Join Scouts BSA
What is Scouts BSA?
Ages: Boys and Girls, 11-17
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. Below is additional information about Scouts BSA:
Yes, girls can join Scouts BSA
Boys and girls ages 11-17 can join Scouts BSA. The group you join is called a troop and may be boy-only or girl-only; there are no co-ed troops.
How do we pick a troop? Are they all the same?
Every Scouts BSA Troop follows the same rules for earning awards and wears the same uniform, but that doesn’t mean they are all identical. Some troops have a history of going to certain camps or other traditions. Leaders are people just like you, so their personalities can and will be different from their colleagues. But they all want what’s best for your son or daughter. Most importantly: if you don’t feel like the troop you first joined isn’t really a fit, that doesn’t mean you have to or should quit Scouting. You can learn more about this on this page of our website.
Why is becoming an Eagle Scout such a big deal?
Fewer than 2.6 million people have become Eagle Scouts in American history. That’s roughly only four percent of all of the people who have ever started in Scouting. Eagle Scouts have excelled in science (Nobel Prize recipients, first human on the Moon), government/law (President of the United States, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, FBI Director, Governors), athletics (Olympic gold medalists, American and World Record holders, NFL, NBA, MLB), business (CEOs, venture capitalists), entertainment (novelists, actors, directors) and other areas.
Uniforms
The Scouts BSA uniform displays all of your child’s accomplishments in Scouting. But maybe more importantly, it gives them a sense of belonging to a group. You can see all the Scouts BSA uniform on this page of the Boy Scouts of America website. All of these items may be purchased locally from our Scout Shop, either in person or online (though we’d suggest coming in so our staff can help you with getting the right fit). You can learn more about our Shop on this page.
Great! Click the button below and you’ll be taken to BeAScout.org, the Boy Scouts of America’s online registration system. There, you’ll be able to find the Scouts BSA Troop(s) closest to you and sign up. You may need to change the zip code selected to find a pack closer to you.