| Exploring is the young adult program of the Boy
Scouts of America for men and women 14 to 21 years of age. Local community
organizations such as businesses, professional organizations, churches,
and civic groups initiate specific Explorer Posts. They do this by
matching the interests of the young adults with the people and program
resources within their own organizations. |
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| Exploring began as a senior program in early Boy
Scout Troops. These older boys carried out high adventure activities,
service projects, and gave leadership to young Scouts. |
| In 1912, Sea Scouting was founded for older Scouts
and flourished as a program based on traditions of the sea. |
| In 1935, Senior Scouts were call Explorers for
the first time, and many were organized in separate Explorer crews
in troops, using a Senior Scout program. |
| In 1938, Mr. Waite Philips, a Tulsa oilman, gave
the Boy Scouts of America 35,857 acres of northeast New Mexico, which
became the Philmont Scout Ranch and Explorer Base. |
| In May 1949, the national Executive Board revised
Senior Scouting to be recognized as Explorers for all young men in
posts, Sea Scout Ships, Air Scout Squadrons and all Boy Scouts over
age 14 in troops. |
| In 1954, the National Boy Scouts of America Executive
Board and the University of Michigan made a national study that revealed
the needs, desires, and concerns of boys 14 to 16. As a result a completely
new Explorer program was developed and put into effect January 1,
1959. This new program included activities, methods, and recognitions
that were similar to, but separate from, the Boy Scout program. |
| After almost ten years of limited progress, a study
was made of the special-interest posts being organized by William
H. Spurgeon III, a businessman from California, and the newly completed
research project of the BSA by Daniel Yankelovich. This study indicated
that 83 percent of youth surveyed wanted more information on careers
than they were getting at home or in school, and 94 percent wanted
adult associations. Coed participation, sports, and adult-life recognition
were found necessary to attract young adults to Exploring. |
| This study was implemented by a national committee
that developed the present Explorer program. As a result, special-interest
Explorer posts began to be organized by businesses and professional
and trade organizations. The career interest survey of high school
students was developed to identify and recruit members. |
| This opportunity to join a post that specializes
in careers or recreational programs attracted larger numbers of young
adults to Exploring. Exploring locally and nationally became a separate
division of the Boy Scouts of America designed to serve young men
who had dropped out or never were Boy Scouts. |
| In April 1971, young women became eligible for
full membership in Exploring, and the upper age limit was increased
to age 21. With these new methods came a series of national activities
designed and conducted to strengthen the local posts - the safe driving
road rally, the Explorers Olympics, and the National Explorer Congress,
which led to the organization of the Explorers Presidents’ Association,
involving Explorers in planning their program at entry level. |
| By 1981, the rapid growth of Exploring led to the
development of national specialty program in aviation, business, science
and engineering, law and government, Law Enforcement and health careers,
outdoor, Sea Exploring, sports career education, arts, skilled trades,
social service, fire, and rescue and communications. |
| An Explorer Presidents’ Association Congress
was designed to train local and national youth leaders. A national
Explorer leadership conference was implemented in 1994 on a biennial
basis. |
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