The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of
America (BSA) has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. It
is a year-round family program designed for boys who are in the
first grade through fifth grade (or 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of
age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to
achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently, Cub Scouting is
the largest of the BSA's three traditional membership divisions.
(The others are Boy Scouting and Venturing.)
The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting
are:
- Character Development
- Spiritual Growth
- Good Citizenship
- Sportsmanship and Fitness
- Family Understanding
- Respectful Relationships
- Personal Achievement
- Friendly Service
- Fun and Adventure
- Preparation for Boy Scouts
Membership
Cub Scouting members join a Cub
Scout pack and are assigned to a den, usually a neighborhood
group of six to eight boys.
Tiger Cubs
(first-graders), Wolf
Cub Scouts (second-graders),
Bear Cub Scouts
(third-graders), and Webelos Scouts (fourth- and fifth-graders) meet weekly.
Once a month, all of the dens
and family members gather for a pack meeting under the direction
of a Cubmaster and pack committee. The committee includes
parents of boys in the pack and members of the chartered
organization.
To find a pack in your area, please click on the following
link
https://beascout.scouting.org/
Volunteer Leadership
Thousands of volunteer leaders,
both men and women, are involved in the Cub Scout program. They
serve in a variety of positions, as everything from unit leaders
to pack committee chairmen, committee members, den leaders, and
chartered organization representatives.
Like other phases of the
Scouting program, a Cub Scout pack belongs to an organization
with interests similar to those of the BSA. This organization,
which might be a church, school, community organization, or
group of interested citizens, is chartered by the local BSA
council to use the Scouting program. This chartered organization
provides a suitable meeting place, adult leadership,
supervision, and opportunities for a healthy Scouting life for
the boys under its sponsorship. Each organization appoints one
of its members as a chartered organization representative. The
organization, through the pack committee, is responsible for
providing leadership, the meeting place, and support materials
for pack activities.
Who Pays For It?
Groups responsible for
supporting Cub Scouting are the boys and their parents, the
pack, the chartered organization, and the community. The boy is
encouraged to pay his own way by contributing dues.
Packs also obtain income by working on approved money-earning
projects. The community, including parents, supports Cub
Scouting through the United Way, Friends of Scouting enrollment,
bequests, and special contributions to the BSA local council.
This financial aid supports leadership training, outdoor
programs, council service centers and other facilities, and
professional service for units.
Advancement Plan
Recognition is important to
young boys. The Cub Scouting advancement plan provides fun for
the boys, gives them a sense of personal achievement as they
earn badges, and strengthens family understanding as adult
family members work with boys on advancement projects.
Bobcat. The Bobcat rank
is for all boys who join Cub Scouting.
More...
Tiger Cub. The Tiger Cub
program is for first-grade (or age 7) boys and their adult
partners. There are five Tiger Cub achievement areas. The Tiger
Cub, working with his adult partner, completes 15 requirements
within these areas to earn the Tiger Cub badge. These
requirements consist of an exciting series of indoor and outdoor
activities just right for a boy in the first grade.
More...
Wolf. The Wolf program is
for boys who have completed first grade (or are age 8). To earn
the Wolf badge, a boy must pass 12 achievements involving simple
physical and mental skills.
More...
Bear. The Bear rank is
for boys who have completed second grade (or are age 9). There
are 24 Bear achievements in four categories. The Cub Scout must
complete 12 of these to earn the Bear badge. These requirements
are somewhat more difficult and challenging than those for Wolf
rank. More...
Webelos. This program is
for boys who have completed third grade (or are age 10). A boy
may begin working on the Webelos badge as soon as he joins a
Webelos den. This is the first step in his transition from the
Webelos den to the Boy Scout troop. As he completes the
requirements found in the Webelos Handbook, he will work
on activity badges, attend meetings led by adults, and become
familiar with the Boy Scout requirements—all leading to the
Arrow of Light Award.
More...
Arrow of light. The
highest rank in Cub Scouting is the Arrow of Light Award.
Earning this rank prepares a Webelos Scout to become a Boy
Scout. Webelos Scouts who have earned the Arrow of Light Award
have also completed all requirements for the Boy Scout badge.
More...