Home > About the BSA > Fact Sheets > Direct Service

Direct Service

Printer-Friendly Version

Program Overview

The BSA Scouting program is available to United States citizens and their dependents living in other countries. The Transatlantic Council is headquartered in Germany and serves U.S. Scouts in most of Europe. The Far East Council is headquartered in Japan and serves several Far East nations. Direct Service serves all other BSA Scouts living outside the United States.

Administration

• Administered by the International Department of the Boy Scouts of America
• Provides some of the same services that a local council provides, including:
• Approving advancements
• Maintaining records
• Operating an Order of the Arrow lodge
• Organizing national and world jamboree participation
• Processing registration and magazine subscriptions
• Processing supply orders
• Providing information and program resources
• Meetings and activities are basically the same as those in the United States.
• Minor modifications are sometimes necessary due to circumstances that occur when living in other countries.
• Scouting activities may include other Scout associations for events like jamborees, rallies, and community projects.
• Serves youth through chartered organizations
• Units organize their own activities to earn money for:
• Special programs
• Equipment
• Service projects

Membership

• Approximately 2,500 youth members and 1,000 adult leaders are in Direct Service units or are registered as Lone Scouts in isolated areas of the world.
• Members are the children of:
•  International businesspeople
• Diplomatic corps officials
• U.S. military personnel
• 100 Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews in more than 50 countries on five continents
• These are some of the countries that have one or more Scouting units or Lone Scouts registered through Direct Service:

Angola Argentina Australia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bolivia Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Cameroon Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt

El Salvador Honduras Hong Kong India Indonesia Israel Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Laos Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Oman Panama Peru

Qatar Russia Rwanda Saudi Arabia Senegal Singapore South Africa Sri Lanka Sumatra Tanzania The Bahamas Trinidad and Tobago Ukraine United Arab Emirates Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zimbabwe

Order of the Arrow

• The Gamenowinink Lodge No. 555 is under the supervision and administration of the International Department:
• The lodge averages 200 members.
• The name of the lodge means “On the other side of the Great Sea” in Lenni Lenape.

Web Site

More information can be found at www.directservicebsa.org.

• About
• Jobs
• Licensing and Trademark
• Privacy
• Terms
• Sitemap