The Boy Scouts of America makes Scouting available to our nation’s youth by chartering community organizations to organize and operate Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, Varsity Scout teams, Venturing crews and Sea Scout ships for boys and young men and women. These chartered organizations manage the units and control the program of activities to support their goals and objectives.

When community organizations establish a new unit, they must take these two important actions to ensure a quality Scouting program:

1. Select leadership. The head of the chartered organization appoints a chartered organization representative to provide leadership in the selection of a unit committee of parents and organization members that will provide overall supervision for the unit’s program. The committee selects the adult unit leaders who will work with the youth. The chartered organization representative also is a voting member of the local council and may serve as a member of the district committee.

2. Provide a meeting place and promote a good program. The chartered organization arranges for appropriate meeting facilities for the unit and promotes through its committee the full use of the program, including outdoor experiences, advancement, recognitions, and, in particular, Scouting’s values.

Learn More

The LDS Church and the Great Southwest Council Boy Scouts of America have a long tradition of partnering to provide quality Scouting programs to Young Men. Many resources are available to support Stake and Ward leadership.  Please visit the sites below:

• National LDS/BSA relationships website (www.ldsbsa.org)
• Friends of Scouting - the Friends of Scouting campaign is critical in helping to finance the Great Southwest Council.
• 11 year old camp - Each summer, the Great Southwest Council offers a weekend camping opportunity for 11 year old Scouts at Gorham Scout Ranch.
• LDS Week at Gorham - Every other year. Next LDS week will be held in 2018.
• Popcorn Sales - The Scouting Handbook for Church Units in the United States (May 2015) contains the following statement in section 8.15  “Commercially produced or packaged goods or services should not be sold.”  Popcorn is considered to be a commercial product and thus the sale of popcorn is not approved as an LDS Scouting unit fundraiser. However, the Church does encourage a young man to pay his own way to camp.  Individual young men can sign up to sell popcorn under their BSA local council and sell in their behalf. This option (selling by individual Scouts) is only available to those Scouts whose councils offer this program. - The Great Southwest Council offers Scouts registered in LDS sponsored units to sell popcorn as individuals. To find out more, please visit here.
• Training Schedule - Every Scout deserves a trained leader!  The most powerful tool to ensure that the Scouts in your units have a great Scouting program is through encouraging every adult to become trained.  Please visit the Training Schedule link to find out when the next opportunity is available in your area.
• Scouting Handbook - Also referred to as the "Green Book," the Scouting Handbook for Church Units in the United States explains all policies and procedures for administering Scouting in your Ward and Stake.