Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is an organization for boys between the ages of 7 and 18, and for both young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21, based in the United States of America, with some presence in other countries. BSA is part of the global Scouting movement and national member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. More than 110 million boys have passed through the organization.

National organization

BSA's National Office is currently located in Irving, Texas. The National Organization is divided into four regions each composed of area Councils, which range in size from two small West Virginia counties (Mountaineer Council) to all of DC and much of Maryland and northern Virginia (National Capital Area Council). The Councils may be further divided into Districts.

Related Topics:
Irving - Texas - Councils - West Virginia - DC - Maryland - Virginia

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The BSA has several membership divisions, including three primary ones:

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• Cub Scouting is for boys between the first and fifth grades, or 7-10 years old. Cub Scouting has ten purposes, including preparing boys to become Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts meet in dens of six to eight boys, and several dens are grouped together as a pack.
• Boy Scouting is for boys ages 11-17. It is perhaps the best known (though not the largest) of the divisions. Also existing for boys 14-17 is a separate program known as Varsity Scouts.
• Venturing is for young men and women ages 14-20. Venturing emphasises the traditional outdoor activities, along with youth ministries, arts & hobbies, and other non-vocational programs. It provides co-educational opportunities for older teens and young adults. The Venturing Division also includes Sea Scouts.
• Learning for Life is an in-school character-development curriculum for both boys and girls. It also offers special-needs curricula for the physically and mentally handicapped.
• The Learning for Life program also contains the Exploring program for young men and women ages 14-20. Exploring is a vocation-oriented program, with Explorer Posts focused on police, fire/rescue, law, medicine, engineering, and other fields.