Editing Scouting America (section)

===Chartered organizations and units===
{{see also|Chartered organizations of Scouting America}}
[[File:Saint Mark Scouts 1910.png|thumb|right|Scouts of the first chartered troop from [[Church of Saint Mark (Saint Paul, Minnesota)|the Catholic parish church Saint Mark]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], 1910]]
Scouting America partners with community organizations, such as religious congregations, fraternal groups, service clubs, and other community associations, to provide the Scouting program for the particular neighborhood or community in which the particular organization wishes to reach out to youth and families. The connection with religious congregations stems back to at least 1910, when [[Church of Saint Mark (Saint Paul, Minnesota)|a Catholic parish church]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]] chartered the first troop in the city.<ref>John L. Alexander. "Letter from the Managing Secretary of the Boy Scouts of America to Reverend W.L. Hart". 26 September 1910.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://rchs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/RCHS_Spring-2023_Allert.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827195356/https://rchs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/RCHS_Spring-2023_Allert.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2024 |url-status=live |magazine=Ramsey County History |publisher=Ramsey County Historical Society |volume=58 |number=1 |date=Spring 2023 |title=A Snapshot of Ramsey County's Welfare Workers in the Great War |first=Johannes R. |last=Allert |page=24}}</ref>

Organizations hold charters issued by Scouting America and are known then as chartered organizations. Each chartered organization provides the meeting place for Scouting America youth, oversees the volunteer leaders, and agrees to follow the basic Scouting America safety policies and values-based program, and the organization is considered the "owner" of its local program, much like a franchise.{{r|CharterOrgHandbook}}

Within each chartered organization, there may be one or more "units". A unit is a group of youth and adults who are collectively designated as a Cub Scout pack, Scouts BSA troop, Venturing crew, or Sea Scout ship. Each chartered organization may charter as many units as it wishes, but usually only 3 or 4 (one unit for each program level). Scouting America councils provide the leader training, inter-unit activities, camping programs, volunteer and professional support, and insurance coverage. Units also create their own activities (such as monthly camping trips, outings, or service projects), and most meet weekly at the place of the chartered organization for youth to learn basic skill development and practice leadership in small groups known as dens and patrols.{{r|CharterOrgHandbook}}

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] was the first partner to sponsor Scouting in the United States. It adopted the program in 1913 as part of its [[Young Men (organization)|Mutual Improvement Association]] program for young men,{{r|Monson2}} and it was the largest single sponsor of Scouting until it ceased sponsoring Scouting units{{r|CharterNumbers}}{{r|OBrienB}} at the end of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Church Announces Plan for Worldwide Initiative for Children and Youth – Church News and Events |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/church-announces-plan-for-worldwide-initiative-for-children-and-youth?lang=eng |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref>