Boy Scouting is for boys who have completed the fifth grade or are 11 to 18 years old.  The program is designed to further the development of boys through camping, outdoor activities, skills development, and advancement.  When a boy becomes a Boy Scout, he is assigned to a troop.  Troops generally meet weekly under the direct leadership of youth in the troop and with guidance from an adult volunteer called the Scoutmaster.  There may be several Assistant Scoutmasters as well as other adult volunteers helping the Scoutmaster in larger troops.

In Boy Scouting, emphasis shifts from adult leadership of the program to youth leadership.  A boy in a troop is usually a member of a patrol with a patrol leader elected by members of the patrol.  The patrol method gives Boy Scouts an experience in group living and participating citizenship.  It places responsibility on young shoulders and teaches boys how to accept it.  Youth are elected to troop leadership positions, as well, and the Troop and Patrol leaders, together, plan and execute the troop program.

The Boy Scout program is centered in the outdoors.  Most troops camp nearly every month and nearly all attend a one-week council summer camp.  High adventure activities challenge older Scouts to accept broader leadership responsibilities and undertake more rigorous and stimulating outdoor adventures.

Each boy progresses at his own pace as he meets each challenge on his advancement trail to Eagle Scout.  Through merit badge and rank advancement opportunities, a boy is encouraged to confront a series of surmountable obstacles and take the steps necessary in overcoming them.  Troops generally hold Courts of Honor from 2 to 4 times each year where members and their families come together to recognize individual achievements.