SCOUTING
Local Scouting: Chartered by the First Presbyterian Church of Monticello
Thank you for taking the time to check out what local Scouting has to offer your son and family!
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.
For more than a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through over a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.
Why join Scouting? From your son’s point of view the reasons are simple. Does he love the outdoors? Activities such as camping, backpacking and hiking, outdoor cooking and canoeing are all great ways to hang out with your friends. As a parent there are a variety of reasons to join Scouting. The Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. According to a study by Lois Harris and Associates, boys agree that being a Scout has increased their self-confidence and taught them skills that they could not get elsewhere. Scouting provides an atmosphere of teamwork, learning and accomplishment. The study found that Scouting has:
• Taught self-confidence, 89 Percent
• Helped prepare for their futures, 89 Percent
• Encouraged them to do something they haven’t done before, 55 Percent
Scouts believe:
• “Has taught me skills I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else,” 88 Percent
• “Will help me get a good job,” 85 Percent
• “Will help me get into college,” 83 Percent
The First Presbyterian Church charters both a Cub Scout Pack and a Boy Scout Troop.
Cub Scout Pack 3154
Cub Scouts is geared for boys in First through Fifth Grade (Ages 6 to 11). In Cub Scouting, boys and their families have fun and adventure in a program that builds character and instills values. Cub Scouting embraces the values of citizenship, compassion, cooperation, courage, faith, health and fitness, honesty, perseverance, positive attitude, resourcefulness, respect, and responsibility. These values come to boys in all parts of the Cub Scout program—all while they're having a great time with their friends and families.
Some of the best things about Cub Scouting are the activities you get to do: camping, hiking, racing model cars, going on field trips, or doing projects that help your hometown and the people who live there. Cub Scouting means "doing."
Boy Scout Troop 154
The Boy Scout program is for boys late Fifth Grade through High School (Ages 11 to 17). The concepts of character building and citizenship training are the same as those in the Cub Scout program, but the number of activities to achieve those aims is greatly expanded.
In the outdoors, youth have opportunities to acquire skills that make them more self-reliant. They can explore canoe paths and hiking trails and complete challenges they first thought were beyond their ability. Attributes of good character become part of a youth as he learns to cooperate to meet outdoor challenges that may include extreme weather, difficult trails and portages, and dealing with nature's unexpected circumstances.
Learning by doing is a hallmark of outdoor education. Unit meetings offer information and knowledge used on outdoor adventures. A leader may describe and demonstrate a Scouting skill at a meeting, but the way Scouts truly learn an outdoor skill is to do it themselves on a unit outing.
Scouting uses the patrol method to teach skills and values. Scouts elect their own patrol leader, and they learn quickly that by working together and sharing duties, the patrol can accomplish far more than any of its members could do alone. The patrol succeeds when every member of the patrol succeeds, and Scouts learn that good teamwork is the key to success.
Service to others and good citizenship is learned through such outdoor activities as conservation projects, collecting food, building trails and shelters, and conducting community service projects that promote healthy living. Through helping other people, Scouts learn to appreciate how they can share themselves and their blessings to those in need. By giving service to benefit others, Scouts gain a sense of personal satisfaction.
For more information on how to join the adventure of Scouting, contact the First Presbyterian Church office for your son’s program’s leaders at 574-583-5787.
