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Top: Kids_and_Teens: People_and_Society: Organizations: Personal_Development: Scouting: Boy_Scouts_of_America

Please follow these category specific guidelines in order to maintain a constant standard within the scouting category.

    One: Titles Should Include the Following in this Order

  • Scouting Unit.
  • A Hyphen.
  • The City the Unit is Based in.
  • A Comma
  • The State the Unit is Based in.

    • Two: What to Put in a Description

  • Descriptions may include the district or council the scouting unit is a part of, but should always include a description of what the site has to offer kids and teens.

    • Three: Phrasing State Names

  • The State within the title should not be abbreviated. For example: A troop based in Seattle Washington should not be "Seattle, WA". Instead it should be "Seattle, Washington".

    • Four: British/UK Spelling

  • British spelling applies to all categories affected. For example, we would like to encourage the use of programme instead of program, and utilise instead of utilize in categories whose country of origin uses variation in spelling from that of US categories. These countries include: The United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

    • Five: Describing Sites in Scouting

  • Please do not describe the actual meeting locations and times. Take a look at the below descriptions and titles for an example of what makes up a good and bad description.

    • Bad Title/Description

    Scout Troop 225: Meeting time is every friday night at 7 PM, West Catholic Charities Building.

    Good Title/Description

    Troop 225 - Seattle, Washington: Provides information on upcoming events, advancement requirements, and troop activities.

    Explanation: The example of the bad site's title doesn't comply with the first rule. Please see the first rule for more information. The description doesn't tell what the site has to offer (see number two) but instead tells the user where and when to meet. This is discouraged (see the first paragraph in this rule). The good description complies with title and description guidelines.

    Six: Scouting Groups

  • If describing a site that involves a scouting group (more than one scouting TYPE unit) you can describe the site in this manner.
  • The Scouting Unit (Cub/Boy)
  • Scout Group (typed out)
  • A Hyphen
  • City of Group
  • Comma
  • State of Group

    • Note that this differs from rule seven in that this rule (six) applies to titles that include something along the lines of "Sea Scouts Group."

    Seven: Multiple Unit Numbers As a Group

  • If a scouting unit is a group (that lists more than one number scouting unit i.e. Troop 431, 51, 59) please format titles accordingly:

  • Name of Scouting Unit (Please drop terms such as "Cub Scout", "Boy Scout", and "Girl Scout"). The name of the scouting unit should be a 'pack', 'troop', or any of its equivalents. Boy Scout and Girl Scout units are generally classified as troops, while cub scouts are classified as packs.
  • Number of 1st Unit
  • Comma
  • Number of 2nd Unit
  • Comma
  • Number of 3rd Unit (This cycle repeats depending on how many units are part of the scout group).
  • A hyphen
  • The city location of the group.
  • A comma
  • The state location of the group (in its entirety).

    • Please note that rule number 3 applies still.

    Eight: General Age Tagging

  • First and foremost follow the kguidelines on how to age tag sites. However as a general rule for the scouting category:
  • Cub Scouts/Daisies/Brownies: generally these groups should be tagged kids because the age requirements for a given person to participate in these groups fit the 'kids' age group under the kids and teens guidelines.
  • Boy Scouts (Troops)/Girl Scouts: sites that focus on these organizations or their equivalents should generally be tagged teens and mature teens. Boy scouts (one of three criteria) require that you be in 6th grade or higher, which basically fits into the teens/mature teens area.

    Please note that number six is a general rule. If a site offers indepth information for cub scouts on how to join a boy scouting troop, then the site may be of interest to a 10 year old (which still fits into the kids area) who seeks to register in boy scouts. In this case, tagging the site kids/teens/mature teens may be appropriate.

    Nine: Kids and Teens Guidelines

  • And of course, please follow the regular Kids and Teens Guidelines. These category guidelines in no way intend to replace or substitute what is stated within the general guidelines.
The BSA was started by Seton following Baden-Powell's model.

Councils

Please provide your council name, the location (city, state) of the headquarters, and a description of the site and council. Suggestions: -What is the area served (communities, counties, regions of states)? -What is the most fascinating fact about your council? -Does your site have a calendar? training information? district information? message board? summer camp information?
The council is the subdivision of the Boy Scouts of America that administrates the program at the local level. Generally based on populations, density, and size; The area that a council office provides a program in ranges from one large city to multiple small states. Councils are further divided into districts in similar fashion.

Cub Scouts

BSA Cub Scout Packs. The Cubs are for boys in the age range 8 to 11 years. Baden-Powell began the cubs when he found that younger boys began tagging along with the Scouts. There is also a program for Cubs at the upper age of the program. The WEBELOS (We Be Loyal Scouts)is intended to give the older boys more responsibility and act as a transition to the Boy Scouts.

Districts

Please provide your district name and council name (and council number, if available) in the title. A description of the site and district should be included. Suggestions: -What is the area served (communities, counties, regions of states)? -How many units/youth are in your district? -Does your site have a calendar/event list? training information? committee information? message board? summer camp/camp-o-ree information? map?
Districts are the subdivisions of Councils in the BSA. Districts are not autonomous but are an organizational necessity of most Councils. Districts are generally based on regional statistics such as population, density, and square mileage. This category contains sites that are specifically for individual districts.

Explorer Posts

BSA Explores are the scouting section for older teens based on career or interest groups.

Order of the Arrow

Scouting Honour society for special service.

Sea Scouts

BSA nautical interest scouting.

Troops

BSA Scout Troops

Varsity Scouting

Programs for high school boys looking for high adventure or sporting activities.

Venture Scouts

BSA Senior self directed scout groups.

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Last update: 12:53 PT, Thursday, September 27, 2007 - edit