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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 American Scouting organization, with some presence in other countries, designed for boys ages 7 through 17 and for both young men and women ages 14 through 21. As of the end of 2004, the program was serving 3,145,331 youth with 1,173,064 leaders in 126,232 units. The BSA is administered mostly by committees of volunteers, but employs some professionals at the higher levels.

Program divisions

The BSA has three main program divisions:

Cub Scouts, the largest of the three divisions, serves boys from first-grade through fifth-grade, (seven through ten 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 through 17. The program uses a system of outdoor activities to achieve the aims of Scouting. Varsity Scouts is a modified Boy Scout program available to boys from 14–18 that adds a system of high adventure and sporting activities to appeal to the older boy, with an emphasis on team competition. 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 through 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 first three fingers extended and 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 left hand is closer to one's heart.
• A soldier must keep his right hand free to grab his weapon.
• In warfare using simple weapons (practiced in the medieval period, as well as by the Ashanti people who Baden-Powell met in West Africa), a warrior carries a shield in his left hand. To shake with the left hand, he must drop his shield, indicating good faith.

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 1910 by William D. Boyce. The story of how Boyce came to be interested in Scouting has appeared in various forms. All versions agree on the following: Boyce, a publisher from Chicago,While in London England on business 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 of the founder Lord Baden-Powell. 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.

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 American Boy Scouts, (later "United States Boy Scouts") founded by William Randolph Hearst
• the National Scouts of America, affiliated with a military school and headed by Colonel Peter Bomus
• the Peace Scouts of California
• the YMCA Scouts
• the YMCA Indian Guides
• the Rhode Island Boy Scouts
• the Leatherstocking Scouts
• the Sons of Daniel Boone, founded by Daniel Carter Beard, who became associated with the BSA soon afterward
• the Woodcraft Indians, founded by Ernest Thompson Seton, who met Baden-Powell in person in 1906 also soon became influential in the BSA

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.The Wood Badge is for leaders what the eagle rank is for the scouts- The higest national leader training a leader can receive.

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. 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:

The ScoutReach Division emphasizes service to rural and urban areas, and includes the American Indian Scouting Association and the Scouting - Vale La Pena program for Hispanic youth. The High Adventure Division administers Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases and Florida National High Adventure Sea Base. Jamboree Division provides support for the world and national jamborees. The International Division is responsible for relations with other Scout and Guide organizations. It includes the Interamerican Scout Foundation and Direct Service. The Relationships Division is responsible for non-Scouting relations outside the BSA, including the AFL-CIO, Elks, VFW and all religious associations and awards. Supply Division is responsible for uniforms and apparel, insignia, literature and equipment. It includes the National Supply Group that sells equipment through Scout Shops, authorized resellers and the online ScoutStuff.org.

The Marketing and Communications Division, Finance Support Division, Human Resources Administration Division, Professional Development Division, Compensation and Benifits Division and Information Services Division provide internal administrative service and support.

Finance

In 2004, BSA ranked as the 12th-largest non-profit organization in the US, with total revenues of $771 million.

The American Institute of Philanthropy lists the Chief Scout Executive as having the fourth-highest compensation of any nonprofit chief in the United States, at a total of $913,022. However, when measured relative to the BSA's entire budget, the Chief Scout Executive's pay measures at 0.26% of total expenses, whereas the national average among charities stands at 0.34%. The Chief Scout Executive was honored in August 2005 as one of the top fifty most effective non-profit leaders by Non-Profit Times. High-level BSA executives' pay is in line with similar non-profit corporations.

By comparison, the Chief Executive Officer of the similar Girl Scouts of the USA earns 0.39% of total expenses; however, the American Institute of Philanthropy does not rank this as one of the top 20 compensation packages.

National Scouting Museum

The National Scouting Museum is located at 1329 West Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, Texas. It was founded in 1959 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1986, it was moved to Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. In October, 2002, it moved to its present location near Irving Texas.

The museum floor is 53,000 square feet and is a state-of-the-art facility, featuring several Norman Rockwell paintings, high adventure sections, hands-on learning experiences, interactive exhibits, and a historical collection tracing uniforms, themes, and documents from the beginning of the American Scouting movement. Among the museum's artifacts are Arthur Rose Eldred's Eagle medal. Eldred was the very first Eagle Scout.

Regions

The BSA is divided into four regions. Each region is subdivided into areas, about six per region. These are then divided into local councils, the BSA's main administrative districts (as of 2006, a total of 304).

A council's chief officer is the Scout executive (sometimes called the council executive), a paid employee, who administers a staff of professional Scouters (typically district executives). The council president, a volunteer, serves as the chairman of a volunteer board of directors. Finally the council commissioner, also a volunteer, coordinates the efforts of trained volunteers who provide direct service to the units. These three officials together are known as the "Key 3."

The vast bulk of councils of the Boy Scouts of America have gone through thousands of name changes, merges, splits and re-creations since the necessity for the concept in the 1910s. Larger councils are further subdivided into sections called districts (many of which are former, smaller councils), and may operate more than one office. Each council includes many local units — packs, troops, teams, crews and ships.

The BSA maintains two councils for Scouts who live overseas, largely on military bases in Europe and Asia. The Transatlantic Council, headquartered in Germany, serves US Scouts in much of Europe, and the Far East Council, headquartered in Japan, serves several nations in the western Pacific. Additionally, the Direct Service branch makes the Scouting program available to US citizens and their dependents living in countries outside these jurisdictions or in isolated areas. The Aloha Council services the American territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands and also provides Scouting to the sovereign countries of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau.

