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Highlights:

Our Scout Program take place at the team level
We enable our Scouts to have knowledge of the activities of teams, so they can choose the team that is right for them
Our Scouts choose, organize, and lead their own meetings, programs, and activities

Our operational structure consists of a national organization with regional entities for supervision and active resource to local individual units called teams.  Our Scout Programs really take place at the local level - on our teams.  youth eating outside

Often the phrase "team players" suggests individuals should sacrifice their ideas for those of the team.  We prefer our Scouts have their own ideas and by working together with their follow Scouts, and by consensus have each of their opinions valued.  Since our teams operate democratically, it is the choices of our Scouts that enable the continuous improvement of their teams.

Our Scout teams operate on a democratic basis.  By using creative and critical thinking about the choices and the responsibility they have as a Scout to their team, they develop an understanding of responsible citizenship.  Our teams are community oriented with a common vision and shared values.  We have developed innovative FUN, challenging activities.

Our Scouts operate as a team and each team has a maximum of 48 Scouts.  A Crew is a portion of a team, containing 7-8 Scouts.  Members of teams get plenty of time to get to know each other.  By sharing with each other and cheering for each other, our Scouts develop the concept of team spirit.   Operating as a team becomes a way of life for our Scouts.

Our Scout Programs do not operate by isolating our teams or by providing infrequent once or twice a year times for our Scouts to interact with Scouts from other teams.  Within our own Scout Programs, we advocate teams interact at least once every six weeks with other Teams including weekend long trips, combined meetings or activities. 

Team Counselors

Our Team Counselors are adults who are on-hand to ensure health and safety, but do not interfere in the democratic governance by our Scouts.  Our Team Counselors spend no time organizing activities; instead, they focus on supporting our Scouts.  This allows the Counselors to have the opportunity to identify the potential strengths and interests of each of our Scouts. 

Team Counselors from other teams visit on a regular basis and serve as Counselors, to the Team they are visiting.  The purpose of their visit is to counsel, exchange ideas, and to acquire new ideas for their own Team.  We encourage this friendly exchange to enable the sharing of information, although, each team has its own identity.  This will also permit accountability, which safeguards the integrity of our Scout Programs and ensures youth protection.

Team Organization

We are proud, as Scout Programs that our teams operate on a fully inclusive member basis.  The Scouts of each of our teams choose, organize, and lead their own meetings, programs, and activities.

When our Scouts try new programs and determine they were not as FUN as they thought they might be, they use that experience as an improvement opportunity.  Since our Scout Programs are entirely open to improvement we have developed a variety of methods to ensure those who are in a position of implementing decisions are the ones who also have an opportunity to have their opinions valued.  While it is always wise to avoid making mistakes, we prefer provided the real risks are known and assessed that decisions be made and implemented by those who are best in a position to achieve them.  As a consequence, our operating structure develops group and personal responsibility in our Scouts.
        
The teams of our Scout Programs are structured with equality in membership enabling each of our Scouts the opportunity to have their opinion heard and valued.  Our teams value and use the resources each of our Scouts has to offer.  Within our teams, both individual and team participation are valued.  Each team then implements innovative high quality decisions made on a consensus basis that strengthens the bond between them.  Using each of these concepts enable improved communication within our teams, which results in clarification of goals and more FUN to be had by all.  Our teams are effective because they plan and achieve their own goals, and continue to evolve to improve their effectiveness.

To encourage our Scouts and Members to appreciate the importance of taking the initiative, our Teams operate using democratic principles.  While these principles are result oriented, they also value enthusiastic effort.  Our Teams always operate with an attitude of friendliness, open and fair dealing.  When someone is provided a responsibility, they are also provided a clear understanding of what is expected.  This permits those actually putting forth the effort to achieve the goal, while imprinting their own ideas and being encouraged to take initiative.  To create such an environment our teams develop and operate with an appreciation that all are valued. 

Team Boards of Advisors

We encourage the appointment of interested professionals within the local community to serve as volunteers on an outside board of advisors for each of our teams. This offers interested persons the opportunity to support the efforts of their local teams and for teams to acquire objective improvement opportunities. 

