Programs: Traditional scouting - in the bsa, scouting is considered to be one movement with three main programs: cub scouting is the largest of the three programs, available to boys from kindergarten to fifth grade or 5 to 10 years. The program is designed to pursue the aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Cub scouting is divided into age-based levels of lion cubs, tiger cubs, wolf cubs, bear cubs and webelos scouts. Boy scouting is the flagship program of the bsa for boys ages 10 1/2 to 17. It uses outdoor activities such as camping, aquatics and hiking to achieve the aims of character, citizenship and personal fitness training. Varsity scouting is a sub-division of boy scouting available to boys ages 14 to 18; it adds a program of high adventure and sporting activities. The order of the arrow is the boy scouting national honor society for experienced campers, based on american indian traditions and is dedicated to the ideal of cheerful service and brotherhood. Venturing is a program for young men and women 14 (and who have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age. Venturing's purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Over 11,621 young people were served through 171 cub scout packs, 177 boy scout troops, and 38 venturing crews.
outdoor programs - planned, organized outdoor activities at the den, pack, district, and council levels fulfill the promise made to our cub scouts. Young boys have a great desire for outdoor fun, excitement, and adventure. These experiences encourage them to spend quality time with family and friends. Quality council camps and fun pack outdoor events directed by qualified, trained leaders provide an ideal setting for these activities. Boy scouting is designed to take place outdoors. It is in the outdoor setting that scouts share responsibilities and learn to live with one another. In the outdoors, the skills and activities practiced at troop meetings come alive with purpose. Being close to nature helps boy scouts gain an appreciation for the beauty of the world around us. The outdoors is the laboratory in which boy scouts learn ecology and practice conservation of nature's resources. Outdoor/high adventure is the largest and fastest growing interest in the boy scouts of america, as youth grow they seek greater and greater challenges. The excitement of these physically and mentally challenging activities is both personally rewarding and aids in the character development of those participating. High adventure creates lifetime memories and experiences. Conservation activities supplement the program of boy scout advancement, summer camp and outdoor activities and teach young people to better understand their interdependence with the environment. Almost 2,500 boys participated in long-term residential camping experiences, 495 boys attended day camp, 216 participated in high adventure programs, more than 9,000 boys participated in weekend camping programs throughout the year and operation and maintenance of the scouting program for over 14,000 youths in bergen, essex, passaic, and hudson counties.
scoutreach- our scoutreach program develops partnerships with local organizations to implement and deliver the scouting program to give boys in urban neighborhoods, who need our programs, the opportunity to join and have the tools they need to succeed in life. Our team of 4 employees and 54 volunteers operates 34 program sites in newark, jersey city, paterson, union city and passaic to serve youth, families and educators who need a scouting program tailored to fit unique economic challenges, language barriers and lack of familiarity of scouting. Providing programs to more than 1200 boys between the ages of 7 and 18, scoutreach is specialized to deliver the scouting message during critical hours when children in single-parent or working-parent households need supervised and structured time to build self-esteem, learn new skills and grow as citizens. The scoutreach initiative gives boys and girls the opportunity to experience outdoor camping during the summer months. Over 110 cubs and boy scouts attended yaw paw day camp, resident boy scout camping at camp nobebosco, camp turrell and high adventure at floodwood. The scoutreach program also includes the stem scouts program - a coed program that teaches scouting character and leadership values with hands-on experiences in science, math, technology and engineering at local partnering schools in the council serving over 110 boys and girls since we launched the program in the fall of 2017. These programs are available during in-school and after school hours at partnering elementary and high schools.
