Scouting America

About Scouts BSA

About Scouts BSA

What Is Scouts BSA?

Scouts BSA is the program in Scouting America for boys and girls aged 11-17 years. It is one of the oldest youth organizations in the United States, where young people can participate in various outdoor activities like camping, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and much more!

At Scouts BSA, we aim to teach young people:

Character Development

Citizenship Training

Leadership

Mental & Physical Fitness

What Do Scouts Do?

Scouts do many activities, including but not limited to:

  • Camping 
  • Hiking 
  • Exploring fun hobbies 
  • Backpacking 
  • Canoeing 
  • Exploring potential careers 
  • Outdoor cooking 
  • Mountain biking 
  • Community Service Projects 
  • Kayaking 
  • STEM 
  • Climbing 
  • Swimming 
  • Practicing Leadership 
  • Earning Eagle Scout

Scouts in Scouts BSA also participate in organized events like summer camp, community service projects, and National and World Scout Jamborees. Scouting encourages young people to try new things, serve others in their communities, and tackle any challenge they might face in their lives with full hearts and clear minds.

Why Join Scouts BSA?

Joining Scouts BSA is an excellent way for young people to get excited about the great outdoors. Scouting is where boys and girls ages 11 through 17 develop leadership skills, a passion for service, and experience personal growth while participating in fun challenges and adventures with other Scouts.

Be A Scout

Want to Start a New Scouts BSA Troop?

Find a Chartered Organization

A chartered organization is a community-based group whose objectives, mission and methodologies are compatible with those of the Scouting America. They agree to use the Scouting program to further our mission to prepare young people for life. The partnership is intended to be deeper than, say, a sponsorship arrangement between a youth baseball team and a local business.


If you need further assistance finding a chartered organization or want to explore the option of a council-sponsored unit, contact your local council.


View the Chartered Organization Resources for more information.

Choose a Troop Option

Chartered organizations have the following options to choose from:

  • Boy troops, serving male Scouts 
  • Girl troops, serving female Scouts 
  •  Family troops, serving male and female Scouts

Making a final decision on which troop option is selected will ultimately be the responsibility of the chartered organization.

Recruit Scouts to join the unit.

A troop should have at least 5 youth to register as a unit. Effective recruitment and membership growth strategies can be found on the Scouts BSA Membership Corner page.

Questions about New Units?

Yes, anyone can start a new troop. The first step is to find a Chartered Organization, view Chartered Organization Resources for more information. To see the full process of starting a new troop, review the Unit Roadmap. For more support contact your local council.

Every troop decides what works best for them. Most troops will have troop meeting weekly at their chartered organization or other location covered by a facility use agreement, with an additional monthly campout or activity.

For more meeting planning guidance visit the following pages on our Troop Leader Resources pages:

The national fees include:

  • $100 Unit Charter Fee
  • $85: Youth Scout Registration Fee (typically paid for by each Scout’s family)
  • $65: Adult Volunteer Registration Fee
  • Additional cost will vary for each new troop, but could include meeting location materials and camping equipment.

All registered adults are required to complete Safeguarding Youth Training. Each adult position (Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop Committee member, etc.) has position-specific training. This training can be completed online or check with your local council for in-person training opportunities.

The first step is to find a Chartered Organization, view Chartered Organization Resources for more information. To see the full process of starting a new troop, review the Unit Roadmap. For more support contact your local council.

A troop should have at least 5 youth and 5 adults to register. In some councils there is an option to start a new unit with 3 youth and 3 adults, contact your local council for more details.

There are 5 adult roles that are required to start a new unit:

  • The Chartered Organization Representative.
    • This adult leader acts as the liaison between the troop and chartered organization and must approve all other adult leaders.
    • This person must fill out a Scouting America membership application, complete Safeguarding Youth Training and if not already registered with Scouting America pay the annual membership fee.
    • If the organization already sponsors a Scout unit, then this person must be the same for both units.
    • Position-specific training should be accomplished to learn more about the roles and responsibility of the position.
  • Committee Chair.
    • This adult leader leads the behind-the-scenes administrative tasks of the troop.
    • This person must fill out a Scouting America membership application, complete Safeguarding Youth Training and if not already registered with Scouting America pay the annual membership fee.
    • Position-specific training should be accomplished to learn more about the roles and responsibility of the position.
  • Scoutmaster
    • This adult leader supports and guides the youth leadership as they plan and lead the troop.
    • This person must fill out a Scouting America membership application, complete Safeguarding Youth Training and if not already registered with Scouting America pay the annual membership fee.
    • This person cannot be a Scoutmaster in another troop.
    • Position-specific training should be accomplished to learn more about the roles and responsibility of the position.
  • Two Committee Members.
    • These adult leaders work with the committee chair to run the troop in roles like treasurer or secretary.
    • This person must fill out a Scouting America membership application, complete Safeguarding Youth Training and if not already registered with Scouting America pay the annual membership fee.
    • Position-specific training should be accomplished to learn more about the roles and responsibility of the position.

The following resources can help when building an adult and youth recruiting plan:

Visit the Troop Structure page on Troop Leader Resources website.

For more support contact your local council.

To see the full process of starting a new troop, review the Unit Roadmap. For more support contact your local council.

For local support contact your local council.

The William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award is presented to recognize volunteers who organize one or more traditional Scouting Units. For more information view the Award Requirements document.

Questions about Family Troops?

Scouting America troops across the nation participated in a family troop pilot (called a combined troop during the pilot) between September 2024 and July 2025. The primary goal of this pilot was to explore providing chartering organizations with a third option for delivering a quality Scouts BSA program. In October 2025, the National Executive Board approved adding a third troop option, this option gives chartered organizations the ability to meet the unique needs of their communities and families who want to do Scouting together. The following guide is designed to help you facilitate important discussions on this topic with your chartering organization(s), Scouts, their families, and your troop adult volunteers.

Family Troop Decision Guide

Another goal of the pilot was to discover best practices when running a family troop. This guide is a summary of family troop best practices developed during the pilot as reported by participating troops from across the nation.

Family Troop Best Practices Guide

The following guide is designed to help you facilitate important discussions on this topic with your chartering organization(s), Scouts, their families, and your troop adult volunteers.

Family Troop Decision Guide

If the chartered organization and troop families decide to select the option to change an existing troop into a family troop, fill out the following document and submit it to your local council.

Family Troop Intent Form

 There are several situations where it may be necessary or desired to select the option to change a family troop into one or more boy-only or girl-only troops. Those include:

  • A pilot troop decides not to become a family troop
  • A family troop decides to separate into a boy troop and a girl troop
  • A family troop decides to become either a boy troop or a girl troop

This guide will help you determine how to make this switch.

Changing From a Family Troop Guide

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