| Scouting in Puerto Rico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Puerto Rico Council of the Boy Scouts of America | |||
Scouting in Puerto Rico was introduced in the 1920s, and has been serving both boys and girls in the island since then. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), serves both boys and girls in different programs, while the Girl Scouts of the USA serves only girls in various levels.
| Puerto Rico Council (661) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Puerto Rico Council shoulder patch | |||
| Concilio de Puerto Rico | |||
| Owner | Scouting America | ||
| Age range |
| ||
| Headquarters | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico | ||
| Location | All 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra | ||
| Country | Puerto Rico | ||
| Coordinates | 18°22′24″N66°06′39″W / 18.37338°N 66.11088°W | ||
| Founded | November 15, 1927 | ||
| Membership | 9,700+ | ||
| President | Luis Feliciano | ||
| Scout Executive | María Molinelli, Esq. | ||
| Council Commissioner | Luis Vilaró | ||
| Website scoutingpr.org | |||
The Puerto Rico Council (Spanish : Concilio de Puerto Rico) was founded in 1927 [1] as the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Council, part of the Northeast Region of the Boy Scouts of America. The Virgin Islands District was separated into the Virgin Islands Council in 1965. But it was absolved by the National Capital Area Council in 2013, restoring the Virgin Islands District again. [2] Thousands of youth and volunteers participate in its four main programs; Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting. Their mission is to prepare the youth in making correct choices ethically and morally for their future by learning the Scout Law and Scout Promise. According to a statistics report by Scouting Magazine, Puerto Rico had 189 Scouts to reach Eagle Scouts in 2016 and 128 in 2017. [3]
The Puerto Rico Council is divided into six districts, all named based on the Taíno name of each of the districts' base area:
Puerto Rico is one of the few councils of the Boy Scouts of America organization that uses Spanish as its main language for all programs, including the Scout Promise and Law.
English: On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Spanish: Por mi honor, prometo hacer todo lo posible, para cumplir con mis deberes para con Dios y mi patria, obedecer la Ley del escucha, ayudar a mis semejantes en toda ocasión, mantenerme físicamente fuerte, mentalmente alerta y moralmente recto.
A Scout is: – Un Escucha es:
Guajataka Scout Reservation or Camp Guajataka, often simply referred to as Guajataka and nicknamed Santuario de Amistad (English: Sanctuary of Friendship), is the Puerto Rico Council's only scout camp reservation. [5] The camp is located at the northwest part of the island in San Sebastián and partially borders the southern portion of Guajataca Lake, from which the camp takes part of its name. [6] [7] [8]
Yokahu Lodge 506 is the Order of the Arrow Lodge of the Puerto Rico Council, founded in 1954 by Luis Matías Ferrer and Dr. Frank H. Wadsworth. [9]
| Caribe Girl Scout Council | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Map of Caribe Girl Scout Council and its campsites | |||
| Owner | Girl Scouts of the USA | ||
| Headquarters | San Juan, Puerto Rico | ||
| Location | All 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Founded | 1926 | ||
| Executive Director | Ness Marie Tollinche | ||
| Website cgspr | |||
Girl Scouting in Puerto Rico is administered by the Caribe Girl Scout Council of the Girl Scouts of the USA. It is headquartered in San Juan. The first troop was formed in 1926 in Cabo Rojo by Elisa Colberg.
The Council owns Camp Elisa Colberg, established in 1948, [10] in Rio Grande, Camp María Emilia in Añasco and Camp Provi Biaggi in Ponce. [11] The Spanish translation of Girl Scout is Niña Escucha but it is also widely understood and used in English in Puerto Rico.
The council's newsletter is called Niña Escucha.
Girl Scouts earn a uniquely designed badge created by the council called Los Faros de Puerto Rico (The Lighthouses of Puerto Rico).[ citation needed ]
In 2006, painter Moisés Fragela donated one of his paintings entitled Quedo en Nada (Left in Nothing) to the Caribe Council [12] which was sold in auction for funding part of the renovations and improvements towards the council's campsites. [12]
In 2017, shortly after Hurricane Maria, 2,000 new members joined the Caribe Council. [13]
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an archipelagic island U.S. territory comprised of the eponymous main island of Puerto Rico and 142 smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. It is located between the Greater and Lesser Antilles in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, east of Hispaniola, west of Saint Thomas, north of Venezuela, and south of the Puerto Rico Trench. Measuring 177 km in length and 65 km in width with a land area of 8,868 sq km, the main island is the 3rd largest in the U.S., 4th in the Caribbean, 29th in the Americas, and 81st in the world, making it the 174th largest country or dependency by surface area. With 3.2 million residents, it is the 2nd largest in the U.S., 4th in the Caribbean, 4th in the Americas, and 31st in the world, making it the 136th largest country or dependency by population.