Good Turns

In 1912, Scouts began the first of a series of Good Turns that included the promotion of a safe and sane Fourth of July. Scouts rendered aid during the 1921 floods in Pueblo, Colorado and San Antonio, Texas. President Roosevelt delivered a radio address in 1934 appealing for assitance for the distressed and needy: Scouts responded by collecting almost two millions items of clothing, household furnishings, foodstuffs, and supplies.

The National Conservation Good Turn in 1954 saw Scouts distribute 3.6 million conservation posters, 6.2 million trees, build and place 55,000 bird-nesting boxes, and arrange 41,000 conservation displays. During the height of the Cold War in 1958, the BSA delivered 40 million Civil Defense emergency handbooks and distributed 50,000 posters.

1986 saw the Donor Awareness Good Turn: 600,000 youth members distribute 14 million brochures to families, informing them of the needs for organ donations. In 1997, the President of the United States called for an increase in voluteer service in the US. The BSA developed the Service to America program with a commitment to provide 200 million hours of service by youth members by the end of the year 2000. As part of Service to America, the BSA provided service projects in conjunction with the National Park Service (NPS). In October 2003, the Department of the Interior expanded the program with the creation of the Take Pride in America program, opening service to all Americans.

The BSA developed Good Turn for America in 2004 as a program to address the problems of hunger, homelessness and inadequate housing and poor health in conjuctions with the Salvation Army, American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity.

Advancement and recognition

Cub Scouting provides advancement opportunities throughout the program to help each Scout feel that he has accomplished something when completing an activity. Many advancements in Cub Scouting are of the "Immediate Recognition" type; that is they are designed to be given as soon as possible after the award is earned. Others are to be given ceremoniously at Pack meetings in front of all the Scouts in the unit and their parents.

Boy Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles and steps to overcome them through the advancement method. The Scout plans his advancement and, by participating in the troop program, progresses as he overcomes each challenge. The Scout is rewarded for each advancement, which helps him gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help him grow in self-reliance and the ability to help others.

Uniform

Main article: Uniform and insignia of the Boy Scouts of America

Other United States Scout organizations

Other Scout organizations in the United States include:

• Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego (ZHP) is a Scout organization of Polish emigrés, not connected with the Polish organization of the same name (see ZHP), and not aligned to a supranational organization.
• The BSA had a Rover Scouting program for many years, but the Rovers are now virtually defunct.
• The Royal Rangers are an explicitly Christian organization operated by the Assemblies of God.
• SpiralScouts International

Membership controversy

The BSA has controversial policies which prohibit gays and atheists from participating. The BSA and its supporters argue that these policies are essential in its mission to "instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character". Critics contend that these membership restrictions amount to discrimination and bigotry.

The organization's right to set such policies has been upheld repeatedly by both state and federal courts. In 2000, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed that the Boy Scouts of America is a private organization which can set its own membership criteria.

See also

• More information about the BSA:
  • Boy Scout Handbook
  • Wood Badge and Sea Badge
  • List of Eagle Scouts
  • Boy Scout Vespers
  • List of discontinued merit badges in the Boy Scouts of America
  • History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
  • Alpha Phi Omega, a collegiate community service fraternity
• Learning for Life
• Traditional Scouting, a movement to reject Scouting's modernizations and return it to Baden-Powell's original ideas

References

1. "Year in Review: 2004". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. Venturer 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.
3. Foster, Rev. Michael (1999). "Boy Scout History Association". The Origins of the Left Handshake. Retrieved February 04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help).
4. Saunders, Hilary St. George. "The Left Handshake". Pinetree Web. Retrieved May 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help).
5. Lady Baden-Powell. "The Left Handshake". Geocities. Retrieved May 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help).
6. Rowan, Dr. Edward (2006). "James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America". International Scouting Collectors Association Journal (ISCA Journal). 6 (1): 11–15.
7. "Organization of the Boy Scouts of America". U.S. Scouting Service Project. Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help).
8. "ScoutReach Division&ndah BSA". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. "Scouting - Vale La Pena". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
10. "Interamerican Scout Foundation". Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. "Relationships Division". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. "ScoutStuff.org". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. "Top 25 compensation packages". American Institute of Philanthropy. Retrieved February 09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
14. "CEO compensation". Charity Navigator. Retrieved February 06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
15. "BSA Charity Review". Charity Navigator. Retrieved February 06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
16. "Take Pride in America". Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
17. "Good Turn for America". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved March 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

• National BSA homepage
• Scouting Magazine:
  • Peterson, Robert (October 1998). The BSA's 'forgotten' founding father. Scouting Magazine.
  • Peterson, Robert (January-February 2001). America's Best-Known Scouter. Scouting Magazine.
• United States Rovers
• Boy Scout Trail extensive collection of Scouting awards, activities, games, skits, songs, and information.
• Merit Badge.com A volunteer run site listing up to date information on all the current merit badges.
• U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. large collection of Scouting resource materials available online and assembled by volunteer Scouters without pay.
• Scouting The Net contains links to thousands of Scouting related sites.
• List of chartered organizations
• Scouting for All Scout-initiated organization to promote diversity within Scouting
• National Scouting Museum official website
• Searchengine for councils and districts

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