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HOW DO I JOIN SCOUTING?

The Scouting program is broken into different age groups as described below and is conducted by Scout “units” called Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops or Venturing Crews. In order to join Scouting all you have to do is get in touch with the unit leader and show up! If you are interested in Scouting contact the Earl and Pat Cook Council Service Center to find out what units meet in your area or what might be the best fit for you. You can then get the contact information for one or more unit leaders.

Contact:

Sven Gilkey
(907)-452-1976
Or sven.gilkey@Scouting.org

What is Scouting?

Scouting is about DOING and giving youth the opportunity to explore the world around us with a powerful compass in the Scout Oath and Law. From Cub Scouts and their pinewood derby races to Boy Scouts and Venturers with their High Adventure explorations of America’s back country, Scouting is about giving these youth a chance to grow and learn such things as leadership and self-reliance.

For almost 100 years, Scouting programs have instilled in youth the values found in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Today, these values are just as relevant in helping youth grow to their full potential as they were in 1910. Scouting helps youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that influence their adult lives.

CUB SCOUTS (FOR BOYS AGES 7-10)

If you are a boy in first grade through fifth grade—or you're 7 to 10 years old—then Cub Scouting is for you. It's for your family, too. This is the first and the biggest of the three Scouting programs (Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing) offered by the Boy Scouts of America.

Cub Scouting means "doing." You have lots to do as a Cub Scout—crafts, games, sports, songs, stories, and puzzles, to name a few things. Much of the fun happens right in the den and pack. The den usually meets every week, and the pack meets once a month all year long. At den meetings and pack meetings, Cub Scouts do different things for fun and learning.
Cub Scouts also go to events like the annual blue and gold banquet, field contests, and  the pinewood derby. They go on field trips. They go camping and have other kinds of outdoor adventures. They take part in community events. Cub Scouts do all sorts of exciting stuff! Whatever it is that you enjoy, you'll have a chance to do it in Cub Scouting.

BOY SCOUTS (FOR BOYS AGES 11-17)

Boy Scouts is everything that people think of when they think of the Boy Scout of America, such as knot tying, camping, and other outdoor skills as well as service projects and leadership development. The crowning achievement of this program is the Eagle Scout, an award that has become an American icon. The outdoors is our classroom in Boy Scouts, where young men work to learn leadership skills through fun and rewarding challenges. The outdoors is just one aspect of the Boy Scout program that, combined with the advancement program and the scout patrol method,  leads each Scout to a larger mission of personal growth, character development and citizenship.

VENTUREING (FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGES 14-20)

Venturing is a program for young men and woman ages 14-20 that allows youth to take on the adventure of Scouting in their own way. Venturing has multiple program areas such as the more traditional Outdoor section as well as Religious Faith and Arts and Hobbies. Venturing also incorporates the second oldest program in the BSA, Sea Scouting and the adventures of Scouting on water.

Youth can also choose to complete multiple awards in different program areas starting with the Bronze Award and then receiving a higher expert level award for that program area such as the Ranger Award for outdoor skill. Regardless of what program area chosen he or she has the opportunity to earn the Gold and then Silver Awards. The Silver Award is the advanced leadership award for Venturing and has the same standing as the Eagle Scout in the BSA.