Did You Know There Are Councils Overseas?

Picture BSA-uniformed Scouts in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. It’s no fantasy – it’s the far-reaching Scouting movement of today.

The Boy Scouts of America is all over the world. Literally. With so many countries having their own Scouting organizations, you may be wondering how this is possible. The answer is simple: the Transatlantic Council, the Far East Council, the Puerto Rico Council, and Direct Service.

These councils exist overseas to give American citizens inhabiting other countries the chance to be part of the same programs that youth thrive on stateside. The Transatlantic Council covers countries in the Europe, Arab, Eurasia, and Africa regions in terms of providing BSA programs to U.S. youth abroad. The Far East Council does the same for kids in the Asia-Pacific Region. In the case of the Puerto Rican Council, residents of the U.S. commonwealth are actually American citizens. Just like in the states, all youth there are invited to take part in BSA programs. Direct Service helps bring Scouting to American youth in the Interamerican Region (North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean).

You’ve probably seen stories about Scouts overseas accomplishing the incredible. One Cub Scout in Germany earned the Medal of Merit this year for saving his mom after she burned herself. Another Troop in Germany restored laptops and sent them to a Pack in Ghana that delivered them to local Ghana Scout Association Scouts. In Puerto Rico, a Venturing Crew for kids who have Down Syndrome is inspiring councils in the states.

The number of BSA Scouts abroad might surprise you. Thousands of youth members and around 1,000 adult leaders belong to Direct Service units or are registered as Lone Scouts in areas of the world where no Scouting units exist.

Currently, the following countries have one or more Scouting units registered through Direct Service (that means outside of the Transatlantic, Far East, and Puerto Rico Councils):

• Argentina
• Bahamas
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Ecuador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Peru
• El Salvador
• Uruguay

American Scouts end up overseas for many reasons. Often, parents who are in the military or who take jobs abroad bring their families with them. No matter the reason, every aspect of the programs these Scouts experience is the same as what Scouts in the U.S. partake in. Requirements, advancement, volunteer leadership – it’s all the same.

Now tell us: why do you think it’s important the BSA delivers programs to American youth worldwide? What unique challenges do you think accompany leading a unit abroad?