The Purposes of Cub Scouting
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. It is now a year-round family program designed for boys and girls who are in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently, Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA's three membership divisions. (The others are Scouts BSA and Venturing.)
Membership and Leadership
Membership
Cub Scouting members join a Cub Scout pack and are assigned to a den. Lion Cubs (Kindergarten), Tiger Cubs (first-graders), Wolf Cub Scouts (second-graders), Bear Cub Scouts (third-graders), and Jr. Webelos (fourth-graders), and Sr. Webelos Scouts (fifth-graders) meet at least monthly.
Once a quarter, 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.
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. All leaders undergo strict background checks and training to ensure the safety and well-being of the scouts.
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 BSA local 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 care.
Cost, Advancement & 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 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 support provides 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.
Activities
Cub Scouting means "doing." Everything in Cub Scouting is designed to have the boys doing things. Activities are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness.Many of the activities happen right in the den and pack. The most important are the weekly den meetings and the monthly pack meetings.
Camping
Camping takes you on exciting adventures into the natural world. You'll learn to live with others in the out-of-doors. You'll learn to be a good citizen of the outdoors. Camping is fun, and it's good for your mind, body, and spirit. It helps you learn to rely on yourself—on your own skills and knowledge. When you go camping as a Cub Scout, you get skills you will learn and use more, later, as a Boy Scout. Cub Scout camping has day camps, resident camps, Webelos den overnight campouts, family camps, and pack overnighters.
