Scouting's Popularity throughout the country

[VentureScoutNY 10]

I was just curious if any of you know where Scouting is most Popular in the country? Is it strongest in rural or surbaban areas? Or Cities? Weakest?

 

Also when it comes to programs like Sea Scouts, Venturing,Varsity, where have they been most popular? Least popular?

[Chippewa29 13]

I know that Scouting is very popular in Utah. A big reason is that the LDS church is very strong there and Scouting is the official youth program of the LDS church.

[Eamonn 61]

I think that I have heard that the Northeast Region has the highest percentage of the total available youth. However, I heard it from someone in the Northeast Region.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[Bob White 20]

It really varies. In the Houston Metro area scouting is hugely popular. But here in the midwest in a mostly rural community our membership rose 16% this year while the nation on average stayed the same or had a slight decline. Scouting will be as strong in your community as you decide to make it.

 

If units don't keep the promise of scouting, If volunteers don't support FOS and Popcorn Sales, If you don't help your DE to bring new Chartering Organizations into the scouting family, If Troops don't recruit and retain Webelos, If leaders don't get training, then scouting in your community will suffer.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Zahnada 11]

I'm on the west coast and scouting has suffered here in recent years. It still has some strong pockets (I think mostly rural, but I don't have any numbers or real proof), but their overall image has taken a bit of a beating of late. I've noticed that often when I mention I'm in scouts to someone they ask about the recent contraversies. Years ago, they would ask about Eagle or service or summer camp or they would mention that they reached Life but quit. Now it's "What do you think about the gay thing?"

 

However, for more on this please consult your "Issues and Politics" section. I don't want to start the same, old debate here.

[WAKWIB 107]

Scouting is HUGE in the Kansas City area. Our council covers a large area in both Missouri and Kansas. We have a mix of urban, suburban and rural demographics. It has been strong here from the start, and enjoys good support from the community.

[Fat Old Guy 11]

I think that my district lost 2% last year that doesn't show a trend yet.

[OneHour 11]

Here are the stats for the Sam Houston Area Council (SHAC):

 

Membership:

 

23 consecutive years of membership growth

 

114,603 youth registered at year-end. This is a gain over 2002.

 

166,536 total youth served in 2003

 

27,483 volunteer adult leaders

 

2,614 Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, Venture Crews and LFL Groups

 

11 Quality Districts/Divisions

 

1,650 Quality Units (Packs, Troops, and Crews. 13.4% gain over 2002)

 

41,153 young adults ages 14-20 in Learning for Life (more than 50% are young women)

 

49,264 At-Risk? youth served by Scouting, including 13,580 inner city youth

 

71,050 estimated youth members from low to moderate income families

 

6,724 youth in Special Needs Scouting

 

 

As for my Pack's and Troop's immediate area, within the 5 miles radius, we have two Packs serving close to 250 cubscouts (or about 10% of the boys in the two elementaries). There are three troops serving about 90 boys or about

[fotoscout 15]

I dont know how to answer this. Scouting is well thought of, but interest seems to be down. People are committing their childrens time to other endeavors and the adults are simply spread very thin.

 

Cub Scout enrollment is down by as much as 15%. # of units is down in both CS and BS. # of Crews is up, but # of Ventures is flat. BS enrollment numbers are also flat. # of adult leaders is also down. Of critical importance, financial support is way off.

 

Eamon,

I hear just the opposite about the Northeast Region, Im curious about where the truth lies?

 

 

 

[DDHII 11]

Here are a few interesting statistics just prepared by the Venturing Division.

 

There were 288,395 Venturers registered at the end of 2003, compared with 293,323 the year before. Gender breakdown is 92,188 female (32 percent) and 196,207 male (68 percent). If the 66,332 male Venturers in LDS crews are excluded, the percentages change to 42/58. 6,874 boys earned the rank of Eagle Scout as Venturers in 2003, out of the total of 49,151 (14 percent).

 

The age breakdown of Venturers is, in approximate numbers:

 

14 - 10,000

15 - 34,000

16 - 52,000

17 - 66,000

18 - 60,000

19 - 46,000

20 - 15,000

21 - 7,000

 

There were 114,000 Venturers in 12,146 crews chartered by faith-based organizations, 174,395 in 8,846 crews chartered by community-based or business organizations. The LDS church is the largest of the faith-based, with 66,332 members in 7,468 crews. The largest group in the other category is crews chartered by public schools, with 57,193 members in 1,583 crews.

 

Doing the math indicates overall average crew size is about 14.

 

The top ten councils in terms of Venturing membership were:

 

Great Salt Lake - 11,300 in 1,111 crews

Utah National Parks - 10,883 in 1,174 crews

Trapper Trails - 8,275 in 789 crews

Sam Houston Area - 6,382 in 336 crews

Cascade Pacific - 6,046 in 345 crews

Atlanta Area - 5,716 in 274 crews

Grand Canyon - 5,250 in 541 crews

Baltimore Area - 5,041 in 189 crews

Denver Area - 4,747 in 185 crews

Greater St. Louis Area - 4,435 in 320 crews

 

*According to the Commissioner, Spring 2004 edition: (As of December 2003)

Northeast - 20,373 total units

Southern - 35,154 total units

Central - 28,368 total units

Western - 42,755 total units

 

NATIONAL - 126,650 total units

 

(*Does not include Explorer posts or Learning for Life groups)

 

YIV,

Dale

[Fat Old Guy 11]

Since Bobo Blanco failed to point this out, I will step up and do his job. It is not our jobs as unit Scouters to worry about which region is numerically stronger. Our job is to grow our units or form new units so the DE can get a good end of year evaluation and the coffers of BSA and the council can fill to overflowing.

 

 

[Eamonn 61]

How come there are 7,000 Venturers that are 21?I thought they were done on their 21st birthday.

Eamonn

[Bob White 20]

Actually OGE in most cases they have until they turn 22, membership is through the age of 21.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Huh? What?

[Fat Old Guy 11]

OGE, I'll see your "Huh? What?" and raise you a "Howzzat?"

 

Bobo Blanco, I offer you this from the BSA's web site, "Venturing is for young men and young women ages 14 to 20." (emphasis mine). Maybe if you attended some training, you'd have a greater understanding of the programs that BSA offers.

 

Without any other evidence, I'd guess that it is a bookkeeping problem. A Venturer may turn 21 but still has months to go on his registration. Even though he is no longer a youth member, the software counts him as one.

(This message has been edited by Fat Old Guy)