Bayamón is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain, it is bounded by Guaynabo to the east, Toa Alta and Naranjito to the west, Toa Baja and Cataño to the north, and Aguas Buenas and Comerío to the south. Part of the San Juan metropolitan area, Bayamón is spread over 11 barrios and the downtown area and administrative center of Bayamón Pueblo. With a population of 185,187 as of the 2020 census, it is the second most populated municipality in the archipelago and island after the capital of San Juan.
Tourism in Puerto Rico attracts millions of visitors each year, with more than 5.1 million passengers arriving at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in 2022, a 6.5% increase from 2021, the main point of arrival into the island of Puerto Rico. With a $8.9 billion revenue in 2022, tourism has been a very important source of revenue for Puerto Rico for a number of decades given its favorable warm climate, beach destinations and its diversity of natural wonders, cultural and historical sites, festivals, concerts and sporting events. As Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, U.S. citizens do not need a passport to enter Puerto Rico, and the ease of travel attracts many tourists from the mainland U.S. each year.
El Yunque or El Yunque Peak is a mountain located fully within the boundaries of the El Yunque National Forest, part of the U.S. Forest Service, which is the only tropical rainforest under the U.S. Forest Service jurisdiction. It is located in the municipality of Río Grande.
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. While there are both temperate and tropical rainforests in other states and territories, it is the only tropical rainforest in the United States National Forest System and the United States Forest Service. El Yunque National Forest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, encompassing more than 28,000 acres of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico.
Río Grande is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the eastern edge of the Northern Coastal Valley, north of Las Piedras, Naguabo and Ceiba; east of Loíza and Canóvanas and west of Luquillo. Río Grande is spread over eight barrios and Río Grande Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. A big portion of El Yunque National Forest, including El Yunque's peak, is located within the municipality.
Quebradillas is a town and municipality of the island of Puerto Rico located in the northern shore bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of San Sebastián; east of Isabela; and west of Camuy. Quebradillas is spread over seven barrios and Quebradillas Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Scouting in the United States Virgin Islands has a long history, from the 1920s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Paradores in Puerto Rico is a brand of small inns similar to bed and breakfasts that have government permission to call themselves paradores based on a set of criteria. These inns are scattered across the island countryside, outside the main metropolitan area of San Juan. Often called "country inns" in English, paradores in Puerto Rico are known for their hospitality, affordable rates, exotic locations, and traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. They are frequented by guests looking to enjoy the local customs and charm.
Guajataca River is a river in Lares, Puerto Rico. It is located on the northwest coast of the island. It flows from the south and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The name was given by the original Taino inhabitants prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
Elisa Colberg was the founder of the Puerto Rican Girl Scouts, the first troop of which formed in 1926 in Cabo Rojo, aptly named Hijas de Betances. She continued as head of the Girl Scout organisation in Puerto Rico for 27 years. Camp Elisa Colberg, near El Yunque National Forest, is named in her memory.
Puertorriqueña de Aviación, previously known as Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico was an airline company that operated during the 1930s. It was the first documented attempt by Puerto Ricans to have a flag carrier in the country.
The Puerto Rico Department of Correction and Rehabilitation is the law enforcement executive department of the government responsible for structuring, developing, and coordinating the public policies in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. The department has authority over its correctional system and the rehabilitation of its adult and young population who have broken the law.
Guajataka Scout Reservation or Camp Guajataka, often simply referred to as Guajataka and nicknamed Santuario de Amistad, is a Scout reservation of the Scouting America Puerto Rico Council, and the council's only camping grounds. The camp is located in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, in the northwest, and partially borders the southern portion of Guajataca Lake, from which the camp takes part of its name. The camp was founded in 1938 with the transfer of land from the Government of Puerto Rico to the Puerto Rico BSA Council. The facility has a participant capacity of little more than 500 individuals with ammenities such as a dinning hall, lodging cabins, nondenominational chapel, swimming pools, and a First Aid lodge. The location and climate allows for year-round recreational activities such as camping, seminars, leadership trainings and other Scouting-related activities.
Severo E. Colberg Ramírez was a Puerto Rican politician. He served as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, and was the Speaker from 1982 to 1985. He was affiliated to the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).
Cyathea arborea is a plant of the family Cyatheaceae in the order Cyatheales.
Yokahu Lodge 506 is the Order of the Arrow Lodge of the Puerto Rico Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Since 2021, Yokahu Lodge is part of the Eastern Region, Section E-17 of the Order of the Arrow. The Lodge's totem is the Three-Point Taíno Cemí.
Segundo Cardona Colom FAIA is a Puerto Rican architect and developer. His work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), by the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico as well as by the International Union of Architects. In 2006 Cardona was elected as Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 1992, he was awarded the Henry Klumb Award.
Frank Howard Wadsworth was an American forester, conservationist and researcher. He made important scientific contributions to forestry, through his work in Puerto Rico where he lived from 1942 until his death.
Alpha Beta Chi (ΑΒΧ) is a fraternity founded in Puerto Rico in 1941. It has established at least seven student chapters since its establishment at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. It also has alumni chapters across Puerto Rico and in Florida.
