Scouts BSA

Scouts BSA is a fun program for all youth 11-17 to grow in adventure, leadership and service. To join, visit www.beascout.org.

This page is run by volunteers on the Scouts BSA National Program Committee on behalf of Scouting America (Boy Scouts of America). ***This is the only official page for the Scouts BSA program run by volunteers from the Scouts BSA program committee.***

Service, community engagement and leadership development become increasingly important parts of the program as youth lead their own activities and work their way toward earning each rank. For the first time in its 100+ year history, the iconic program of the Boy Scouts of America is open to young women as well as young men, all of whom will have the chance to earn Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout. In Scouts BSA, young men and women go places, test themselves, and have one-of-a-kind adventures that can’t be found anywhere else. To learn more visit www.scouting.org/scoutsbsa. To see Scouts BSA program updates please visit https://www.scouting.org/topics/program-updates/program-updates-scouts-bsa/

Digital Community Contract:

The views expressed by users/fans on this page are the sole responsibility of the user(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Boy Scouts of America. The BSA is not responsible for the content of user posts or the content of any linked website, or any link contained in a linked website, or any changes or updates to such websites. The posting of a link does not imply endorsement by the BSA of the linked site or its contents. The BSA does not govern and is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites. The BSA encourages you to read and familiarize yourself with the privacy statements of any website that requests your personal information. This digital Scouting community is governed by the Scout Oath and Scout Law. We will delete any comment that we believe does not reflect the Scout Oath and Scout Law. This includes comments that use inappropriate language or are potentially libelous or injurious to the privacy of an individual or group. Users posting these comments will be banned from commenting on this site. Off-topic comments as well as those promoting unapproved products and services will also be removed. Users posting any comments, photos, videos, links or other items that fall into one or more of the congressionally mandated CyberTipline reporting categories of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (found here: http://www.missingkids.com/gethelpnow/cybertipline) will be reported to the proper law enforcement agencies.

10/11/2026

🦅🎓 EAGLE SCOUTS — SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY!

Earning the rank of Eagle Scout is an incredible accomplishment — and it may also open the door to scholarships for your next educational adventure!

The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) offers scholarships to eligible Eagle Scouts pursuing college, associate degrees, or skilled trade programs.

💰 Scholarships range from $5,000 to $50,000, including several multi-year awards.
📅 IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2027
🦅 Eagle Board of Review: On or before January 24, 2027
📝 Application Portal Opens: December 1, 2026
⏰ Application Deadline: January 31, 2027, at 11:59 PM CST
🏆 Scholarship Awards Announced: June 10, 2027

Who can apply?

Applicants must be NESA members and may apply beginning in their senior year of high school through their junior year of an undergraduate program — or through the halfway point of an associate degree or skilled trade program.

Scholarships are available for eligible Eagle Scouts enrolled in or accepted by an accredited educational institution as a full-time student.

📣 Scout leaders, parents and Eagle Scouts — please share this information! A Scout who worked hard to earn Eagle may have another opportunity waiting because of that achievement.

🦅 Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle.

https://nesa.org/scholarships/

10/09/2026

Merit badge spotlight: Citizenship in the Nation

Every Eagle Scout earns this badge. Scouts learn what the Constitution does and follow the national news for five days. They also study a famous speech and write to their member of Congress.

A free digital resource guide can help:
https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-nation/

10/08/2026

⛈️ ⚜️ SCOUT LEADERS: ARE YOU WEATHER SMART? ⚜️ ⛈️

Reminder: Scouting America has a NEW Hazardous Weather Course!

Weather can change quickly—and when you’re responsible for Scouts on a campout, hike, service project, or high-adventure trek, knowing what to do before severe weather arrives matters.

🏕️ Every outing begins with preparedness.

The updated Hazardous Weather Training gives Scouting leaders practical information to help them plan ahead, monitor conditions, and make good decisions when weather threatens an activity.

🌦️ The course covers how to:

⚡ Monitor and interpret weather conditions before and during an outing
⚡ Understand weather watches and warnings
⚡ Recognize warning signs of severe weather
⚡ Develop an emergency action plan for your unit
⚡ Know what protective actions to take
⚡ Make decisions that help safeguard Scouts and fellow leaders

The training uses situations that Scouters may actually encounter in the outdoors, including thunderstorms, extreme temperatures, severe storms, flooding, and hurricanes.

📌 Important: If you previously started the Hazardous Weather Course but did not complete it, you will receive the new version when you relaunch the course.

💻 Take the new course in the Volunteer Learn Center:

https://training.scouting.org/courses/SCO_800

Before the tents go up, the backpacks go on, or the trail begins—make sure you're prepared for what the weather may bring.

⚜️ Stay Ready. Stay Safe. Become Weather Smart. ⚜️

10/07/2026

⚜️ THE SCOUTS BSA ADVANCEMENT PATHWAY

The Scouts BSA advancement pathway is designed to provide Scouts with a series of achievable challenges as they progress from Scout to Eagle Scout.

Scouts advance at their own pace, building skills, confidence, self-reliance, leadership, and the ability to help others along the way.

🏕️ Advancement is more than earning ranks and merit badges. It’s a pathway for growth.

🔗 Learn more about the Scouts BSA advancement pathway:

https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/

10/06/2026

🧪⚜️ CHEMISTRY MERIT BADGE GETS A MODERN MAKEOVER!

Did you know the Chemistry merit badge dates all the way back to 1911? Now this longtime Scouting badge has been updated to show Scouts that chemistry isn’t confined to a laboratory — it’s all around them.

