Welcome to Scouting!
We hope that this will be the beginning of a great adventure for your son and you!
Still Looking for a Nearby Scout Group?
If you’re still looking for a Scout group in your area, please visit the link below. This site will allow you to search for nearby Scout groups based on your zip code.
Also, we have a list of “Join Scouting” nights organized by school district.
Upcoming Adventures!
Pack & Den Meetings – The Cub Scout group, or “pack”, that you’ve joined will have a whole schedule of meetings. Usually, there is a small group, or “den”, meeting each week. In these meetings, boys of the same school-grade will work on various activities and achievements. Normally, once a month, all of the dens gather together for a larger pack meeting.
Halloween Days – This might be your son’s first visit to camp! Halloween Days is an all day Saturday event held at Camp Tuckahoe in Dillsburg. Scouts attend with their packs, and there are two different dates they can pick from: Oct 18 and Oct 25. This is a fun and exciting day of safe Halloween and camp activities. For more information, please see this brochure:
Scouting for Food – Scouts from across the area participate in a large food drive called “Scouting for Food.” This activity takes place over two weekends. On the first, Scouts distribute door hangers in their communities; on the second, they collect donated food. This year, Scouting for Food takes place on Nov 8 and Nov 15.
Popcorn Sale – Many Scouts participate in the council’s popcorn sale as a way to earn funds for camp and other activities.
Journey to Excellence – The BSA has a program called “Journey to Excellence” that sets benchmarks for the sorts of things that Scout groups should be doing. Some groups focus on particular aspect of Scouting more than others (for example more focus on camping), and the Journey to Excellence may provide some insight about this.
Additional Support
The BSA has put together a guide for new Cub Scout parents, which you may find very informative.
Also, Scouting is organized into “districts” which cover set geographic areas. Each district offers support for training and program administration. Please visit your district page for more information:
- Adams County & Hanover: Battlefield District
- Franklin, Perry, and western Cumberland (Shippensburg area) Counties: Conococheague District
- Cumberland County (Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, and Camp Hill areas) and Dillsburg in York County: Pioneer District
- Dauphin County: Keystone Capital District
- Northern York County (York City and north to the West Shore School District): Susquehanna Trail District
- Southern York County (Dallastown, Red Lion, & Shrewsbury areas): Indian Rock District