Boy Scouts Requirements:
Your son can be a Boy Scout if he has completed the fifth grade and be at least 10 years old, or is 11 years old, or has earned the Arrow of Light Award and at least 10 years old, but has not reached age 18.
How to Sign Up:
- Contact Council Service Center at (714) 546-4990.
- Our District Executive will provide to you a contact name of the leaders of the units in your area to contact and sign up.
- Complete the application and sign your name indicating approval (you can pick up an application at council office or download the application in Englishor Spanish
- Give the completed application and fees to the Scoutmaster of the unit you are joining.
- Secure a copy of the Boy Scout Handbook and complete the joining requirements as listed.
The Scout Law:
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Scout Oath or Promise:
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.
Boy Scouts program helps to develop character, citizenship, and personal fitness qualities among youth by focusing on a vigorous program of outdoor activities.
Purpose of the Boy Scouts of America:
The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated to provide a program for community organizations that offers effective character, citizenship, and personal fitness training for youth. Specifically, the BSA endeavors to develop American citizens who are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit; have a high degree of self-reliance as evidenced in such qualities as initiative, courage, and resourcefulness; have personal values based on religious concepts; have the desire and skills to help others; understand the principles of the American social, economic, and governmental systems; are knowledgeable about and take pride in their American heritage and understand our nation's role in the world; have a keen respect for the basic rights of all people; and are prepared to participate in and give leadership to American society
return to top
Boy Scouts Program Membership:
Boy Scouting, one of three membership divisions of the BSA (the others are Cub Scouting and Exploring), is available to boys who have earned the Arrow of Light Award or have completed the fifth grade or who are 11 through 17 years old. The program achieves BSA's objectives of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness qualities among youth by focusing on a vigorous program of outdoor activities.
return to top
Volunteer Scouters:
Thousands of volunteer leaders, both men and women, are involved in the Boy Scout program. They serve in a variety of jobs-everything from unit leaders to chairmen of troop committees, committee members, merit badge counselors, and chartered organization representatives.
Like other phases of the program, Boy Scouting is made available to community organizations having similar interests and goals. Chartered organizations include professional organizations; governmental bodies; and religious, educational, civic, fraternal, business, labor, and citizens' groups. Each organization appoints one of its members as the chartered organization representative. The organization is responsible for leadership, the meeting place, and support for troop activities.
If you would like to be a volunteer with the Orange County Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, please contact the council office at (714) 546-4990.
return to top
Who Pays for It?:
Several groups are responsible for supporting Boy Scouting; the boy and his parent, the troop, the chartered organization, and the community. Boys are encouraged to earn money whenever possible to pay their own expenses, and they also contribute dues each week to their troop treasuries to pay for budgeted items. Troops obtain additional income by working on approved money earning projects. The community, including parents, supports Scouting through the United Way, sustaining membership enrollment, bequests, and special contributions to the local Scouting council. This provides leadership training, outdoor program, council service centers and other facilities, and professional service for units.
return to top
Outdoor Activities:
Local councils operate and maintain Scout camps. The National Council operates high-adventure programs at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Northern Tier National High Adventure Programs in Minnesota and Canada, and Florida National High Adventure Sea Base. About 50 councils also operate high-adventure programs.
return to top
The Beginning of Scouting:
Scouting, as know to millions of youth and adults, evolved during the early 1900s through the efforts of several men dedicated to bettering youth. These pioneers of the program conceived outdoor activities that developed skills in young boys and gave them a sense of enjoyment, fellowship, and a code of conduct for everyday living.
return to top
Publications:
The BSA publishes the Boy Scout Handbook (more than 35 million copies of which have been printed); the Junior Leader Handbook, which offers information relevant to boy leadership; the Scout master Handbook, more than 100 merit badge pamphlets dealing with hobbies, vocations, and advanced Scoutcraft; and program features and various kinds of training, administrative, and organizational manuals for adult volunteer leaders and Boy Scouts. In addition, the BSA publishes Boys' Life magazine, the national magazine for all boys (magazine circulation is more than 1.3 million) and Scouting magazine for volunteers, which has a circulation of 900,000.Conservation:
Conservation activities supplement the program of Boy Scout advancement, summer camp, and outdoor activities and teaches young people to better understand their interdependence with the environment.
return to top
|
