Welcome to the Suwannee River Area Council!

Serving Local Youth for over 100 Years!

Our council’s goal is to provide a quality, dynamic program of learning and adventure that builds well-rounded young people. The Suwannee River Area Council was incorporated in 1924. Since then it has been our honor to instill in the youth we serve the character, values and traditions that make Scouting stand apart in the crowd.  We have been serving the youth of our thirteen county area in Florida’s Big Bend and Georgia’s Wiregrass region for over 100 years.

Cub Scouts

Boys & Girls Grades K-5

Scouts BSA

Boys & Girls 11-17 years old

Venturing

Co-Ed 14-20 years old

Exploring

Co-Ed 10–20 years old

Cub Scouting is fun for the whole family. In Scouting, boys and girls start with their best right now selves and grow into their very best future selves. It’s fun, hands-on learning and achievement that puts kids in the middle of the action and prepares them for today – and for life.

Scouts BSA is the traditional Scouting experience for youth in the fifth grade through high school. Service, community engagement and leadership development become increasingly important parts of the program as youth lead their own activities and work their way toward earning Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.

Venturing is youth-led and youth-inspired. You’ll acquire life skills and gain experiences that will prove to be valuable regardless of where your future takes you, all while having a blast: leadership, event-planning, organization, communication, responsibility – the list goes on!

Exploring provides exciting activities and one-on-one mentorship for youth looking to discover their future. Whether you’re a local organization looking to strengthen the community or a young person wanting to uncover the possibilities of your future, Exploring is a great place to start.

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Scouting America is the nation’s foremost youth program providing young people with unique opportunities focused on character development, leadership, fun and outdoor exploration. On February 8, the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate its 115th birthday, marking a pivotal moment in the organization’s journey as we officially adopt our new name, Scouting America. Our organization continues to adapt to meet the evolving needs of young people, ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to benefit from this transformative program.

For more than a century, Scouting America’s mission has remained the same: to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Whether it’s a camping trip, a pinewood derby car race, or a trail hike, every adventure encourages personal growth by teaching youth how to set goals and achieve them with determination. As we look to the future, Scouting America is dedicated to providing young people with the values, skills and experiences they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

“Scouting America has helped instill timeless values for multiple generations of Americans,” said Roger Krone, Scouting America president and CEO. “In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, the values and skills instilled by Scouting are more critical than ever, and the need for strong character, ethical decision-making and effective leadership remains paramount. As we celebrate 115 years of service to our nation, we are reaffirming our commitment to providing a safe and supportive environment where young people can develop these essential qualities, empowering them to reach their full potential, and preparing them to become responsible and engaged citizens.

Scouting America has remained committed to providing youth with a safe environment where they can learn meaningful life skills, create lifelong memories and grow into tomorrow’s leaders. In fact, more than 130 million Americans have been through Scouting America programs since our founding in 1910. Currently, more than 1 million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country.

For more information see our Scouting America FAQ page.

Join Cub Scouts!

Need help finding a unit for you?  No problem!
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Sign-up for the 2026 National Jamboree is now open!

National Jamboree is Scouting’s pinnacle event which only happens once every 4 years. Most scouts will only have one chance to attend a National Scout Jamboree. The Jamboree fee includes events and activities for 10 days at Jamboree. Round trip transportation to the Summit in West Virginia, Hotels, all meals, a Jamboree daypack, contingent t-shirts, patches, pre-jamboree troop meetings, shakedown campouts, and activities, memories for a lifetime.

The SRAC 2026 National Jamboree contingent is open to all Scouts 12 to 17 years of age with birth dates between 8/2/2008 – 7/21/2014. Scouts must be approved by their unit leader, the council, and meet all BSA medical screening and BMI requirements.

The current estimated cost is $3,600.00.  Upon approval to register a deposit will claim your spot. After that, we’ll have a simple monthly payment plan to allow you to pay the fee over time until the balance is paid in full. The current deposit is $500 with $200 monthly payments. The deposit and payments increase the longer you wait to register as the final payment deadline is 3/31/2026. Ample fundraising opportunities will also allow scouts to earn a portion of their Jamboree ticket.  

Please keep an eye on our Jamboree Webpage, Social Media and your inbox for more information, as it becomes available.  Any questions can be directed to Thomas Smith at tcsmith19@aol.com or 850-459-2662

Registering for the 2026 National Jamboree is a multi-step process. Start at our Jamboree signup page to have your minimum qualifications reviewed for approval. Once approved, you will receive an email with information for final registration and payment. The number of Scouts is extremely limited so sign up today!

SRAC Youth Protection Training Policy Update

As the Suwannee River Area Council turns into its second century, we look back at the time that our council has been active in providing a world class program to youth and adults in this area, and we look forward to ensuring this program can be continued for another 100 years. One aspect of this is providing a safe environment for our youth to thrive. For decades, the Scouting has been a leader in youth protection, having created and continuously revised the best expert-informed policies to ensure youth safety. These Barriers to Abuse have been a huge part of our program here in the Suwannee River Area council and will only continue to help strengthen our youth.

