What Do They Do?

What Does a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Venturer, or Sea Scout Do?

Cub Scouts:

Cub Scouts (boys first grade through fifth grade) meet in small groups called dens, for weekly meetings. Once a month, all the dens meet together as a pack. Often that monthly meeting will involve a fun activity. Cub Scouts and their families take part in events such as the pinewood derby model car race, raingutter regatta model boat race, or a space derby model rocket race. Or, there could be a picnic, trip to the ball game, etc. Many Cub Scout packs schedule camping trips, visits to the Detroit Science Center, Cranbrook, or one of the Metroparks. During the summer there are also multiple Cub Scout Summer Camps and Cub Scout Day Camps available.

Boy Scouts:

Boy Scouts (boys ages 11-17) usually meet once a week as an entire troop, and then have some kind of group activity once a month – typically a weekend campout. Scout troops are encouraged to attend a week of summer camp each year at Cole Canoe Base, D-bar-A Scout Ranch, Lost Lake Scout Reservation, or another Scout camp in Michigan or possibly outside the state (the Scouts themselves usually decide where they want to go, with adult leadership having the final say). Scouts also have the opportunity to enjoy amazing High Adventure opportunities, such as backpacking in New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch, canoe the Boundry Waters in northern Minnesota at Northern Tier National High Adventure Base, snorkeling and sailing at the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base, and exploring BSA's newest high adventure and training center, The Summit Bechtel National Scouting Reserve in West Virginia. Boy Scouts also organize and take part in community service projects, benefiting neighborhoods, schools, churches and more.

Venturering/Sea Scouts:

Venturers and Sea Scouts (young men and women ages 14 – and have completed eighth grade – to 20) enjoy a dynamic, specialized program that normally focuses on specific topics like wilderness survival camping, emergency preparedness, high adventure camping, search and rescue training and more. Typically a Venture crew or Sea Scout ship will meet at least once a month, then have some kind of monthly event or trip. There may also be social events that happen several times a month, depending on the group. Awards in the Venturing program emphasize teaching skills to others, so it’s not unusual to find crews serving as staff members for some Capitol Area Council training programs.