Trail Life USA (TLUSA or commonly Trail Life) is a faith-based non-aligned Scouting organization providing youth

mentorship Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

development to more than 40,000 boys in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The organization was founded in 2013 in response to changes in the membership policy of the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

(BSA) to allow the participation of openly gay leadership. All charters of Trail Life USA must pledge to follow a "Statement of Faith"; the organization is Trinitarian and Christian. However, youths of all or no religious beliefs are allowed to join, but individual Charter Organizations may limit Troop membership to boys of a certain faith or membership in a certain organization.

Background

In May 2013,

(BSA) voted to change its membership policy to allow youth of any sexual orientation. Following the vote, John Stemberger changed the mission of OnMyHonor.net to start a new alternative

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

program to be the premier national character development organization for young men which produces godly and responsible husbands, fathers, and citizens. OnMyHonor.net was a group formed by John Stemberger to oppose the proposed membership policy change in March 2013 and consisted of parents, Scoutmasters, Eagle Scouts and other Scouting leaders. Following the vote, the Faith Based Boys (FBB) was founded. In May 2013,

American Heritage Girls The American Heritage Girls (AHG) is a Christian-based Scouting-like organization for Americans. The organization has more than 52,000 members (2020) with troops or individuals ("trailblazers") in all 50 states of the United States and for Amer ...

(AHG) joined the FBB. FBB official Thomas Dillingham indicated that the group would start accepting applications in August for youth memberships and group leaders. OnMyHonor.net, Faith Based Boys and other regional and national groups, TrailHead USA and Frontier Service Corps, joined together to form the new group. A leadership meeting was held in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on June 29, 2013 to discuss forming a new group. The AHG cofounder Patti Garibay was invited to the Kentucky meeting as an advisor. The organization would be based on the AHG program. In a July 2013 interview, Stemberger said the new group would be open to both gay boys and gay adults, but he stated "we’re going to focus on sexual purity not sexual orientation". They will have a policy that "the proper context for sexual relations is only between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage" and will not allow gay youth to "flaunt" their sexuality.

History

Trail Life USA was formed in July 2013. On September 6–7, 2013, a national convention was held for the new group where chartering rules, programs, rankings, and uniforms were adopted and its name revealed. Over 300 names were considered for the new organization. The group selected Trail Life USA as its name and chose to start in January 2014 with an expected 1000 incubation troops formed by then. It was also revealed in September that Trail Life would be partnering with American Heritage Girls. During the national convention announcing Trail Life USA, Stemberger told the audience "Real men value truth over tradition," and "Real men value principle over program, and they value integrity over institutions." In October 2013,

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

leaders indicated that member churches may affiliate with any Scouting program including Trail Life. Richard Mathews, BSA's former general counsel, joined Trail Life USA as its acting general counsel. Trail Life USA reported that almost 500 troops were pre-chartered by the January 1, 2014 official launch date. After its first full year of operation, Trail Life USA had 524 officially chartered troops in 48 states and just under 20,000 members. Trail Life USA's headquarters (known as the "Home Office") is located on a 127-acre dedicated camping facility known as Camp Aiken, south of

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. The property features a full gymnasium, chapel, trails, fishing ponds, bonfire areas, and numerous campsites.

Program

Trailmen fall into various categories based on the grade they are in corresponding to their age: * Woodlands Trails, grades K–5 (elementary school) * Navigators, grades 6–8 (middle school) * Adventurers, grades 9–12 (high school) * Guidons, age 18 through 25 years The Trail Life salute is based on the

Military salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...

while its sign is a five finger sign similar to the three finger

Scout sign The three-finger salute is used by members of Scout and Guide organizations around the world when greeting other Scouts and in respect of a national flag at ceremonies. In most situations, the salute is made with the right hand, palm face out, ...

. Trail Life USA's highest award is the Freedom Award for which the potential recipients must choose a "major" and two "minor" subjects and lead the development and implementation of a community-oriented Servant Leadership Project. The Freedom Award is characterized by Biblical symbolism from the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, primarily John 8:36 referring to a Christian’s Freedom.

References

External links

* {{Scouting in the United States Scouting in the United States Camping in the United States Hiking organizations in the United States Organizations established in 2013 2013 establishments in South Carolina Non-aligned Scouting organizations