Boy Scout Joining Age

[Bob58]

Hi,

 

My question relates to the recent Boy Scout Age Clarification. If anyone has a quick reference to an earlier thresad I'll check it out... I can't find one. My council just posted

"To be a Boy Scout a boy must:

Have completed fifth grade

or

Be age 10

or

Have earned the Arrow of Light. "

 

My understanding was that a young man must Have Completed 5th grade

or

be age 11

or be 10 yrs old and have completed the Arrow of Light.

 

Any help would be appreciated.... I thought that this was discussd here this Fall but can't find it.

 

 

Thanks,

Bob

[FScouter]

From the website of the National Council:

"Boy Scouting ... is available to boys who have earned the Arrow of Light Award

or have completed the fifth grade,

or who are 11 through 17 years old."

[Bob White]

It's late so let's see if I can type this correctly..

The national office recently clarified that to complete the AOL a Cub must be at least 10 years old.

 

So, to join Boy Scouts you must be 11 years old and have completed the 5th grade, or be at least 10 and have completed the AOL.

[acco40]

Almost correct BW. I think the at least 11 and complete the fifth grade is not quite right. I think it is at least 11 OR complete the fifth grade if the youth has not earned AOL.

 

OLD Requirement: Earn AOL OR be at least 11 (and under 18) OR complete the first grade.

 

New Requirement: (Earn AOL) OR (be at least 11) OR (complete the fifth grade) AND (be at least 10 years of age).

 

I'll soon find out because an 11 year old fifth grader who was never a Cub Scout (and thus has not earned the AOL) want to join our troop.

[FScouter]

There are additional requirements to earn the Arrow of Light award, beyond being 10 years old.

[evmori]

A minimum age of 10 years old has been established.

[FScouter]

"A minimum age of 10 years old has been established" adds confusion to what should be simple joining requirements. Age 10 relates to a Cub Scout requirement.

 

When a boy asks "Can I join the troop?", I tell him

"Sure, you can join if you're at least 11 years old,

or if you've completed 5th grade,

or if you've earned the Arrow of Light award.

If you meet any one of those 3 requirements, and are not yet 18, you may join the troop."

 

Requirements to earn the Cub Scout Arrow of Light award are completely unrelated to Boy Scout joining requirements.

[evmori]

Meet age requirements:

Be a boy who has completed the fifth grade and be at least 10 years old, or be 11 years old, or have earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old, and be under 18 years old.

 

 

10 years old is the minimum age.

[Bob White]

FScouter

 

AoL requirements are not a separate issue. The problem arose primarily with home schooled Scouts who were bypassing the 5Th grade requirement since their prograss is not measured that way. There were cases of Home Schooled Scouts completing AoL before they were 10 and some were allowed membership into a troop.

 

National has reminded Cub Leaders that you must be 10 before you complete the AOL and graduate to Boy Scouts.

 

[Bob58]

So I gather that I was correct in my interpretation...

 

"My understanding was that a young man must have Completed 5th grade

or

be age 11

or be 10 yrs old and have completed the Arrow of Light."

 

Funny that no one mentioned affirmed me or acknowledged it. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the oppty to exchange barbs one more time.

 

Bob

[FScouter]

I see no point in muddying the Boy Scout joining requirements by calling attention to one of the Arrow of Light requirements. Its confusing to say on the one hand that an 11 year old may join, and in the next breath say that the minimum age is 10.

 

There are several requirements to earn AoL. Completing all of them will earn the boy the award and admit him into Boy Scouting. Age 10 is only one of those requirements. AoL is only 1 of 3 possible tickets into Boy Scouts, and none of the AoL requirements are required to join Boy Scouts.

 

Saying that a boy must earn AoL AND be age 10 is redundant and confuses the issue.

[acco40]

Fscouter, it is not redundant. There are no hard age requirements for Cub Scouts that I am aware of. Although I admit I'm no longer directly involved in the Cub program. From my memory, the Cub Scout program is age based and grade based. A five year old may earn the Arrow of Light if he has completed the fourth grade.

 

And Bob White, I would not say that the national council has reminded anyone of anything, I'd say that they changed the joining requirements for the Boy Scouts. I'm confused that you state that a Webelos Scout needs to be ten years old to earn his AOL.

[FScouter]

If a boy must be 10 to earn the AoL, it is redundant to say earn AoL AND be age 10. That would imply that a boy could earn AoL before age 10, which as Bob points out is no longer permitted, though it was OK in the past.

 

Being age 10 has nothing to do with joining Boy Scouts other than being one of the many requirements necessary to earn AoL.

 

 

 

 

[acco40]

Where do you get that being at least ten years of age is a requirement for earning the AOL?

 

Be active in your Webelos den for at least six months since completing the fourth grade (or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old), and earn the Webelos badge.

 

 

I do not interpret the above as a hard and strict age requirement. If one completes the fourth grade at least six months prior and has earned the Webelos badge - no age is required.

[FScouter]

The age 10 AoL requirement came from Bob. Maybe he could elucidate. If that's not correct, then your illustration about a 5 year old boy earning AoL makes sense.