Youth Membership Policy
Youth membership in the Boy Scouts of America is open to all
youth who meet the specific membership requirements to join the Cub
Scout, Boy Scout, Sea Scout, Exploring and Venturing programs.
Membership in any program of the Boy Scouts of America requires the
youth member to:
(a) subscribe to and abide by the values expressed in the
Scout Oath and Scout Law
(b) subscribe to and abide by the precepts
of the Declaration of Religious Principle (duty to God), and
(c)
demonstrate behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good
conduct and respect for others and is consistent at all times with
the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on
the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.
As of January 30, 2017, the BSA policy as to transgender youth is
as follows:
We will accept and register youth in the Cub and Scouts BSA programs
based on the gender identity indicated on the application. Our
organization’s local councils will help find units that can provide
for the best interest of the child.
The Boy Scouts of America is committed to identifying program
options that will help us truly serve the whole family, and this is an
area that we will continue to thoughtfully evaluate to bring the
benefits of Scouting to the greatest number of youth possible – all
while remaining true to our core values, outlined in the Scout Oath
and Law.
See the BSA's Voice
of Scouting website for more information
The BSA provides programs geared toward young people from first grade
through age 20, as follows:
- Cub Scouts is a family-oriented program designed
specifically to address the needs of young people in first through fifth
grades.
- Scouts BSA is for boys (and girls, after
February 1, 2019) age 11 through age 17
(or at least 10½ and completed fifth grade),
designed to achieve the aims of Scouting through a vigorous outdoor
program and peer group leadership with the counsel of an adult
Scoutmaster. Boys and girls in Scouts BSA are organized into Scout
Troops, each of whose members are of the same gender.
- Venturing, Sea Scouts and Exploring are
co-ed programs for youth ages 14 through 20 (or age 13 and completed eighth grade). Venturing
provides positive experiences through exciting and meaningful
youth-run activities that help members pursue their special interests,
grow by teaching others, and develop leadership skills. Exploring is a
career- or vocation-oriented program, with each post specializing in a
specific field. Sea Scouts, Scouting's second-oldest program, has
its own advancement system geared toward adventure on the water.
For more information on how girls and boys are
included in the Cub Scout and Scouts BSA programs, see the BSA's Family
Scouting page. https://www.scouting.org/familyscouting/
Adult Leadership Standards
During the 2015 Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting in May,
Dr. Gates encouraged the Scouting family to reflect on the challenges,
primarily regarding adult leadership standards, facing the BSA and
potential alternatives for addressing them.
As a result of the rapid changes in society and increasing legal
challenges at the federal, state, and local levels, on Friday, July 10,
2015, the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee adopted a resolution
amending the adult leadership standards policy. The resolution was
unanimously adopted by those present and voting. The National Executive Board met and ratified this resolution on
Monday, July 27.
This resolution allows chartered organizations to select adult
leaders without regard to sexual orientation, continuing Scouting’s
longstanding policy of chartered organizations selecting their leaders.
This change allows Scouting’s members and parents to select local
units, chartered to organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet
the needs of their families. This change would also respect the right of
religious chartered organizations to continue to choose adult leaders
whose beliefs are consistent with their own.
Scouting will continue to focus on reaching and serving youth to help
them grow into good, strong citizens. By focusing on the goals that
unite us, we are able to accomplish incredible things for young people
and the communities we serve.
http://scoutingnewsroom.org/blog/update-on-adult-leadership-standards/
Venturing and Sea
Scouting Membership
Effective on March 1, 2015, Venturers and Sea Scouts
aged 18-20 are to be considered "adult participants" rather
than "youth". This brings the adult/youth age line in
Venturing and Sea Scouts into line with Scouts BSA. That should
eliminate those strange situations where a given 20-year old member was
"youth" when he was with his Venture Crew, so one day he could
tent with his 17-year old Venturer friend but not with a 22-year-old
Crew Advisor - but if the same three people were also in a Scout troop
and went camping the next day, the 20-year-old "adult" ASM
could not camp with the 17-year old Scout, but must camp with the
22-year old ASM.
New Venturers in the 18-20 year old age range should be
registered on Adult registration forms, not Youth forms as in the past.
Existing Venturers/Sea Scouts who turn 18 should now be re-registered as
Adult Participants - use an Adult registration form, with the position
code marked as "Venturer" or "Sea Scout".
This
chart should help explain matters - reposted from the Utah National
Parks Council - "thanks!"
For the Utah National Parks Council blog entry on all of
the 2015 changes to Venturing, see:
http://blog.utahscouts.org/venturing/venturing-changes-frequently-asked-questions/
Go back to the Main Page - Go
back to the Announcements Page
|
