The American Legion
And
The Boy Scouts of America
Based on the principle of duty to God and country, the Scouting program serves youth, ages 6 through 21, regardless of ethnic background, creed or physical or mental ability. In cooperation with organizations like the American Legion, Scouting offers a way for you and other dedicated volunteers of your post and the community to bring fun, adventure, and leadership skills to young people, and to provide effective character building, citizenship training, and personal fitness opportunities for youth.
The types of Scouting programs are:
Cub Scouting
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PURPOSE: The Boy Scouts of America created Cub Scouting in 1930 to help advance the character development and spiritual growth of young boys. This central mission of Cub Scouting might be even more important to boys growing up in the 2000s than it was for the first Cub Scouts more than 75 years ago. |
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PROGRAM: Local Cub Scouting activities involve the parents, adult leaders, and friends of Cub Scouts in home-centered programs that teach life skills, habits, values, and attitudes consistent with the interests of their church and community. Millions of boys and their families participate in Cub Scouting, the largest of the three Boy Scouts of America membership divisions. |
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METHODS: Cub Scouting encourages each boy to strive for his personal best, a lesson that will help him achieve success as he enters Boy Scouting - and throughout his adult life. Cub Scout activities encourage character development, physical coordination, family unity, and enthusiasm for learning. Cub Scouting helps boys develop a sense of teamwork, achievement, self-confidence, and respect for others. Learning to master new skills helps the Cub Scout realize his own abilities and discover that his can-do attitude is the first sign of success in any endeavor. In fact, that's the Cub Scout motto: DO YOUR BEST |
Boy Scouting
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PURPOSE: Boy Scouting encourages boys to develop physical, mental, and emotional fitness and to adopt and live by meaningful personal standards as a cornerstone for success in life. These values include the basic principles in the Scout Oath and Law. |
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PROGRAM: Boy Scouts learn to develop personal strengths by example and through hands-on experience. Activities include fitness and leadership training, wilderness adventures, and merit badge incentives for boys mastering hobby and career skills Scouting encourages boys to expand and test their personal initiative, courage, and resourcefulness. |
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METHODS. Boy Scouts learn some of life's more serious lessons while having fun. Boys learn about important values, such as helping yourself by helping others, and honoring the basic rights of others. Boy Scouting’s active learning experiences include hiking, camping, and other outdoor expeditions; competitive individual and team sports activities; and community or religious service projects. Many Boy Scouts first practice basic leadership, self-government, and citizenship skills during regular troop campouts and meetings. |
Venturing
Venturing is an effective coed young-adult program designed to improve character, citizenship, and fitness. Venturers exercise leadership, citizenship, fitness, social, outdoor, and community service endeavors. Venturing provides a variety of challenging activities to teach young people 14 - 20 the real world meaning of values, ethical decision making, and life skills. Venturing teaches leadership and problem solving skills to help youths mature into confident, successful adults. Venturing crews organize around a special vocation or interest of the youth members. The specialty clusters include outdoors, sports, art/hobbies, youth ministry, and Sea Scouting.
You and your post can aid Scouting in a number of ways. The first is to organize a Scouting unit within your post. The process for starting a Scouting unit is outlined below.
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Post leadership is informed about Scouting by contacting your local Boy Scout Council found in the phone book. |
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Post executive committee adopts Scouting and Post Scouting chairman is appointed. |
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Post Scouting chairman appoints organizing committee of parents and interested Post members. |
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Orientation session is held with Post members and parents of youth. |
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Organizing committee selects unit leaders and committee members. |
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Leaders are trained in program planning (Fast Start). |
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Program is planned for at least six months. |
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Youth are recruited. |
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Unit Meetings begin. |
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Unit is installed and charter is presented at regular Post meeting. The many other ways that you or your post can support Scouting include, monetary contributions through Friends of Scouting campaigns, signing up to serve as Merit Badge Counselors for the more than 100 merit badges offered to the Boy Scouts, sponsoring a Scouting event for your local Boy Scout Council. Information about any of these activities can be found by contacting your local Boy Scout Council or your American Legion Boy Scout Chairman. What our young people believe and understand about our country has a great bearing upon the future. Past and present experience has shown that men and women who have a deep love of freedom will preserve it at all cost. It is wise to heed the lessons of honor and duty to God and country, learned at an early age during the formative years. The attitudes of our young people today will shape tomorrow. |
While keeping ours eyes on the future we also need to remember to recognize our members for their support of Scouting. Information on the American Legion Scouting award can be found on the national website.
Helpful Links:
The American Legion: www.Legion.org
Boy Scouts of America: www.Scouting.org
Merit Badge Lists: www.meritbadge.com