The Mission of Scouting America
To prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of more than 1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and more than 628,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories.
Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in Scouting America’s youth programs. More than 35 million adult volunteers have helped carry out Scouting America’s mission.
Scouting America programs are divided by age and activity: Cub Scouting is for boys and girls in kindergarten through 5th grade, Scouts BSA is open to young men and young women in grades 6 through 12, and co-ed Venturing and Sea Scouting are available for young men and young women age 14 through 20. Scouting America also offers career-oriented co-ed Exploring programs to youth age 10 through 20.
Traditional Scouting programs are operated by local chartering organizations, such as religious institutions, clubs, civic associations, and educational organizations, which implement the Scouting program for youth within their communities. These units are led entirely by volunteers appointed by the chartering organization, who are supported by local councils using both volunteers and paid professional staff.
In order to further outdoor activities, which are core to Scouting’s mission, the BSA has four High-Adventure Bases: Northern Tier (Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario), Philmont Scout Ranch (New Mexico), Sea Base (Florida), and Summit Bechtel Reserve (West Virginia).
Scout Oath
On my honor
I will do my best to do my duty to God
And my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Scout Law
A Scout is
Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful,
Friendly, Courteous, Kind,
Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,
Brave, Clean and Reverent.
About Scouting America National Capital Area Council
National Capital Area Council prepares youth for life through outstanding programs that inspire, build character and instill the values that young people need to succeed today. That includes everything from camping and hiking, to community service and leadership development.
Each Scout gains experiences that not only help them when they are young, but stay with them throughout their adult lives, helping them grow into adults that respect their family, community, religion, country and themselves.
National Capital Area Council—Number 82—is one of the largest of more than 240 local councils chartered by Scouting America. Our members come from 20 districts, spread across northern Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands. The Maryland counties we serve include: Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s. The Virginia counties we serve include: Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George, Stafford, Culpeper, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, Manassas Park and Fredericksburg.
The National Capital Area Council Vision
To accomplish the mission of Scouting America in such an exemplary manner as to be recognized by our public as the premier youth organization in the communities we serve and by other councils and the National Council as second to none in all our endeavors.
Annual Report
To learn more about our activities and programs, we welcome you to view our annual report.
Strategic Plans
The National Capital Area Council was founded in 1911, and since then, we have worked to fulfill the mission of the Boy Scouts of America and to continuously position ourselves to best serve the youth across our council in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and beyond.
Our 2023 to 2025 Strategic Plan guides our Scouting work for the coming years through five pillars: Grow Cub Scouts, Effective Fund Development, Optimizing Facilities, Organizational Alignment, and Re-establish the Value of Scouting.
We invite you to become familiar with your Council’s Strategic Plan, especially the five pillars that will guide us as we work together to achieve the mission of Scouting America and the vision of the National Capital Area Council.