Improving Teams

In an effort to determine activities and programs that are of interest to our Scouts, we encourage our teams to survey the Scouts of their own team to identify what interests them.  In an effort to determine activities and programs which are of interest to those youth within the local community who are not members of the Scout Movement we support at all levels of our Scout Program including at the team level, the surveying of local area youth and families to identify what interests them.  While not everyone will identify or share the same interests, we encourage the participation of all, since the Scouts within each team democratically govern our teams, and they appreciate the interests of each other and consequently try to fulfill the aspirations of each of its Scouts.  Each of our teams has its own character, and in those instances when there are those who share more than just similar general interests but rather share similar specific passions the prospective Scout is welcome to join a team that has their same level of interest.

At the level of Scout is where the Scout Movement ultimately takes place.  However, there is a value of sharing experiences and developing bonds of goodwill and friendship with others as a group or in our case a team.  Our Scouts and Members, on a team level, are where Scout participation occurs.  We therefore value suggestions.  Care must also be undertaken to ensure, at the team and local level, the development of a welcoming environment that encourages suggestions.  When someone provides suggestions, they are demonstrating an interest in improving something they have pride in.  Providing all an opportunity for self-expression allows them to become a part of what they are participating in.  Similarly, it is also important to encourage initiative.

Picking a Team

Unlike most youth organizations, we do not make it a secret which teams prefer which activities.  By letting joining prospective Scouts know which activities are stressed in which teams, they make the decision to join a team with the information they need.  Some of our teams prefer more outdoor activities than less, others of our teams prefer more daylong activities than less. three youth in the snow Our team activities are personalized to the interests of t he Scouts and families a part of that team.  A Scout who wants to spend much of their time in the outdoors would likely be unhappy on a team that stresses indoor activities.  We provide our Scouts with the necessary information to pick the right team for them.

Our Scout Programs have activities that take place both indoors and outdoors.  We have as our primary focus the development of programs that are safe and enriching.  We have developed programs that appeal to our Scouts, including those which are sports oriented.  The Scouts create their own programs, based on the adventures they wish to have.

Each of our teams challenges our Scouts and offers adventure-filled programs.  Although similar, each of our Teams is unique and the Scouts of their team make activity choices.  Therefore, the choices made by the Scouts of one team may be different from that of another.  Prospective Scouts and their parents are encouraged to visit several teams in their area to determine which team fits their personality and interests.

We continuously evaluate all aspects of the Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA.  We recognize Scout Programs actually take place at the local level.  In an effort to encourage innovation, creativity, and value the unique qualities within communities we deliberately choose to allow our Scouts, on a nationwide basis, to create, organize, and lead the programs of their choice, within national standards

We believe since the Scouts are the ones who participate in the activities it is they who should choose them.  Scouts serve at all levels within the Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA, not just at the local level.  To establish personal and collective responsibility our Scouts are the ones who fulfill the tasks necessary for organizing and leading their programs.  We value the unique qualities each Scout possesses and the differences within each of our teams.  Rather than a central office demanding every Team be identical, we encourage each Team to develop their own character, within national standards.

As a part of our Scout Programs, there are many opportunities for our Scouts to develop both as an individual and as a member of a team.  Whether our Rising Star Scouts initially yearn to be a dinosaur or knight, pirate or princess, lion or wrestler, they all have the opportunity to be an action hero.  We provide, during our Scout Program, structured time that enable our Scouts to participate in organized activities.  We also provide unstructured time for both our Rising Star and North Star Scouts, which inspires our Scouts to script their own adventures and to develop creatively.

We acknowledge no program or person has the answers to everything, nor does any community.  We encourage communities to adapt our program provided that they maintain the Spirit of Adventure Scouts USA, and our other national policies.  Since we are Scout Programs that are community oriented, with teams sponsored by community-based organizations, we are proud to enhance the values instilled by parents within each community.

We trust in people and in the stability of the leadership of our Team Sponsors.  Local leadership and their communities do matter.  The individual things within your community: the people, the history, the traditions, are all important.  Therefore, we value their inclusion.  The truth is that the Scout Movement takes place in your community.  Common standards, which reflect the values of the Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA, while critical and, for them to have practical meaning, they must be valued at the local level.  We endeavor to impose the least amount of direction possible over teams in an effort to avoid standardization.  While we need to have a flow of information between teams and the Scout Program, it is our desire to instill excitement, and encourage creativity at the local community level.  We are working to ensure the legitimate futures for every youth.  We are investing in the future, as your community can.  So do not delay, join us today!

 

 

 

 
Adventure Scouts USA