The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including 176,000 female participants. The BSA was founded in 1910; about 130 million Americans have participated in its programs. Served by 477,000 adult volunteers. BSA became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims and Methods of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.
Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The organization has 147 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization was the first women's fraternity to establish a chapter in Canada. Theta's total living initiated membership, as of 2020, was more than 250,000. There are more than 200 alumnae chapters and circles worldwide.
The National Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree, of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world have the opportunity to attend. They are considered to be one of several unique experiences that the Boy Scouts of America offers. The first jamboree was scheduled to be held in 1935 in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Scouting, but was delayed two years after being cancelled due to a polio outbreak. The 1937 jamboree in Washington attracted 25,000 Scouts, who camped around the Washington Monument and Tidal Basin. The event was covered extensively by national media and attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In the Scout Movement, a commissioner is the volunteer whose role it is to deliver a Scout association's programs and support Scouting's units, usually within a particular geographic area. Commissioners are the volunteers who work with Scout Executives. In some Scout associations, the term Executive Commissioner is used to refer to a paid staff member
The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program. The award is made by the National Court of Honor and the recipient need not be a registered member of the BSA.
Scouts BSA is the flagship program and membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for coeducational young people between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership, and aims to develop the skills necessary to become successful adults.
Edward Allan Pease is an American politician and lawyer from Indiana. He is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving two terms from 1997 to 2001,
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.
Edgar V. Cunningham, Sr. was an early youth member of the Boy Scouts of America who, for a number of years, was believed to be the first African American Eagle Scout. Cunningham married Susie Ann Rockett on September 14, 1931, in Galena, Illinois. They had five children, eighteen grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren.
The Silver World Award is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on an international basis. Recipients must be a citizen of a country with a Scouting program that is a member of the World Scout Conference. Registered members of the BSA are not eligible for this award.
Ellsworth Hunt "Gus" Augustus was an American businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, who served as the tenth National president of the Boy Scouts of America. He lived in Waite Hill, Ohio, with his wife, Elizabeth Good "Betty" Augustus until his death in May 1964.
Wayne M. Perry is a retired American businessman and former national president of the Boy Scouts of America (2012–2014).
The Boy Scouts of America is an organization run by volunteers, however the day-to-day administration is performed by a staff of professional Scouters. The organization has professional staffing at every level—district, council, regional and national. The Chief Scout Executive is the top professional Scouter.
Daniel Gil Ownby is an American energy professional. In 2020, Ownby was elected to a two-year term as National Chair for the Boy Scouts of America, the highest volunteer position in the Scout Organization. Previously, he served as International Commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America. He also was a member of the Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts of America and headed the United States Fund for International Scouting (USFIS). He is known as an advocate for youth leadership and a life-long volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America.
Scouting for Food is an ongoing annual program of the Boy Scouts of America, begun in 1985 by the Greater Saint Louis Area Council. The program involves collecting for local food banks. It is organized at the local level throughout the country.
In the Boy Scouts of America, a Scout leader refers to the trained leaders of a Scout unit. Adult leaders are generally referred to as "Scouters," and the youth leaders are referred to by their position within a unit. In all Scouting units above the Cub Scout pack and units serving adolescent Scouts, leadership of the unit comprises both adult leaders (Scouters) and youth leaders (Scouts). This is a key part of the Aims and Methods of Scouting. In order to learn leadership, the youth must actually serve in leadership roles.
