Membership is a vital part of your unit.  Membership means registration with the Boy Scouts of America. This entails the submission of an application by a young person (with parent or guardian approval) to a unit leader, payment of a membership fee, acceptance by the unit and council, and issuance of an official registration card.  The benefits of youth membership are listed below.

• Opportunities for training in leadership, Scout craft skills, outdoor living skills, citizenship, career awareness
  
• Access to an active, exciting, fun-filled, and adventuresome program
  
• Authorization to wear a distinctive uniform
  
• Ability to participate in advancement and recognition programs and gain awards for performance
  
• Use of local council long-term camps and Cub Scout day camps with all their facilities
  
• Use of national high-adventure bases
  
• Participation in international, national, and regional events, such as jamborees
  
• Identification with a large national organization having international affiliations
  
• Association with men and women of character who care for young people

In the United States, the Scouting movement operates within a unique system, which has contributed significantly to its success.  Though we own Tiger Cubs BSA, Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing, we do not own the units that convey these phases of the program to youth.

We charter community organizations to organize and operate their units.  This plan has resulted in a thriving relationship between the Boy Scouts of America and the chartered organization.  These community organizations can be public schools, private schools, religious organizations, Police Department, Fire Department, postal workers, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, restaurants, bar association, community centers, Elks, 4-H, hospitals, medical centers, Jaycees, Kiwanis, Masonic Order, Lions Clubs, Optimist, Rotary, womens clubs, senior citizen clubs, YMCA, YWCA and many more.

The mutual concern chartered organizations and Scouting have for youth brings these two together.  Scouting can provide the vehicle for organizations to act upon their concern; and community organizations can provide the facilities and the financial and human resources needed to operate successful units.  The chartered organization that operates a unit can help it thrive by giving close and constant support to its leaders.

Let your district help your unit leaders in bringing this about.  Please contact Wade Hatch, District Executive at (213) 413-4400 ext. 282 or via email wade.hatch@boyscoutsla.org for details.

The Los Angeles Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, maintains records on units and their membership.Your Frontier District helps the organization succeed with support by its district volunteers.  Since ours is a membership organization, we must seek opportunities to retain
and to increase unit membership.