 The Purposes of
Cub Scouting
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger
boys through Cub Scouting. It is a year-round family
program designed for boys who are in the first grade
through fifth grade (or 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age).
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 Boy Scouting and Venturing.)
The ten purposes of Cub Scouting
are:
- Character Development
- Spiritual Growth
- Good Citizenship
- Sportsmanship
- Family Understanding
- Respectful Relationships
- Personal Achievement
- Friendly Service
- Fun and Adventure
- Preparation for Boy Scouts
Membership
Cub Scouting members join a Cub Scout pack and are
assigned to a den, usually a neighborhood group of six to
eight boys. Tiger Cubs (first-graders), Wolf Cub Scouts
(second graders), Bear Cub Scouts (third graders), and
Webelos Scouts (fourth and fifth graders) meet weekly.
Once a month, 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.
Volunteer
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 leader
coaches, and chartered organization representatives.
Like other phases of the Scouting
program, Cub Scouting is made available to groups having
similar interests and goals, including professional
organizations; government bodies; and religious,
educational, civic, fraternal, business, labor, and
citizens' groups. These "sponsors" are called
chartered organizations. Each organization appoints one
of its members as a chartered organization
representative. The organization, through the pack
committee, is responsible for providing leadership, the
meeting place, and support materials for pack 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. Packs also obtain income
by working on approved money-earning projects. 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 Scout 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.
Tiger Cub. The Tiger Cub program is for first grade
(or age 7) boys and their adult partners. There are five
Tiger Cub achievement areas. The Tiger Cub, working with
his adult partner, completes 15 requirements within these
areas to earn the Tiger Cub Badge. These requirements
consist of an exciting series of indoor and outdoor
activities just right for a boy in the first grade.
Bobcat. The Bobcat rank is for all boys who join
Cub Scouting.
Wolf. The Wolf program is for boys who have
completed first grade (or are age 8). To earn the Wolf
badge, a boy must pass twelve achievements involving
simple physical and mental skills.
Bear. The Bear rank is for boys who have
completed second grade (or are age 9). There are 24 Bear
achievements in four categories. The Cub Scout must
complete 12 of these to earn the Bear badge. These
requirements are somewhat more difficult and challenging
than those for Wolf rank.
Webelos. This program is for boys who have completed
third grade (or are age 10). A boy may begin working on
the Webelos badge as soon as he joins a Webelos den. This
is the first step in his transition from the Webelos den
to the Boy Scout troop. As he completes the requirements
found in the Webelos Scout Book, he will work on activity
badges, attend meetings led by adults, and become
familiar with the Boy Scout requirements—all leading
to the Arrow of Light Award.
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.
Cub
Scout Academics and Sports
The Cub Scout Academics and Sports program provides the
opportunity for boys to learn new techniques, increase
scholarship skills, develop sportsmanship, and have fun.
Participation in the program allows boys to be recognized
for physical fitness and talent-building activities.
Camping
Age-appropriate
camping programs are packed with theme-oriented action
that brings Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts
into the world of imagination. Day camping comes to the
boy in neighborhoods across the country; resident camping
is at least a three-day experience in which Cub Scouts
and Webelos Scouts camp within a developed theme of
adventure and excitement. "Cub Scout Worlds"
are used by many councils to carry the world of
imagination into reality with actual theme structures of
castles, forts, ships, etc. Cub Scout pack members enjoy
camping in local council camps and council-approved
national, state, county, or city parks. Camping programs
combine fun and excitement with doing one's best, getting
along with others, and developing an appreciation for
ecology and the world of the outdoors.
Publications
Volunteers are
informed of national news and events through Scouting
magazine (circulation 900,000). Boys may subscribe to Boys'
Life magazine (circulation 1.3 million). Both are
published by the Boy Scouts of America. Also available
are a number of Cub Scout and leader publications,
including the Tiger Cub Handbook, Wolf Cub Scout Book,
Bear Cub Scout Book, Webelos Scout Book, Cub Scout Leader
Book, Cub Scout Program Helps, and Webelos Leader
Guide.
Cub
Scouting Ideals
Apart from the fun and
excitement of Cub Scout activities, a number of ideals
are expressed in the day-to-day life of the boy and his
leaders.
Cub Scout
Promise
I, (name), promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack.
Cub Scout Motto
Do Your Best.
Tiger Cub Motto
Search, Discover, Share.
Law of the Pack
The Cub Scout follows Akela.
The Cub Scout helps the pack go.
The Cub Scout gives goodwill.
Colors
The Cub Scout colors
are blue and gold. The blue stands for truth and
spirituality, steadfast loyalty, and the sky above. The
gold stands for warm sunlight, good cheer, and happiness.
Together, they symbolize what Cub Scouting is all about.
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