Outdoor Service Guides

The Outdoor Service Guides (OSG) (formerly known as the Baden-Powell Service Association (BPSA)) is an inclusive, co-ed scouting organization in the United States. It accepts scouts without regard to gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, economic circumstances, religion (or no religion), or other differentiating factors.[4] OSG is a member of the World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS).[3]

This article is about the present-day Scouting organization. For similarly-named defunct group that operated in the United States from 2002 to around 2010, see Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.

Outdoor Service Guides
HeadquartersWashington, DC
CountryUnited States
Founded2006 (2006)[1]
Membership2,500[2]
Chief CommissionerRichard Sowdon
AffiliationWorld Federation of Independent Scouts[3]
Website
outdoorserviceguides.org
Pathfinder (11-17)
Neckerchief color and pattern is unique to
each individual group in OSG.

History

Outdoor Service Guides formed under its original name with an adult-only component, Rovers, in 2006. Youth sections were introduced in 2008 by David Atchley, an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, who had been asked to leave his local Greater St. Louis Area Council after attempting to create a non-discrimination policy for his Cub Scout pack. Atchley became commissioner of BPSA the following year.[1][5]

By 2011, the association had a handful of units. BPSA reincorporated in 2012 and added 35 more groups between 2011 and July 2013.[6] In January 2013, a chapter was founded in Brooklyn, New York with 45 members, while a group in Portland, Oregon with 80 members and 30 registered leaders was founded that same month.[7][8] In 2014, after a Seattle, Washington United Methodist Church’s Boy Scout troop charter was revoked for having a gay leader, the troop moved to join BPSA.[9]

As of February 2020, BPSA had 70 operating groups and a membership of approximately 2,500 scouts.[2] This was an increase from 1,600 in April 2016.

On June 28, 2020, BPSA held a large meeting of invested members and leaders, and concluded that the organization needed a change of name to distance itself from some of the negatives in Baden-Powell's legacy.[10] A new name (Outdoor Service Guides or OSG) was chosen and announced officially announced on May 29, 2021.[11]

Program

Outdoor Service Guides is part of the world-wide Traditional Scouting movement designed to return Scouting to the basic principles laid out by Baden-Powell in 1907.[4] OSG Otters and Timberwolves use a two finger salute same as Cub Scouts.[7]

An OSG scout group is composed of up to five sections as follows:[1]

  • Chipmunks (ages 2 to 4)
  • Otters (ages 5 to 8)
  • Timberwolves (8 to 11)
  • Pathfinders (11 to 17)
  • Rovers (18+)

Each section is led by a section leader and assistant section leaders (who are also Rover scouts themselves), and the group is led by a Group Scoutmaster (also a Rover) and supported by an Auxiliary Committee, which assists the group in matters of finance, registrations, acquiring equipment, finding community-service opportunities, publicity, and so on.

OSG's highest award for Pathfinders is the George Washington's Scout Award.[12] The highest award for Rovers is the Baden-Powell Award.[13]

References
  1. Schremp Hahn, Valerie (December 6, 2012). "Baden-Powell Service Association brings inclusiveness to scouting". Monterey Herald. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  2. Santoro, Helen (February 21, 2020). "Meet the group redefining what it means to be a scout". www.hcn.org. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  3. "Members". WFIS Americas. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  4. "About". bpsa-us.org. The Baden-Powell Service Association. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  5. Thakkar, Neal (August 14, 2012). "Take Five: David Atchley creates 'non-discriminatory' alternative to Boy Scouts". STL Beacon. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  6. Connor, Tracy (July 28, 2013). "Wiccans, earth-lovers, do-gooders: There's a 'scouting' group for your kid". NBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  7. Wollan, Malia (June 3, 2013). "Earning Merit Badges and Learning Knots Under New Flags". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  8. McDonough, Katie (January 11, 2013). "Brooklyn dad welcomes girls, gay members to new scouts troop". Salon.com. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  9. "Boy Scouts' change of course is good news for local chapter". The Seattle Times. May 24, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  10. Wiley, Amber (July 2, 2020). "New Name and Big Journey for BPSA". Baden-Powell Service Association. Retrieved October 20, 2020 – via facebook.com.
  11. Wiley, Amber (July 2, 2020). "Outdoor Service Guides". Outdoor Service Guides. Retrieved November 26, 2021 – via facebook.com.
  12. "Pathfinder". BPSA-US. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  13. "Rover". BPSA-US. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
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