Difference between revisions of "Boy Scouts of America"

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==International Scouting==
 
==International Scouting==

Revision as of 03:20, November 15, 2009

The Boy Scouts of America was founded on February 8, 1910, under the laws of the District of Columbia, by W. D. Boyce.[1] The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations, in existence for nearly a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun activities. The Boy Scouts of America believes that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.[2] The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.[3]

Programs

There are five programs in the Boy Scouts of America. Cub Scouting programs are for boys in first grade through fifth grade (or seven through 10 years of age); the motto for Cub Scouts is to, "Do Your Best." Ninety five percent of all Boy Scouts have participated in Cub Scouts at some time. For boys who are 11 through 17 years of age, or have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light award and are at least 10 years old, or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old, they can take part in the Boy Scouts of America program. The Boy Scouts motto is to, "Be Prepared," and the slogan is to, "Do a Good Turn Daily."[3] The three other possible programs is Varsity Scouting, Venturing, and Order of the Arrow.

Program Age Range
Cub Scouting 7-11
Boy Scouts 11[4]-18[5]
Varsity Scouting 14-18
Venturing 14-21
Order of the Arrow N/A

Defining America's greatness

Many presidents have praised and addressed the Boy Scouts over the years. President Calvin Coolidge said this to a group of Boy Scouts in 1924:

“ The three fundamentals of scouthood are reverence for nature ... reverence for law ... and reverence for God. It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Doubters do not achieve. ... No man realizes his full possibilities unless he has the deep conviction that life is eternally important, and that his work, well done, is part of an unending plan. ”

During a 2009 Boy Scouts of America awards ceremony, of which Rush Limbaugh was invited to and attended, he said this about the BSA and how it pertains to America's greatness:

“ The United States of America is a great nation at risk in a dangerous world. It is the traditional values, institutions that have defined the greatness of this country that will save it. The values, the love of country, the recognition that as human beings our rights, our freedom, our essence, our yearning to be free come from our creator, from God, not from a government, not from other men, is what has made this country great. And the Boy Scouts of America ... [it] is a microcosm of what made this country great. And the traditions, institutions, and values that have defined this country's greatness are what make the Boy Scouts of America. [...] And the people involved in instilling those values in the young people of America who it's been said accurately are 'the future of the country,' deserve applause. They deserve recognition, and they deserve to be inspired and motivated. Not only the kids doing it but the adults inspiring them. I am proud of all of you involved in the Scout program, wherever you are.[6] ”

The Scout Oath & Law

The Scout Oath & Law are the guiding principles of Scouting, and are generally recited at the beginning or end of a Troop meeting.

Scout Law:

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, kind, courteous, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Scout Oath:

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.

Ranks

The requirements and order of the BSA ranks have changed over the years, although the names have only changed little. The current order is as follows:

  • Scout
  • Tenderfoot
  • Second Class
  • First Class
  • Star Scout
  • Life Scout
  • Eagle Scout

Rank of Eagle Scout

The highest rank that may be attained by a Boy Scout is that of Eagle Scout, which 2% of Scouts nationwide earn. [7] One of the requirements for this rank is leading a service project to benefit either the community at large, or a specific non-profit organization, such as a school or a church. Other requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges (including 12 predetermined ones), being active in the troop for a minimum amount of time, holding a position of leadership within one's troop, and appearing before a Board of Review. All of the requirements for an Eagle Board of Review must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday (although exceptions may be made for Scouts with mental disabilities), although the Board of Review may occur after this date. Some notable Eagle Scouts include:

A-F G-L M-R S-Z

International Scouting

In Britain, Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, a hero of the Boer Wars, founded the International Scouting Movement. It reflected the spirit of scientific efficiency promoted by the Progressive Movement. Baden-Powell wrote in a pamphlet Scouting & Christianity (1917): "Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity." Since then, various Scouting Organizations have been founded for members of other religions, or which are not specific to any religion. Today the Scout Movement is the largest voluntary youth group in the world. Its membership exceeds 28 million boys and girls, as 95 of 155 National Scout Organizations are now mixed gender; however, the Boy Scouts of America does not mix genders.

In designing the International Scouting movement, Baden-Powell drew ideas from the Japanese warrior's code or "bushido", on educational methods of the African Zulu tribes, on the Victorian "ragged schools" movement, and the educational methods of Montessori.[8][9]

Japan

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Osaka Boy Scouts were established in Osaka, Japan, from an American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), which had close contacts with the Boy Scouts of America. The acceptance and subsequent popularity of the Boy Scouts reflected widespread Americanization of Japanese city life, although the Japanese domesticated American Boy Scouting and tried to remake it as a Japanese entity. The Boy Scouts was a part of the Progressive movement that represented various efforts responding to social problems in both Japan and the United States. It was actually included in transpacific Progressivism. In the 1930's the voluntary Boy Scout organization was forced to transform itself into a militaristic association, starting with an incident at the Osaka Boy Scouts. Exchanges with the BSA eventually stopped, yet transpacific Japanese interest in the BSA continued. Observing the US treatment of minorities in a 'domestically colonial situation,' especially African Americans, the Boy Scouts came to be utilized as a cultural agent for supporting the Japanese empire in Eastern Asia and the South Sea Islands. In this sense, the Boy Scouts was a transpacific social movement, too.[10]

Controversy

The Boy Scouts of America have come under criticism for their policy regarding homosexuals. As stated in a press release from the organization:[11]

The BSA reaffirmed its view that an avowed homosexual cannot serve as a role model for the traditional moral values espoused in the Scout Oath and Law and that these values cannot be subject to local option choices.

This has led to several high profile lawsuits, such as the one brought by the ACLU of San Diego[12], which proposes that the discriminatory practices of the organization should make them ineligible for the use of public funds or public lands.

Prohibition of homosexual scout leaders is not universal within the BSA, however. The Massachusetts Minuteman Council, for example, adopted a bylaw in 2001 barring exclusion of anyone on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation. The bylaw, which resembles the U. S. Military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, permits homosexuals to lead troops so long as they do not discuss their sexual orientation. A few other councils have similar policies.[13]

Atheist Scouts have also been removed from the organization on the basis of the twelfth point of the Scout Law being "reverent". [14]

References

  1. ↑ Founders, scouting.org.
  2. ↑ About the BSA
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Overview of Boy Scouts of America
  4. ↑ Those who have earned the Arrow of Light may cross over at 10
  5. ↑ Exceptions are made to the upper age limit for those with disabilities
  6. ↑ Rush Limbaugh. Rush and Roger Ailes Speak at Boy Scouts Awards Dinner, RushLimbaugh.com, November 11, 2009.
  7. ↑ http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0410/d-news.html
  8. ↑ Baden-Powell, Scouting for Boys"[1]
  9. ↑ [http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-bp.htm Robert Baden-Powell as an Educational Innovator
  10. ↑ Shigeo Fujimoto, "Trans-Pacific Boy Scout Movement in the Early Twentieth Century: The Case of the Boy Scout Movement in Osaka, Japan" Australasian Journal of American Studies 2008 27(2): 29-43
  11. ↑ http://www.scouting.org/media/press/2002/020206/index.html
  12. ↑ http://www.aclusandiego.org/boy_scouts/boy_scouts_082800.html
  13. ↑ Mass. Scouts permit gay leaders, Chicago Sun-Times, Aug 2, 2001
  14. ↑ http://www.beliefnet.com/story/116/story_11619_1.html

External Links

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