CBOWG Researches

Community Based Organizations - Boy Scouts ( http://www.scouting.org/ )

Organization mission and reach.

What are they trying to achieve, what are their goals?

The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated to provide a program for community organizations that offers effective character, citizenship, and personal fitness training for youth.

Specifically, the BSA endeavors to develop American citizens who are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit; have a high degree of self-reliance as evidenced in such qualities as initiative, courage, and resourcefulness; have personal values based on religious concepts; have the desire and skills to help others; understand the principles of the American social, economic, and governmental systems; are knowledgeable about and take pride in their American heritage and understand our nation's role in the world; have a keen respect for the basic rights of all people; and are prepared to participate in and give leadership to American society.

Who are they targeting (age, ethnicity, economic status, etc.) who do they actually reach ? what are the demographics of participants?

Tiger Cubs - first-grade (or 7-year old) boys. The program emphasizes shared leadership, learning about the community, and family understanding.

Cub Scouts - boys in the second through fifth grade (or who are 8, 9, and 10 years old). .

Webelos Scouts - fourth and fifth grade (or 10-year old) boys. Webelos scouts participate in more advanced activities that begin to prepare them to become Boy Scouts.

Boy Scouting ? A program for boys 11 through 17 designed to achieve the aims of Scouting through a vigorous outdoor program and peer group leadership

Varsity Scouting - program for young men 14 through 17 built around five program fields of emphasis: advancement, high adventure, personal development, service, and special programs and events.

Venturing A program for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age to provide positive experiences through exciting and meaningful youth-run activities that help them pursue their special interests, grow by teaching others, and develop leadership skills.

How many local chapters?

Membership since 1910 totals more than 110 million. As of December 31, 2001 , membership was:

Organization structure

Stability, funding source, internal communications, how systemic are the programs (lots of local variability ? do all offer similar programming?)

Financial Support

The National Council is supported largely through annual registration fees paid by all members, charter and service fees paid by local councils, an Annual Giving Campaign among national employees and selected volunteers, income from the sales of Boys' Life and Scouting magazines, and Scouting equipment, bequests, and special gifts. Local councils are supported by communities through an annual Friends of Scouting campaign, the United Way , special events, foundation grants, investment income, bequests, endowment gifts, and special contributions.

On the unit level, chartered organizations that use the Scouting program provide meeting places and often furnish program materials and other facilities. Youth members help to pay their own way by paying dues to their pack, troop, team, ship, or crew treasuries, and through approved money-earning projects, they can earn additional income for their units.

What is the organizational structure ? management, paid staff, do they use volunteers & in what capacity?

Nearly 4,000 professional Scouters lead, guide, and train more than a million volunteers. Scouting is a volunteer organization. The professional staff has the responsibility for working with volunteer committees and community leaders to recruit, train, guide, and inspire them to become involved in the program of Scouting.

Partner with other organizations

A sampling of Community Organizations Serving Children, Youth, and Families with the Program of the Boy Scouts of America include many business and industry organizations community organizations, education groups, labor organizations, and religious denominations. Government organizations included a wide range from local townships to the US Army. Check out this URL to see a more detailed listing of community organizations working with boy scouts http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?c=fs

Quality

.$B!H.(BPopularity.$B!I.(B: Are they well-organized, draw and retain participants, engaging for an popular with participants and families, develop a good reputation within the community, self-sustaining?

YES, Two kinds of charters are issued by the Boy Scouts of America: one to community organizations and the other to BSA local councils. The first enables community groups to use the Scouting program under their own leadership as a service to their children, youth, and families. The other empowers local councils to help chartered organizations effectively use the Scouting program and to expand the use of the program to other community groups.

To support approximately 124,000 Scouting units owned and operated by chartered organizations, more than 300 BSA councils provide professional counseling and administration, commissioner service, training for leaders, camping and outdoor facilities, program materials and literature, planning tools, and other program aids. Councils also maintain records on units and their membership, provide rank certificates and merit badge cards, and maintain service centers where badges, insignia, literature, and other helps can be obtained.

.$B!H.(BProduces Results.$B!I.(B (NSACA Standards) Can you tell the organization pays attention to addressing these issues of quality (positive human relationships, effective programming, appropriate environments, strong partnership with young people, families, schools and communities)? If so, how can you tell?

Environment for program/activities ? hands-on, available/dedicated space

Evaluation

What are the program outcomes (broad demonstrations of program success)?

What are the participant outcomes (measurable changes in groups or individuals)?

Are these positive, realistic, and quantifiable?

Are program activities linked to participant impact?

What part does research play in program development and operation?

These research reports provide insight into the Scouting program and its benefits to youth, volunteers, and communities: Volunteer Outcome Study, A Year in the Life, and Summer Camps Outcome Study http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?c=rr

Content compatibility

Does the organization mission include career choices, inspirational element, STEM learning?

As chartered by the Congress of the United States , the Boy Scouts of America is a movement dedicated to supplementing and enlarging the education of youth. The merit badge program, which provides opportunities for youth to explore more than 100 fields of skill and knowledge, plays a key role in the fulfillment of this educational commitment. To meet the changing interests of boys, new merit badges are added from time to time. In addition, all merit badges are reviewed and revised periodically. The Space Exploration Merit Badge is an outstanding example of this. Of the 294 pilots and scientists selected as astronauts since 1959, more than 180 were Scouts or have been active in Scouting. In 1965, the BSA launched its Space Exploration merit badge, and since that time, more than 289,000 badges have been earned. Requirements for earning this badge range from building, launching, and recovering a model rocket to designing an earth-orbiting space station. Another Space Science topic Merit Badge is .$B!H.(BAstronomy.$B!I.(B. In 2001 almost 17,000 Boy Scouts were awarded this badge. A grand total of 458,838 Boy Scouts have received this badge since it was incorporated into the Merit Badge Program. Other STEM topic related Merit Badges include Atomic Energy, Botany, Chemistry, Computers, Electronics, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geology, Oceanography, and Weather

Top Five Merit Badges Earned 2001 - 2002

First Aid

72,671

Environmental Science

70,418

Citizenship in the Community

68,425

Citizenship in the Nation

68,385

Camping

64,247

OST student outcomes that apply (do they have these in their mission?):

Increased academic achievement (better grades, increased high school graduation, improved college access), improved access to employment (learning about jobs, getting a job, and/or maintaining employment)

Who do we contact to gain more information?

Boy Scouts of America , National Council ? P.O. Box 152079 ? Irving , Texas 75015-2079

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