Davis is home to both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts (including Cub Scouts).
Scouts in either of these groups (nationally, the Girl Scouts of the USA and Boy Scouts of America) learn skills that are connected to activities like outdoor survival measures, camping techniques and first aid while developing basic skills such as leadership, communication and discipline that will help them in later life.
Boy Scouts tend to do more outdoor activities than Girl Scouts, but both groups can be fun. The Scouting Movement was originally started in the United Kingdom by Lord Robert Baden-Powell, who wrote a book called Scouting for Boys, an adaptation of manuals used by the British Army to train scouts. They first came to national attention in the United States during the First World War while organizing a campaign to conserve food and other products for the war effort. Scouting arrived in Davis in 1920 with the Boy Scouts of America.
There are many forms of Boy Scouts, some paths that a Scout can take upon earning a certain rank and others that they choose when joining. Some of these Scout forms are tightly associated with other groups, such as police or forest rangers. There are also versions for children under the age of Boy Scouts: Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts and Tiger Scouts. Cub Scouts are international and based on the universe of Kipling's The Jungle Book.
The American Scouts BSA now accepts boys and girls. Venturing is co-ed. Girl Scouts and Brownies are a different organization that accept only girls. Girl Scouts of the USA is not part of the World Organization of the Scout Movement; instead, they are linked to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. At the local level, the two groups often work together.
The quality of a troop, be it Scouts BSA or Girl Scouts, depends greatly on the work of the adult leaders and the senior scouts. Scouting can be a lot of work for adults who are pressed for time. The rewards can be great though.
Scouting plays a critical role in the Davis community collecting food for STEAC in the annual Scouting for Food food drive.
Just how inclusive is scouting in Davis? Issues surrounding who is allowed to participate in Davis's scouting programs — gays? atheists? as scouts or as troop leaders? — have led to Davisite discussions of scouting controversies.
Links
- Boy Scouts of America official homepage.
- Girl Scouts of the USA official homepage.
2006-12-20 14:29:31 The article mentions adult leaders but it seems to me the most important leadership comes from the scouts themselves. —KevinRollins
2013-03-21 12:37:32 It would be awesome if some parents could start a Camp Fire group. They are coed and inclusive. —NoelBruening
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I think you will find that if you reach out to the local units, they are also inclusive. BSA also has coed programs, including Venturing Crew 66 here in Davis. —DavidGrundler
- This comment spawned a discussion on inclusiveness in our local scouting programs.
2013-04-30 13:46:35 Venture is for teens (my son is 6). But thanks for the info. —NoelBruening
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