Three chemists who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill — Paul Winston, Lisa Balbes and Kristin Omberg — helped modernize the badge with a more hands-on, Scout-centered approach.

Instead of simply asking, “What is chemistry?” the new requirements help Scouts discover:

🏕️ Camping is chemistry.
🍳 Cooking is chemistry.
🩹 First aid is chemistry.

🌎 In fact, chemistry is involved in just about everything we do!

Hands-on activities can include using red cabbage to test acids and bases, investigating waterproofing, studying how alcohol affects yeast, and even demonstrations involving nylon synthesis and colored flames.

As Kristin Omberg explains:

“My hope is that every time they cook, camp or use first aid, they’ll remember that they’re doing chemistry.”

That’s one of the great things about the merit badge program. A Scout may begin a badge simply because it sounds interesting — and discover an interest that eventually becomes a career.

Paul Winston knows that firsthand. He earned the Chemistry merit badge in 1968, the same year he became an Eagle Scout, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry and spend nearly four decades as a materials scientist.

🧪 You never know which merit badge might provide that first spark!

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/chemistry/

10/05/2026

📱⚜️ SCOUTS BSA IS ON INSTAGRAM!

Want to keep up with what’s happening in the Scouts BSA program?

Follow the new Instagram account for program updates, ideas, highlights, resources, and more from across Scouting!

➡️ Follow and help spread the word!

10/04/2026

🚗⚜️ SCOUTING SAFETY MOMENT: DISTRACTED DRIVING

Heading to a campout, meeting, service project, or other Scouting adventure? Getting there safely is part of the outing.

Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver’s attention away from driving — and it isn’t limited to texting. Even trying to manage Scouts or activity inside the vehicle while it is moving can become a distraction.

📵 Before you hit the road:

• Put your phone away and set it to silent or turn it off.
• Check texts and messages only during stops or breaks.
• If you must use your phone, pull over somewhere safe first.
• Never text or call someone you know is driving.
• Passengers can help the driver stay focused by handling navigation, phones, and other distractions.

Adult leaders set the example. When Scouts see us making safe choices behind the wheel, we reinforce an important lesson:

The message can wait. The distraction can wait. Getting everyone there safely cannot.

🔗 Learn more from Scouting America’s Distracted Driving Safety Moment:
https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/distracted-driving/

10/03/2026

⚜️ SCOUTS BSA PROGRAM UPDATE: FIRST-EVER SPL SUMMIT!

📣 Senior Patrol Leaders — your voice matters!

Scouts BSA is holding its first-ever Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) Summit on Sunday, October 25, 2026!

This national Zoom event will give SPLs and other designated youth representatives an opportunity to connect with Scouts from across the country and share their experiences directly with national leadership.

📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026
💻 Location: Zoom
⏰ 7:00–7:30 PM local time

Four identical sessions will be offered at 7:00 PM Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific, and participants may attend whichever session works best for their schedule.

💬 Why participate?

Scouts will have the opportunity to share what’s working in their troops, talk about what could be improved, hear what other troops are doing, and help shape the future of the Scouts BSA program.

👥 Who should attend?

Each troop’s Senior Patrol Leader or a designated Scout participant.

📧 Scoutmasters: Watch your email! A registration link will be emailed to each Scoutmaster approximately one month before the Summit to share with the troop’s SPL or youth delegate.

This is what youth-led Scouting is all about — giving Scouts a voice in the program they lead and experience every week.

⚜️ Mark your calendars for October 25!

10/02/2026

🎮⚜️ DID YOU KNOW?

Scouting America’s new Competitive Gaming merit badge is about much more than playing video games!

Scouts use gaming as a way to learn about:

⚖️ Balancing gaming, exercise, and sleep
🛡️ Online safety and digital citizenship
🤝 Teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship
💻 Gaming technology
💼 College and career opportunities in esports and gaming

Scouts even track their gaming, physical activity, and sleep for two weeks and develop a schedule that promotes a healthy balance.

As Scouting America’s Ryan Moon explains:

“The badge requires Scouts to examine how gaming fits into their lives. It doesn’t encourage them to do more of it.”

It’s another example of Scouting taking something young people already enjoy and turning it into an opportunity to learn, grow, and make responsible choices.

📖 Learn more:

https://onscouting.org/2026/08/25/theres-more-to-competitive-gaming-than-just-playing-videogames/

10/01/2026

🏕️ ARROW OF LIGHT SCOUTS CAMPING WITH SCOUTS BSA

Can Arrow of Light Scouts camp overnight with a Scouts BSA troop? Yes — but there are important guidelines.

⚜️ Arrow of Light Scouts may participate in a unit-coordinated campout with a Scouts BSA troop they are eligible to join.
🏕️ They attend as an Arrow of Light den/patrol, with two-deep leadership from their den/patrol or pack.
⚜️ Cub Scout camping requirements still apply, including having a BALOO-trained adult leader in attendance and following all Safeguarding Youth policies.

At a council-coordinated Scouts BSA camporee, Arrow of Light Scouts may participate with their den/patrol under appropriate leadership, or individually with a parent/legal guardian when the council provides the required leadership under applicable standards.

These opportunities are a great way to introduce Arrow of Light Scouts to the patrol method, outdoor adventure, and what awaits them in Scouts BSA!

⚜️ Developing today's youth to become tomorrow's leaders.

https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss03/

Address

Dallas, TX

Telephone

+19725802000

Website

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsbsa

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Scouts BSA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Scouts BSA:

Featured

PopUp Comfort

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Dallas?