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Citizenship

Used broadly, citizenship means the Scout’s relationship to others. The Scout comes to learn of their obligations to other people, to the society they lives in, to the government that presides over that society.

Character Development

Scouting works toward three aims. One is growth in moral strength and character. We may define this as what the scout is to their self: their personal qualities, their values, their outlook.

Personal Fitness

Fitness includes the body (well-tuned and healthy), the mind (able to think and solve problems), and the emotions (self-control, courage, and self-respect).

Leadership

Every Scout has the opportunity to participate in both shared and total leadership situations. Understanding the concepts of leadership helps a Scout accept the leadership roles of others and guides them toward the citizenship aim of Scouting.

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Choose the perfect program

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.

Cub Scouts

Youth
grades K-5

Scouts, BSA

Youth 11-17 years old

Venturing

Co-ed 14-20 years old

Frequently asked questions

For more than 100 years, Scouting programs have instilled in youth the values found in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Today, these values are just as relevant in helping youth grow to their full potential as they were in 1910. Scouting helps youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that influence their adult lives.

The Boy Scouts of America provides youth with programs and activities that allow them to

Try new things.
Provide service to others.
Build self-confidence.
Reinforce ethical standards.
While various activities and youth groups teach basic skills and promote teamwork, Scouting goes beyond that and encourages youth to achieve a deeper appreciation for service to others in their community.

Scouting provides youth with a sense that they are important as individuals. It is communicated to them that those in the Scouting family care about what happens to them, regardless of whether a game is won or lost.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Scouting promotes activities that lead to personal responsibility and high self-esteem. As a result, when hard decisions have to be made, peer pressure can be resisted and the right choices can be made.

Since 1910, Scouting has helped mold the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes and, through more than a century of experience, understands that helping youth puts us on a path toward a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.

Scouting, with programs for young men and women, helps meet these six essential needs of the young people growing up in our society:

  • Mentoring
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Faith Traditions
  • Serving Others
  • Healthy Living
  • Building Character

Cub Scouting is fun for the whole family. In Scouting, boys and girls start with their best right now selves and grow into their very best future selves. It’s fun, hands-on learning and achievement that puts kids in the middle of the action and prepares them for today – and for life.

Why Join?

  • If you could give only one gift to the young people who are most important in your life, what would it be? No matter what your family situation is, it is within your power to help these children grow into people with a good feeling about themselves and a genuine concern for others. Cub Scouting can assist you in providing this greatest gift of all.
  • Cub Scout-age children benefit developmentally from belonging to a small group of peers. Your child will be a part of a den, a small group of Cub Scouts in the same grade level and who are of the same gender. Through this sense of belonging, children build self-esteem and learn to get along with others.
  • As a parent, you want to be assured that the groups that your child joins will teach values consistent with good  citizenship, character development, personal fitness, and leadership. The values we seek to instill are found in the Scout Oath and Scout Law

Scouts BSA is the traditional Scouting experience for youth in the fifth grade through high school. Service, community engagement and leadership development become increasingly important parts of the program as youth lead their own activities and work their way toward earning Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.

Venturing is an inclusive program of the Boy Scouts of America for males and females ages 14 to 21 (or 13 and completed the eighth grade).

The Venturing program emphasizes:

  • Adventure
  • Leadership
  • Personal growth
  • Service

Venturing enables you to:

  • Challenge yourself through a program that is fun and full of adventure.
  • Acquire specialized skills in the area of your crew’s specialty.
  • Experience positive leadership from adult and youth leaders and be given opportunities to take on leadership roles.
  • Learn life values through the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
  • Give back to your community through meaningful service initiatives.
  • Be recognized for your accomplishments through award opportunities.
  • Discover and grow in a supportive, caring, and fun environment!

This program is operated through local Venturing crews, units made up of youth members and adult Advisors that meet regularly and plan activities and events.  To find a crew near you, visit BeAScout.org

Lead the Adventure!

Absolutely! There are tons of organizations in neighborhoods throughout the Atlanta area that sponsor Scout Troops. Scouts meet at service organizations, places of worship, schools, and more, all within a comfortable distance to your home

Scouting is a family activity! You will have the opportunity to take a role in leading your child’s experience – and we’re here to help you become the best leader you can be with training, online resources and support from our Program Center.

Every volunteer leader is required to go through a rigorous background check and Youth Protection Training process that ensures your child will be in a safe and fun program. The Atlanta Area Council provides many training opportunities for our leaders to enhance the program they deliver and increase the skills they can pass onto our Scouts

Lots of youth take part in Scouting along with a variety of other activities like sports, music, academic interests, and more. These programs all work together with Scouting to provide your child with a balance of adult role models and experiences!

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations, providing programs for young people that build character, train them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship and develop personal fitness. We believe that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible and productive society. Through our four primary programs we strive to develop and train future leaders of all ages.  Contact Us

What other parents have to say

Scouting has provided experiences for my children to be able to learn and grow in an environment where they feel safe and have a great time! They enjoy learning life skills that will help them each and every day of their lives.
Laura Lerman
Scouts BSA Parent
One of the biggest gifts that we can give our son is the gift of independence, and Scouting has provided us that platform to where he gets to learn, develop, and grow the skills he needs and to prove to himself that he can indeed be not only independent, but also flourish.
Travis Allen
Cub Scout Parent
Scouting has provided us with a sense of community. Because of Scouting, we know our neighbors better, we attend city council meetings more, we partake in service projects readily, and we’ve learned valuable life skills that prepare us for whatever tomorrow brings.
Kathy Peters
Cub Scout Parent
Scouting has given us innumerable opportunities to do fun things as a family. Our son started in Cub Scouts and has continued on with Scouts BSA. It’s wonderful to see all the different skills he is learning that will help him throughout his life. And, we were so excited when the BSA extended membership to girls. Our daughter is in her third year of Cub Scouts and loves that she gets to do all the things her brother did and more! We can’t wait to see how far they go!
Marcela Clinton
Cub Scout & Scout BSA Parent

Leave this world a little better than you found it.

— Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scout Movement