Boy Scouts of America facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boy Scouts of America |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Age range |
|
||
Headquarters | Irving, Texas | ||
Location | United States, Europe, Japan | ||
Country | United States | ||
Founded | February 8, 1910 | ||
Founders |
|
||
Membership | 2,282,584 youth (2017) 99,814 units (2017) |
||
Affiliation | World Organization of the Scout Movement | ||
Governing body | National Executive Board | ||
|
The Boy Scouts of America or BSA is an organization for children and teens with over 5 million members across the United States. They try to give young people life values. BSA includes Cub Scouts, which is for children ages 6–11, Scouts BSA, which is for youth ages 11–17, and Venturing and Sea Scouts, for youth ages 14–20. Scouts BSA was called Boy Scouts until it started allowing girls in 2019.
Organization
Scouts BSA are ages 11–17 and belong to troops, groups of Scouts associated with a church, school or post. Cub Scouts are scouts ages 6–11 and belong to packs. Cub Scouts include Tigers (age 6-7), Wolfs (age 7-8), Bears (age 8-9), and Webelos (age 9-11). Older Scouts can be Venturer Scouts.
History
The Boy Scouts of America were founded by American writer W. D. Boyce, in 1910, but were similar to Scouting groups in Great Britain and other early scout movements. James E. West helped out the BSA in its early years, but also made the BSA more religious than scouts were in Europe. Scouting grew in the 1910s and 20s due to the rise of “boy’s books” devoted to Scouting and the First World War. Scouting had many members during the 1960s, but has declined since the 1970s, despite an attempt to make scouting modern by changing requirements and adding more merit badges.
Scout Oath
These are the words of 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".
Scout Law
A scout is:
- trustworthy,
- loyal,
- helpful,
- friendly,
- courteous,
- kind,
- obedient,
- cheerful,
- thrifty,
- brave,
- clean, and
- reverent.
Related pages
Images for kids
-
Ernest Thompson Seton (left), Baden-Powell (seated) and Dan Beard (right)
-
Anthony Thomas, the two millionth Eagle Scout, addresses a crowd of over 45,000 Scouts at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, held at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
-
BSA National Office in Irving, Texas
-
Boy Scouts canoeing on the Blackwater River, Virginia
-
Boy Scouts of America Atlanta, Georgia Area Council headquarters
-
Smokey Bear with members of the Boy Scouts of America and the Camp Fire Girls celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding in 1960
See also
In Spanish: Boy Scouts de América para niños