Since its beginning das in 1910, BSA has been concerned with extending the Scouting program to boys in areas that can't support a full Troop, Pack, or another type of unit, making it impossible to join a nearby Scouting unit.
The Lone Scout plan serves such boys who cannot take part in a nearby unit on a regular basis because of factors such as distance, weather, time, or disability. These boys apply for membership as individual Lone Scouts.
The Lone Scout member will miss the opportunity to participate in activities in the pack or Troop, the program makes it possible for these lads to take advantage of what the program has to offer.
Background
The Boy Scout Association of Great Britain authorized this program in 1913. By then, Lone Scouts were formed in Canada, New Zealand, Malta, Gibraltar, South Africa, and Burma.
William D.Byce, a Chicago publisher who helped organize Boy Scouts of America in 1910, was responsible for organizing the Lone Scouts of America in 1915. The Lone Scouts of America and the Boy Scouts of America merged in 1924. Since then the Boy Scouts of America has administered a Lone Scout plan as part of its own mission of bringing Scouting to all American youth who wish to take part, regardless of circumstances.
Who may register to be a Lone Scout
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- Children of American citizens who work abroad or are in the military
- Exchange students away from the US for more than a year
- Boys with disabilities that prevent them from attending regular meetings
- Boys in rural communities
- Boys of migrant farmworkers
- Boys who attend special schools, night schools, or boarding schools
- Boys with jobs that conflict
- Boys whose families travel frequently (circus workers, live on boat...)
- Boys with alternate living arrangements with parents who live in different communities
- Boys unable to attend meetings because of communicable diseases
- Boys whose parents believe their child might be endangered by getting to Scout meetings
For more information please visit the Boy Scouts of America Web Page's
This document is based on the
Boy Scouts of America Web Page's Fact Sheet: What is the Lone Scout Plan