Outdoor Service Guides
Outdoor Service Guides is an inclusive, coeducational traditional-scouting organization in the United States.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Outdoor Service Guides (OSG), formerly known as the Baden-Powell Service Association (BPSA), is an American scouting organization built around inclusive, coeducational participation and traditional scouting methods. The organization accepts young people and adult volunteers without regard to gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, economic circumstances, religion, or lack of religion. It has specifically sought to welcome communities that have historically experienced exclusion or limited access within scouting, including LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC communities, women, and girls. The organization began in 2006 under its original name, initially with an adult-oriented Rover section. Youth sections were introduced in 2008 by Veronica Atchley, formerly David Atchley, an Eagle Scout who had previously been asked to leave a local Boy Scouts of America council after attempting to establish a nondiscrimination policy for a Cub Scout pack. Atchley became commissioner of the association in 2009. The organization subsequently developed local groups in several American communities and reincorporated in 2012. Growth accelerated during the early 2010s. The association added 35 groups between 2011 and July 2013. A Brooklyn, New York chapter founded in January 2013 had 45 members, while a Portland, Oregon group founded during the same month reported 80 members and 30 registered leaders. In 2014, a Seattle, Washington troop moved into the association after its United Methodist Church charter was revoked because it had a gay leader. These developments reflected the organization’s role as an alternative for families and leaders seeking a scouting environment with more expansive nondiscrimination principles. OSG belongs to the worldwide traditional-scouting movement, which seeks to preserve or restore elements of the program associated with Robert Baden-Powell’s original 1907 scouting model. Its program combines age-based sections, outdoor skills, service, leadership, and progression through awards. The sections are Chipmunks for children aged two to four, Otters for ages five to eight, Timberwolves for ages eight to eleven, Pathfinders for ages eleven to seventeen, and Rovers for participants aged eighteen and over. Local groups may contain as many as five sections, each led by a section leader and assistant leaders who are also Rover scouts. A Group Scoutmaster and an auxiliary committee support administration, registration, finances, equipment, publicity, and community-service activities. The organization’s senior youth recognition is the Polaris Scout Award, while the highest award for Rovers is the Baden-Powell Award. Otters and Timberwolves use a two-finger salute associated with Cub Scouting. As of February 2020, the former BPSA reported approximately 70 operating groups and around 2,500 scouts, compared with approximately 1,600 members in April 2016. In 2020, invested members and leaders concluded that the organization should change its name. The decision was intended to address concerns about imperialism and cultural superiority associated with interpretations of Baden-Powell’s legacy. The new name, Outdoor Service Guides, was selected and publicly announced on May 29, 2021. OSG therefore represents both continuity with traditional scouting practices and an effort to present those practices through a more explicitly inclusive American organizational identity.
History
Outdoor Service Guides traces its origins to 2006, when the organization that would later adopt the OSG name was established in the United States. Its earliest structure included Rovers, an adult-only or adult-oriented section. Youth sections were added in 2008 by Veronica Atchley, formerly David Atchley. Atchley had been an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and had faced removal from a local Greater St. Louis Area Council after trying to create a nondiscrimination policy for a Cub Scout pack. Atchley became commissioner of the organization in 2009. The association operated initially as the Baden-Powell Service Association. It reincorporated in 2012 and expanded its network of local groups during the following years. Thirty-five additional groups were added between 2011 and July 2013. Local examples included a Brooklyn chapter established in January 2013 with 45 members and a Portland group founded in the same month with 80 members and 30 registered leaders. In 2014, a Seattle troop joined after its United Methodist Church charter was revoked because the troop had a gay leader. The move illustrated how the association attracted scouting units and participants looking for a more inclusive policy environment. The association’s program developed within the worldwide traditional-scouting movement. Rather than presenting itself simply as a recreation provider, it organized age-based sections around outdoor activity, practical skills, service, leadership, and advancement. Its structure included Chipmunks, Otters, Timberwolves, Pathfinders, and Rovers. Adult Rovers also supplied leadership for younger sections, while Group Scoutmasters and auxiliary committees handled local administration, equipment, finances, registration, publicity, and community-service relationships. The Polaris Scout Award became the highest recognition for Pathfinders, and the Baden-Powell Award served as the top Rover award. Membership grew during the 2010s. The former BPSA reported approximately 1,600 members in April 2016 and about 2,500 scouts in February 2020, organized across approximately 70 operating groups. The organization’s stated inclusion principles extended across gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, economic circumstances, and religion. It also identified LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and female participants among communities it wanted to serve more fully. The organization reassessed its name in 2020. At a meeting of invested members and leaders on June 28, 2020, participants concluded that a new identity was needed to distance the association from perceptions of imperialism and cultural superiority associated with Baden-Powell’s historical legacy. Outdoor Service Guides was chosen as the replacement name and announced publicly on May 29, 2021. The change preserved the organization’s connection to traditional scouting while placing greater emphasis on outdoor service, accessibility, and inclusion. Available reference material documents the organization through this transition and its reported 2020 membership figures; more recent operational, financial, and executive information is not established in the supplied sources.
