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Why Join Scouting?
In 1930, the Boy Scouts of America created a new opportunity called Cub
Scouting for boys younger than Boy Scout age. A year-round, home-centered
program used by chartered organizations, Cub Scouting emphasizes
involvement between boys and their parents, adult leaders, and friends. In
the multidimensional plan of the Boy Scouts of America, Cub Scouting is
where it all begins.
Cub Scouting has the
following purposes:
* Influences a boy's character development and spiritual growth.
* Develop habits and attitudes of good citizenship.
* Encourage sportsmanship and pride. Grow strong in mind and body.
* Improve understanding within the family.
* Strengthen a boy's ability to get along with others.
* Foster personal achievement. Develop new interests and skills.
* Provide fun and exciting new things to do.
* Show a boy how to be helpful and do his best.
* Prepare him to be a Boy Scout.
Membership:
Cub Scouting has program components for boys in the
first through fifth grades. Members join a Cub Scout Pack and are assigned
to a Den, usually a neighborhood group of six to ten boys. Tiger Cubs
(first graders), Wolf Cub Scouts (second graders), Bear Cub Scouts (third
graders), and Webelos Scouts (fourth and fifth graders) meet weekly.
Once a month, all of the Dens and family members
gather for a Pack meeting under the direction of a Cubmaster and Pack
committee. The committee includes parents of boys in the Pack and members
of the chartered organization.
Advancement:
Recognition is important to young boys. The Cub Scout
advancement plan provides fun for the boys, gives them a sense of personal
achievement as they earn badges, and strengthens family understanding as
adult family members work with boys on advancement projects.
The first rank, Bobcat rank is for all boys
who join Cub Scouting.
 Tiger
Cubs BSA is a simple and fun program for
first-grade boys and their families. The Tiger Cub program introduces boys
and their adult partners to the excitement of Cub Scouting as they
"Search, Discover, and Share" together.
The Tiger Cub program is conducted on two levels.
First, the Tiger Cub and his adult partner meet in the home to conduct
activities for the whole family. Second, the Tiger Cub and his adult
partner meet with other Tiger Cubs and adult partners in the Den, using the
planned "big idea" (or theme) for their activity during the meetings.
The Wolf program is for boys who have
completed first grade (or are age 8). To earn the Wolf badge, a boy must
pass twelve achievements involving simple physical and mental skills.
The Bear
rank is for boys who have completed second grade (or are age 9). There are
twenty-four Bear achievements in four different categories. The Cub Scout
must complete twelve of these to earn the Bear badge. These requirements
are somewhat more difficult and challenging than those for Wolf rank. This
program is for boys who have completed third grade (or are age 10).
A boy may begin working on the Webelos badge as soon as he joins a Webelos
Den. This is the first step in his transition from the Webelos Den to the
Boy Scout troop. As he completes the requirements found in the Webelos
Scout Book, he will work on activity badges, attend meetings led by adults,
and become familiar with the Boy Scout requirements - all leading to the
Arrow of Light Award.
Arrow of Light - Cub Scouting's highest award
Activities:
Cub Scouting means "doing." Everything in
Cub Scouting is designed to have the boys doing things. Activities are used
to achieve the aims of Scouting - citizenship training, character
development, and personal fitness.
Many of the activities happen right in the Den and
Pack. The most important are the weekly Den meetings and the monthly Pack
meetings.
Cub Scout Sports and Academics:
The Cub Scout Sports and Academics program provides
the opportunity for boys to learn new techniques, develop sportsmanship,
increase scholarship skills, and have fun. Participation in the program
allows boys to be recognized for physical fitness and talent-building
activities.
Camping:
Age-appropriate camping programs are Packed with
theme-oriented action that brings Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts into the
world of imagination. Day camping comes to the boy in neighborhoods across
the country; resident camping is at least a three-day experience in which
Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts camp within a developed theme of adventure
and excitement. "Cub Scout Worlds" are used by many councils to
carry the world of imagination into reality with actual theme structures of
castles, forts, ships, etc. Cub Scout Pack members enjoy camping in local
council camps and council-approved national, state, county, or city parks.
Camping programs combine fun and excitement with doing one's best, getting
along with others, and developing an appreciation for ecology and the world
of the outdoors.
Volunteer Leadership:
Thousands of volunteer leaders, both men and women,
are involved in the Cub Scout program. They serve in a variety of
positions, as everything from Cubmasters to Pack Committee Chairmen,
Committee Members, Den Leaders, and Chartered Organization Representatives.
Like other phases of the Scouting program, Cub
Scouting is made available to groups having similar interests and goals, including
professional organizations, government bodies, and religious, educational,
civic, fraternal, business, labor, and citizens' groups. These
"sponsors" are called Chartered Organizations. Each organization
appoints one of its members as a Chartered Organization Representative. The
organization, through the Pack committee, is responsible for providing
leadership, the meeting place, and support materials for Pack activities.
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What happens to a Scout?
For every 100 boys who join Scouting, records indicate that:
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- RARELY will one be brought before the juvenile
court system
- 2 will become Eagle Scouts
- 17 will become future Scout volunteers
- 12 will have their first contact with a church
- 1 will enter the clergy
- 5 will earn their church award
- 18 will develop a hobby that will last through
their adult life
- 8 will enter a vocation that was learned through
the merit badge system
- 1 will use his Scouting skills to save his own
life
- 1 will use his Scouting skills to save the life
of another person
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Scouting's alumni record
is equally impressive. A recent nation- wide survey of high schools
revealed the following information:
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- 85% of student council presidents were Scouts
- 89% of senior class presidents were Scouts
- 80% of junior class presidents were Scouts
- 75% of school publication editors were Scouts
- 71% of football captains were Scouts
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Scouts also account for:
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- 64% of Air Force Academy graduates
- 68% of West Point graduates
- 70% of Annapolis graduates
- 72% of Rhodes Scholars
- 85% of F.B.I. agents
- 26 of the first 29 astronauts
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