Traditional Scouting for Everyone!
Join Us About BPSA
Traditional Scouting for Everyone!
Join Us About BPSA
Traditional Scouting for Everyone!
Join Us About BPSA

Inclusive Membership

Scouting is a worldwide movement dedicated to outdoor skills, leadership, community, and service. BPSA believes this program should be available to everyone, youth and adult, regardless of gender identity, religious choice, sexual orientation, race, ability, income level, or nationality. We welcome all families.

Traditional Program

Traditional scouting is a method that harkens back to the original principles and practices of Scouting's founder, Robert Baden-Powell. Our program and coursework are modeled after B-P's original texts, and our method is simple: we promote good citizenship, self-reliance, loyalty, and outdoor skills. Our focus is on empowering youth through hands-on practice in small groups, led by peer leadership.

Outdoor Skills

Our program is outdoors-focused and our goal is to engage our scouts in immersive, experiential outdoor skills. Groups are meeting outdoors, at all times of year. They are conceiving and planning their own camping trips and adventures. In all age groups, scouts are pursuing outdoor stewardship and self-reliance in natural spaces.

Service in the Community

Service is one of the core tenets of our program in all age groups. Youth and adults are actively participating in meaningful service in their community, school, and home. From packing donations at a local food bank, to restoring a watershed by planting native trees, our groups across the US are giving their time and service to people and places that need it most.

Welcome to BPSA

The Baden-Powell Service Association offers a community-oriented traditional scouting program for youth and adults of all genders in the United States. There is no religious requirement and our groups are independent from sponsoring organizations. We offer the experience of scouting to anyone who wishes to join us.
We are not affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America or the Girl Scouts, USA or their governing scout associations. We are members of the World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) and as such are not in competition with other American scouting associations; we are only their brothers and sisters in scouting.

How do I get involved with a BPSA Group?

Joining an existing BPSA Group

Find a group on our Groups Map and contact them directly. Each group registers new members independently. If you don't find a group nearby, consider starting one or joining our 1st Lone Scouts Group.

Start a new BPSA Group

Starting a new group is an exciting endeavor that will connect you to your community and the worldwide scouting movement. We recommend contacting the closest group to you and get a feel for their process, their triumphs, and struggles. Examine whether your community could sustain an inclusive, traditional scouts group. To move forward, visit our Start a Group page and connect with one of our Regional Commissioners.

Join our 1st Lone Scouts Group

The BPSA Lone Scouts program is for individual Otters, Timberwolves, Pathfinders and Rovers who might live in rural areas or may not have the interest locally in starting a new group. As part of the Lone Scouts program, you and/or your Scout will be part of the BPSA's 1st Lone Scout Group. You'll be provided the same coursework, badges, etc. and we'll connect you with the larger community of Lone Scouts throughout the US.