There are various kinds of scouts, each offering kids and teens an opportunity to develop leadership skills, work as part of a team, and explore the world in new ways.
Baden-Powell was instrumental in founding the Boy Scouts with his book Scouting for Boys. Additionally, they utilize the Patrol method and enjoy various outdoor activities.
Boy Scouts
The Boy Scouts is an organization dedicated to developing leadership training and life skills for young boys. Its core values are honesty, integrity, and responsibility while its activities range from community service projects and outdoor adventures to outdoor excursions and camping trips. Not surprisingly however, this has not come without controversy: many groups – including women and girls – have challenged its membership policies resulting in much debate surrounding its future direction.
As the first step of becoming a Boy Scout, earning the Scout badge is the starting point. After attaining his badge, boys will begin participating in activities with their troop and learning new skills and earning merit badges that will enable them to become better leaders while making new friends.
Scouts won’t just gain life skills; they will also have fun and build lasting friendships through fun activities and adventures that build their confidence and courage. Scouts will also learn more about their environment and develop a love for the great outdoors!
Robert Baden-Powell first founded Scouting as an institution in 1908 as a British cavalry officer. In his book Scouting for Boys he detailed various games and contests he used to train his troops as well as teaching children the value of good citizenship and chivalrous behavior.
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts are bold, brave and self-assured – knowing exactly what they want, taking risks with no fear and leading. Supported by trusted adult volunteers and millions of alumnae worldwide, these intrepid young ladies remain true to themselves as they explore their interests, take on new challenges and ultimately transform the world.
Girl scouts learn essential lifelong skills through Girl Scouting. They gain leadership and teamwork experience, become comfortable public speaking and taking risks, develop community responsibility skills, as well as personal integrity that’s reinforced through the Girl Scout Promise and Law, often read at troop meetings or gatherings to remind girls to be honest with others at all times while helping those less fortunate – ultimately making this world a better place.
Girl Scouts do more than learn and earn badges; they also engage in various community service projects like volunteering at food banks or cleaning up parks. Girl Scout troops also earn money for themselves through selling cookies – an activity that has been going strong since 1917!
Girl Scouting provides girls with a safe space to discover themselves through thousands of activities available to them, from visiting an animal shelter and camping, hosting dance-offs or filming movies – to taking risks, trusting themselves and working collaboratively for good causes.
Cub Scouts
Cub Scouting is the traditional youth program offered by Boy Scouts of America, targeting boys and girls aged kindergarten to fifth grade (or 7 to 10 years). Based around family involvement, this fun activity-driven youth program features educational games to teach values and character formation while building physical fitness and encouraging moral strength. Core values of Cub Scouting include community service, courage, faith, cooperation, compassion and character – teaching lifelong skills such as teamwork leadership and outdoor adventure at an early age.
The cub scout program is structured so that children are challenged to complete tasks they might not think are possible on their own – an invaluable way to prepare children for life’s many unexpected obstacles. Furthermore, it gives kids plenty of chances to lead projects and peers, helping develop leadership skills while teaching respect.
Most Scouts belong to a den, which consists of children in one grade. Led by an adult known as a Den Leader, this small group typically meets once every month – either in school gyms or cafeterias, at home of its leader, or the local Scout office or community room – for snacks, games, field trips and community service activities that last approximately an hour each time. Some dens may even meet weekly so as to facilitate more time-intensive activities like nature walks.
Scouting Organizations
Scouting is an international youth program that instils responsibility and self-reliance in children. It teaches children to care for the environment while giving them skills necessary for contributing back to their community. Scouting also fosters teamwork, camaraderie, sportsmanship in an enjoyable outdoor setting while helping develop appreciation of nature – its main characteristics being uniforms, outdoor activities and group living.
Each scout belongs to a patrol of five or more youth who elect a patrol leader (PL) to lead them and represent their interests on the Patrol Leader’s Council. Each patrol may also include an assistant patrol leader to fill in for the PL in his absence.
Troop organizations are structured by geographic boundaries into districts. Each district has a council that serves its program by offering membership, finance and volunteer training services; owns camp property; plans summer camps, day camps and leader roundtables; provides financial support through fundraising programs and service projects to individual units; as well as offers support through fundraising initiatives and service projects.
Scout/Guide groups often incorporate religious practices into their programs, without discrimination against youth of different faiths. Based on Lord Baden Powell’s original writings on religion, many national organizations follow his guidelines more strictly; local chapters often adhere to different faiths than what may be found nationally.