Banks Cub Scouts Pack 581 draws boy scouts from Banks, Forest Grove, North Plains, Buxton, Gales Creek, Roy and other places in Washington County, Oregon. (Pack 581 is in the Tuality District of the Pacific Cascade Council.)
Since 1930, the Boy Scouts of America has helped younger boys through Cub Scouting. It is a year-round family program designed for boys who are in the first grade through fifth grade (or 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Currently, Cub Scouting is the largest of the BSA’s three traditional membership divisions. (The others are Boy Scouting and Venturing.)
Cub Scouting means "doing."
Everything in Cub Scouting is designed to have the boys doing activities which are used to achieve the aims of Scouting—citizenship training, character development, and personal fitness.
Many of the activities happen right in the den and pack. The most important are the weekly den meetings and the monthly pack meetings.
Since its origin, the Scouting program has been an educational experience concerned with values. In 1910, the first activities for Scouts were designed to build character, physical fitness, practical skills, and service. These elements were part of the original Cub Scout program and continue to be part of Cub Scouting today.
Core values are the basis of good character development. In helping boys develop character, Cub Scouting promotes the following 12 core values.
Cub Scouting’s 12 Core Values
- Citizenship
- Compassion
- Cooperation
- Courage
- Faith
- Health and Fitness
- Honesty
- Perseverance
- Positive attitude
- Resourcefulness
- Respect
- Responsibility
Character is “values in action.”