Our national policy states that Youth Protection is required for all registered adult volunteer leaders, and that the training must be renewed every two years. Registered leaders include all adult volunteer leaders in Scouting. For additional information on Youth Protection, please visit www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection.

As of Dec 21, 2023, the Suwannee River Area Council Key 3 has reiterated and reemphasised the need for this by approving a new process reiterating the Council’s zero-tolerance requirement that all our volunteers, regardless of position, must always maintain a valid Youth Protection Training certificate.

In addition to the national BSA requirements stated above, all adult volunteer leaders in the Suwannee River Area Council must always hold a valid two-year Youth Protection Training certificate, regardless of the annual charter renewal process. While we recognise there are some inconveniences associated with a zero-tolerance policy, any adult volunteer leader whose Youth Protection training certificate lapses will have their membership suspended from the membership system at the end of the month of their training expiration, and no refunds will be approved for fees paid for membership, insurance, or Scout Life magazine. We firmly believe in our adult leaders and that you will support this because we need to take every possible step to protect our youth and the future of Scouting in North Florida and South Georgia.

This new policy became effective as of Jan 1, 2024. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us, your District Executive, or Program Director.

Thank you for your leadership in ensuring that all our Scouts receive a safe, quality Scouting program

Jeff Barbacci
Council President
Dale Austin
Council Commissioner
Terry Whitaker
Scout Executive

National Membership Change to Criminal Background Checks

In keeping with the highest standards for safety, a change in the processing of adult applications has gone into effect beginning January 16, 2024. As of that date, the adult application flow has changed to require the completion of the Criminal Background Check (CBC) before the new Adult volunteer can assume any leadership role in the BSA.

  • Once an adult application is processed (online or via the Council Office) the person is entered in a “pending” status.
  • The new adult leader and unit key 3 will receive an email informing them not to assume any leadership roles until this CBC is cleared.
  • Once the CBC is cleared and there is no follow-up needed, the system will finish registering the person.
  • An email will then be sent to the unit key 3 and the individual letting them know that they are registered as an active leader.
  • CBCs typically take 24–48 hours to complete. Depending on the volume of applications at any given time, this could take up to a week.

This change only impacts new adult leaders who join the BSA after January 16th, 2024.

Please reach out to Dean Parrish at Dean.Parrish@scouting.org if you have any questions regarding this change.

Changes to 72 Hour Rule – Barriers to Abuse

Effective Sept 1, 2023
 
Starting Sept 1st, 2023, National is changing adult requirements for who must register at the unit level. All adults in the Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Exploring program that attend an overnight event are required to submit an application for that unit, and any adult that is not the parent or legal guardian enrolled in Cub Scouts, or a Cub Scout volunteer that holds a position such as Den Leader where they are interacting with more than just their child that attend an overnight are required to submit an application for that unit. All Cub Scout parents and guardians are recommended to submit an adult BSA application.
 
All adults who accompany a unit camping must be approved by that unit’s Charter Organization Representative. District and Council Activities have a similar stipulation that all adults are registered at the unit or the District/Council level. The key takeaway and best mindset to approach this is to consider who has “overnight access” to youth, and if an adult does have access to any Scouts BSA Scout, Explorer, or Venturer or a Cub Scout that is not their biological or legal responsibility, they should be registered.
 
While this may be a change from how things have been in the past, this change is solely for the safety of the youth, for which we are responsible. As a unit, a council, and a program we must continually strive to ensure that our children, friends, and family are in a safe and nurturing environment.
 
Resources
  • Guide to Safe Scouting Link
  • The PDF version is still being updated. The HTML version of the Guide to Safe Scouting is always current.
  • Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse Link
  • Scouting’s Barriers to Abuse FAQs Link
  • Information on “What is a Legal Guardian” Link

So... what's going on around #SRACBSA?

So, you came here looking for information on what’s going on around our council? Wow! That’s great, there are a number of ways to keep up with what’s up around SRAC. Obviously, this website is one of them. There also several other channels available to help you keep up with Scouting stuff.  We’ll list them below with links for accessing each one.

  • For detailed information on what’s coming up on the schedule of events, see our “Events” page
  • Subscribe to our electronic mailing list, so that you can receive our monthly e-newsletter.  You can subscribe by clicking here or you can simply text “SRACBSA” to 22828 and follow the text prompts.
  • Like our Facebook page
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Join our SRAC Volunteers Facebook group , where members can also post announcementsof interest.
  • Attend a monthly roundtable meeting. 
  • Ask your Den Leader, Cubmaster, Crew Advisor or Scoutmaster.