robinson, an important administrator of the YMCA in Chicago , agreed to help Boyce organize the Boy Scouts as a national organization. In 1910 , Seton, Beard, Baden-Powell, Boyce, Charles Eastman , Robinson and others called a national meeting of people involved in youth work. The first national officers of the BSA were selected. It was agreed that the President Of The United States (then William Howard Taft ) was to be the Honorary President of the BSA, a tradition that is still followed today. Rival organizations The BSA had many rival organizations in its early days, including:
The Woodcraft Indians and the Sons of Daniel Boone eventually merged with Boyce's organization; the consolidation was complete by the late 1910s . Most of the other rival organizations would also merge with the BSA. Growth In 1911 , the BSA published the first American Boy Scout manual ("Handbook for Boys"), a revision of Seton's version. The American version of the Scout Oath and Law first appeared here. (The British version was a pledge of allegiance to the King.) James E. West wrote the Scout Oath, and added three points to the British version of the Scout Law (brave, clean and reverent). In 1912 , Sea Scouting became an official program. Sea Scouting is now part of the Venturing (Boy Scouts Of America) program of the BSA focused primarily on maritime activities. '' Boys' Life '' magazine also began in 1912, and continues today to be the official Boy Scout magazine. In 1913 , the '' Scouting '' magazine for leaders started. Boy Scouts have served at every presidential inauguration since Woodrow Wilson 's in 1913 . Paul Sleman , Colin H. Livingstone , Ernest S. Martin and James E. West successfully lobbied Congress for a federal Charter for BSA, which President Woodrow Wilson signed on June 15 , 1916 . It reads: That the purpose of this corporation shall be to promote, through organization and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them Patriotism , Courage , self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are now in common use by Boy Scouts. Colin Livingstone, a friend of William D. Boyce and an officer with First National Bank in Washington, D.C. was the BSA's first National President. Also in 1916, Baden-Powell organized Wolf Cubs in Britain, for boys too young for the Boy Scouts (minimum age twelve at the time). In BSA, Wolf Cubs became Cub Scouts . In 1930 , Cub Scouting became an official program for boys aged 8 to 11. Cub Scouting is a year-round family program in which parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the goals of character development, citizenship training, and physical and mental fitness. Cub Scouting was expanded in the 1980s to include first graders. Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA's three programs, accounting for more than half of the youth membership of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1919 Baden-Powell began a training program called Wood Badge for adult leaders in Scouting. The BSA would not fully implement this training until 1948. It was instituted all over the world and is still in use today. In 1920 the first International Scout Jamboree , a gathering of scouts from all over the world, was held in London. Jamborees are currently held every four years, in varying countries. In 1937 , oil magnate Waite Phillips donated to the BSA a large tract of land in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico . This is now the Philmont Scout Ranch . American composer Irving Berlin assigned the royalties from his song " God Bless America " to the BSA, earning millions for the organization over the ensuing decades. The Order Of The Arrow is a Scouting Honor Society which began in 1915 in Treasure Island , one of the oldest continuously operated Boy Scout camps in the country. The Order of the Arrow was officially recognized by the National Council in 1936 and became fully integrated into the BSA in 1948. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA The National Council of the BSA is registered as a Non-profit private corporation and is funded from private donations, membership dues, corporate sponsors, and special events. The National Council is led by the National Executive Board, a volunteer board of directors that is directed by the national president. Paid professional Scouters perform the administrative tasks of the organization as directed by the Chief Scout Executive — a position currently held by Roy Williams . The National Council develops programs, sets standards for training, provides for leadership selection, sets uniform policies, maintains registration records, develops supporting literature, establishes advancement standards.3. The National Office is currently located in Irving, Texas . BSA publishes two magazines: Scouting is targeted towards adult leaders while Boys' Life is for the youth. Boys' Life is published in two editions; one for Boy Scouts and one for Cub Scouts. The Boy Scout edition contains a certain amount of material targeted toward boys aged 11-18, while the Cub Scout edition contains material targeted toward boys aged 6-10. If subscription is obtained through registration in the Boy Scouts of America program, the publisher will select the appropriate edition based on the boy's status as a Boy Scout or Cub Scout. Divisions There are several divisions that provide support and service to the main Scouting program: |
|
|