Boy/Varsity Scout Uniform Term Loops

Both youth and adults as well as professionals and volunteers wear the shoulder loops.

The original intent of the shoulder loop was to prevent Scouters from having to purchase two or three shirts, with differing insignia on each shirt identifying their role and scope. One shirt would be worn, for instance, by a Scoutmaster of a Troop who also serves as a District or Council-level volunteer. By changing only the shoulder loops, the Boy Scout leader (red shoulder loops) becomes a District/Council-level Scouter (silver shoulder loops).

Official BSA shoulder loops

Later, as many volunteers served as Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Explorer, and as either District/Council or Regional/National volunteers (or in roles in all of the above), the BSA realized that this perhaps was not a good idea for people to be switching loops to "fit the occasion." The BSA's National Uniform and Insignia Committee decided that the shoulder loops would "match the REGISTERED (paid) position of the individual".

This idea went nowhere fast. The BSA eventually discarded the dictum and instead, suggests now that the shoulder loops "should match the official position you hold within the Movement and preferably the position in which dues have been paid and in which you function."

There are three rules concerning the wearing of the shoulder loops (and two unofficial but "common-sense" rules):

• Shoulder loops identify you to your peers, youth members and those outside the program The colors correspond to the colors associated with those programs: Cub Scouts and Cub Scouters wear dark blue, which corresponds to the traditional Cub Scout uniform; Boy Scouts and Boy Scouters wear red, which corresponds to the "Scouting red" color used to highlight the Boy Scouting program back then; former Explorers and now ADULT VENTURERS ONLY wear the green shoulder loops (youth Venturers wear the kelly green uniform shirt with the green shoulder loops)which corresponds with the green uniform of those programs; Varsity Scouts and Scouters wear blaze (orange) shoulder loops, which corresponds to their program colors of brown and blaze.

  By wearing the appropriate colored shoulder loops, youth and adults involved in an activity or event can instantly "see" the "participants" of the program. All registered adult members SHOULD wear the program colored shoulder loops while they are working with youth, and while they are working within their UNIT PROGRAM AREA. In other words, a Scoutmaster who is also a District Roundtable Staff member should ALWAYS WEAR RED SHOULDER LOOPS while serving as Scoutmaster.

• Grey and Yellow (Silver and Gold) shoulder loops identify BOTH volunteer AND professional servants of youth to everyone around them. OFFICIALLY, it is UP TO THE COUNCIL SCOUT EXECUTIVE as to whether or not youth members (those under 21) wear the silver shoulder loops while serving as a paid member or as a youth representative of their Council. A "paid member" is one serving on a summer camp or special event staff in which the Council compensates the youth member either by money or special gifts (patch, plaque, commendation certificate, etc.)and of a short duration only.

  A "youth representative" is a person appointed by the Council's Executive Board or by the Council Scout Executive to perform some sort of special function for the Council again of a short duration. This includes Order of the Arrow or Venturing Cabinet Chiefs, Council youth representative, or a youth member making a speech as part of a local Council activity in support of the local Council.

  In BOTH cases, at the conclusion of their service, they MUST remove the silver shoulder loops and replace them with the proper shoulder loop representing their current status in the program.

  The Boy Scouts of America's National Uniform and Insignia Committee established two categories of youth members whom may wear the gold shoulder loops and provided the guidance to local Councils for the wearing of the silver shoulder loops by youth members described above. Gold shoulder loops may be worn by youth members (those under 21) while serving as a paid member of the Boy Scouts of America or as a national youth representative. A "paid member" is one serving on a World or National Jamboree staff, working as part of the staff at any of the BSA's National Outdoor ("High Adventure") Bases (Philmont, Summers, Maine, Boundary Waters, Sea Base), working as an employee of a Scout Shop(tm), or as part of a BSA National or Regional meeting in which the BSA compensates the individual by money or special gifts (patch, plaque, commendation certificate, etc.) and of a short duration.

  A "National youth representative" has been defined as "the national Chief of the Order of the Arrow, the national Venturing President, and other youth who represent the youth membership of the Boy Scouts of America to the National Executive Board, the National Staff, or to their Region."

  In BOTH cases, at the conclusion of their services (up to six months after the conclusion of National and World Jamborees), the gold shoulder loops are removed and replaced by the proper shoulder loop representing their current status in the program.

  One question which gets bantered about on the Arrow-L program discussion group is "Do youth members and adult members serving as Sectional Chiefs and Advisors wear gold or silver shoulder loops?"

  (A Section is a purely Order of the Arrow term. It defines two or more local Councils whom are within the same geographic area and is a subgroup of a Region. An Regional Area, for instance may have two or more Sections within it. The idea of the Sectional concept is to provide an relational grouping between two or more neighboring OA Lodges within the same Regional Area. They are defined as "Section SR2B" for instance (the SR defines the region, in this example the Southern Region; the 2 defines the Regional Area (Area Two) and the B defines the number of the section (in this case, B being the second letter, defines the second Section within Area 2, Southern Region). Some Regional Areas do not have sections, and are defined as Section SR4 (taking in all of the Southern Region's Area Four).

  The BSA's National Order of the Arrow Committee and the Uniform and Insignia Committee has left the matter of Sectional Chief and Advisors wearing the gold shoulder loops to each of the BSA's four Regions to decide. Two regions allow the wearing of the gold shoulder loops by Sectional leaders; two regions do not. The justification for the two Regions not allowing the shoulder loops to be worn is because the Section is not an "official" BSA defined division - the Regional Area and the Region itself are -- and only relates to the Order of the Arrow, which is an optional program.

• Shoulder loops are worn IMMEDIATELY UPON BECOMING A REGISTERED MEMBER. In the first days of the shoulder loops, Boy Scout Scoutmasters would withhold them from their newest Scouts until some sort of ceremony introducing them to the Troop. The BSA has asked through local Councils to discourage Scoutmasters from doing this. First, it is borderline hazing. Second, the joining requirements for new Scouts are clearly identified by the SCOUT Badge.

  The two "common-sense" rules are:

• Units, Districts nor local Councils can NOT "create their own" loop colors for ANY reason. There is no reason to do so...some Districts thought it would be 'cool' to create special colored shoulder loops to identify their staff members by. Instead of special shoulder loops, special neckerchiefs or hats would be a better utilization. As far as units are concerned, this is the reasoning behind special "unit staff insignia" such as the badges of office and the Den Chief shoulder cords.

• Shoulder loops ARE A PART OF THE CURRENT UNIFORM All members of the BSA must wear one set of shoulder loops with the current khaki-tan uniform, the older yellow blouse, the kelly green Venturing uniform and the older Sea Exploring white shirt. Scouters and Scouts wearing the older khaki-green shirts do NOT need to create a epulet and wear the shoulder loops.

  The shoulder loops make our plain uniforms stand out but there is a "rhyme and reason" for their usage--and the colors.

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