- 2021
Outdoor Service Guides name announced
[1]The organization publicly announced Outdoor Service Guides as its new name on May 29, following a 2020 member and leader decision to move away from the BPSA identity.
- 2020
Membership reaches approximately 2,500 scouts
[1]The former BPSA reported approximately 70 operating groups and about 2,500 scouts as of February, up from approximately 1,600 members in April 2016.
- 2014
Seattle troop joins the association
[1]A Seattle troop moved to the association after its church charter was revoked because it had a gay leader.
- 2013
New Brooklyn and Portland groups established
[1]A Brooklyn chapter and a Portland group were founded in January, reporting 45 members and 80 members respectively; the Portland group also reported 30 registered leaders.
- 2012
Association reincorporated
[1]The Baden-Powell Service Association reincorporated as its network of local groups continued to develop.
- 2009
Veronica Atchley becomes commissioner
[1]Veronica Atchley, who had introduced the youth sections, became commissioner of the association.
- 2008
Youth sections introduced
[1]Youth programs were added, expanding the organization beyond its initial adult Rover component.
- 2006
Organization established with a Rover component
[1]The organization that later became Outdoor Service Guides was formed under its original Baden-Powell Service Association identity, initially including an adult-oriented Rover section.
Products and positioning
An inclusive, coeducational alternative within the traditional-scouting movement, combining classic outdoor and service-oriented scouting methods with explicit nondiscrimination principles.
Early-childhood scouting section
Chipmunks
Chipmunks is the youngest listed OSG section, intended for children approximately two to four years old. It introduces young participants to the organization’s community, outdoor, and service-oriented environment at an early age.
Youth scouting section
Otters
Otters serves children approximately five to eight years old. It is one of OSG’s younger sections and forms part of the organization’s age-based progression through traditional scouting activities.
Youth scouting section
Timberwolves
Timberwolves is designed for scouts approximately eight to eleven years old. The section uses age-appropriate outdoor, practical, and group activities within OSG’s traditional-scouting framework.
Teen scouting section
Pathfinders
Pathfinders is the section for participants approximately eleven to seventeen years old. It provides a pathway toward greater independence, leadership, service, and outdoor competence, culminating in the Polaris Scout Award.
Adult scouting section · 2006
Rovers
Rovers is OSG’s section for participants aged eighteen and over. Rovers may participate in the adult program and provide leadership for younger sections, including service as section leaders, assistant leaders, or Group Scoutmasters.
Youth scouting award
Polaris Scout Award
The Polaris Scout Award is identified as the highest award available to OSG Pathfinders. It represents the senior recognition within the organization’s youth scouting progression.
Adult scouting award
Baden-Powell Award
The Baden-Powell Award is the highest award identified for OSG Rovers. It reflects achievement within the organization’s adult scouting and service structure.
Brand decisions
2020
Decision to replace the BPSA nameStrategyBackground
Invested members and leaders considered the organization’s historical name and concluded that references to Baden-Powell’s legacy could be associated with imperialism and cultural superiority.
Action taken
At a June 28 meeting, the organization decided that it needed a different name and began the transition away from Baden-Powell Service Association.
Aftermath
Outdoor Service Guides was selected as the replacement name and announced publicly on May 29, 2021, while the traditional-scouting program continued.
Sources1 sources
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