Our Scouting Community
Since it's founding in 1916, the San Diego-Imperial Council (SDIC) has been serving to local families the best personal growth program in the world. Over 3000 families each year now find both both great fun and outdoor life experiences in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts and Venturing. Find a Scout unit near you at BeAScout.org and start adding a new layer to your family memories today.
Why Scouting?
For more than 100 years, Scouting programs have instilled in the youth of America the many important values found in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Today, these values are just as relevant in helping youth grow to their full potential as they were back in 1910. Scouting helps youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that will positively influence their adult lives.
The many Scouting programs of The Boy Scouts of America provides youth with opportunities to
- Try new things.
- Provide service to others.
- Build self-confidence and leadership skills.
- Reinforce ethical standards.
While various activities and youth groups teach basic skills and promote teamwork, Scouting goes beyond that and encourages youth to achieve a deeper appreciation for service to others in their community. Our monthly newsletter Scouting 360 showcases many of the latest achievements of our wonderful Scouts. More benefits of Scouting can be found here and here.
A 2015 study by Tufts University found that people who were Scouts five or more years as children are more likely than those with no Scouting experience to:
- Graduate from high school (91 % versus 87 %),
- Graduate from college (35 % versus 19 %),
- Earn higher annual household incomes ($80,000 versus $61,000),
- Value family relationships highly (81 % versus 72 %),
- Have lifelong friendships (89 % versus 74 %),
- Attend religious services (87 % versus 77 %), and
- Believe helping others should come before one’s own self-interest (92% versus 83%).
And – more than eight of 10 people who were in the BSA (83%) say that there have been real-life situations in which having been a Scout helped them to be a better leader in society.
Our Scouting Programs:
Cub Scouts (Grades K-5)
Cub Scouting is a year-round program that is uniquely designed to meet the needs of all young people and their parents. The program offers fun and challenging activities that promote character development, good citizenship, and physical fitness.
Service projects, award ceremonies, games, outdoor adventures, and other activities guide kids through core values and give them a sense of personal accomplishment. Through positive peer group interaction and parental guidance, children also learn honesty, responsibility, and respect.
Family involvement is an essential part of Cub Scouting, and parents are encouraged to play an active role in the program. Through interaction with parents, leaders, and friends, children learn cooperation, compassion, and courage. This familiar and community-centered approach to learning means that Cub Scouting is truly time well spent.
Scouts BSA (ages 11-17)
Scouts BSA is a program for both boys and girls ages 11-17 designed to develop character, citizenship, and fitness. Through program advancement and peer group leadership, Scouting helps a youth develop into a well-rounded member of the community. The Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank in Scouting, is recognized around the world as a mark of excellence.
Scouts look forward to camping opportunities and many other adventure activities. In Scouts BSA, the youth take responsibility for the activities of the troop. By planning and organizing activities, they develop teamwork and learn to drive as well as follow.
Each year, somewhere between 400 to 500 Scouts earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout by completing a major community service project along side a host of other important but fun character building rank advancement requirements. Since the typical project is about 150 service hours, that is about 75,000 manhours of volunteer service and other donations that our youth organize to significantly enhance local quality of life.
Venturing (ages 14-20)
Venturing is a youth development program for young men and women ages 14-20. Venturing provides positive experiences to help young people mature into responsible and caring adults. The program offers fun and challenging activities that promote character development, citizenship, and fitness.
Each Venturing crew has their own special interest, often including (but not limited to) outdoor activities, sports, arts and hobbies, religious life, or aquatic activities. These activities, in addition to service projects, ceremonies, and friendly competition, help youth learn core values and give them a sense of personal accomplishment. Community consultants play an important role in Venturing. Through the interaction of the positive peer group and adult mentors, youth also learn honesty, responsibility, and respect.
Popular high adventure activities include hiking through California Sierras, horseback treks at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, sailing treks at Sea Base in the Florida Keys, canoeing or winter camping at Northern Tier in the remote Minnesota wilderness, river rafting in West Virginia at Bechtel Summit or exploring the incredible wilderness of Alaska's mountains.
Sea Scouts (ages 14-20)
Sea Scouts is a youth development program for young men and women ages 14-20 with a special interest in water activities.
Sea Scout units - called ships - are established all across the country on oceans, bays, rivers, and lakes. They provide limitless opportunities and exciting challenges that you won't find anywhere else. Sea Scouts is a place to grow and learn, find adventure, and build long lasting friendships.
For over 100 years Sea Scouting has promoted better citizenship and improved members' boating skills through instruction and practice in water safety, boating skills, outdoor, social, service experiences, and knowledge of our maritime heritage.
International Scouting:
Every year Scouts of the San Diego-Imperial Council (SDIC) participate in a number of International Souting activities. Helping our youth to learn about other cultures, nationalities and traditions goes a long way to foster understanding and world peace. A few examples include:
- Mataguay International Camporee: Every other year SDIC hosts this event locally which is attended by over 1,000 Scouts from the United States, Mexico, Central and South America and elsewhere around the world. Activities usually include swimming, rowing, canoeing, fishing, Scoutcrafts, nature, archery, rifle shooting, Scout games, challenge activities, and theme activities related to California and Mataguay Scout Ranch history. International guests will have opportunities to share songs, games and Scouting activities from their own countries. This event is very popular for English and Spanish speaking Scouts and a bilingual staff operates this camp.
- Citizenship in the World Merit Badge: Merit badge activities guide Scouts in learning about the world around them. This particular activity encourages Scouts to learn about the different countries, cultures, challenges, economic and political systems of our world.
- World Jamboree : Every year SDIC assists Scouts with organizing a contingent to attend one or more international events around the world. For example in 2022 there will be Jamborees in Australia, Denmark, England, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland.
- Jamboree on the Internet: Each year, during the third weekend in October, Scouts from around the world gather online to learn about other cultures and the activities in which other Scouts participate. They communicate with each other using Internet-enabled devices such as computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Last year, JOTA-JOTI had over 1.5 million Scouts and leaders participate in more than 160 countries!
- Eagle Scout Service Projects: Frequently our SDIC eagle Scout candidates lead service projects to benefits those struggling in other less-fortunate places around the world.
SDIC Scouting Partners:
A number of organizations support Scouting in the greater San Diego regionand we invite you to learn more about these exciting partnerships at Community Partners.
Find Scouting Near You!
Find a great Scouting unit near you and start your awesome Scouting adventure today:
Start your Own Scout Unit:
If you're interested in starting either a new Cub Scout Pack, Scouts BSA Troop, Venturing Crew, or Sea Scout Ship, please feel free to Contact Us and one of our Scout Executives will help you get started.
