WTNY 9-26-2007 00:48
Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouting is a part of the program that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) offers for boys and young men. Along with Cub Scouting for younger boys and Venturing for older young men and women, Boy Scouting provides a program for religious, fraternal, educational, and other community organizations to provide effective character, citizenship, and mental and personal fitness training for youth. As part of this training, Boy Scouts are expected to develop personal religious values, learn the principles of American heritage and government, and acquire skills that will prepare them to become successful adults.
Boy Scouting is designed to achieve these aims by using the eight methods of Scouting: Ideals (as expressed in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout Motto, and Scout Slogan), the patrol method, participation in outdoor programs, advancement, adult association, personal growth, leadership development, and uniform.
Boy Scouting is generally available to boys between the ages of eleven and seventeen who are willing to abide by the requirements of BSA membership, including agreeing to live by the ideals expressed in the Scout Oath and Law. Boys may be allowed to join a troop at age ten if they have completed the fifth grade or have earned the Arrow of Light. Boy Scout troops are administered by volunteers with the assistance and support of some paid professional staff. Youth and adult members are Scouts. Youth are referred to as Boy Scouts and adults as Scouters.
The program had an estimated registration of 61,495 Boy Scouts in 1911. As of the end of 2005, the Boy Scout program had 879,789 registered Boy Scouts with 543,971 troop-level leaders in 42,811 troops. Boy Scouting is associated with the worldwide Scout movement.