Pagan parents have an alternative choice when it comes to children’s scouting programs and that choice is Spiral Scouts.
Spiral Scouts International began in 1999 when the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, based in Washington, decided that they wanted to provide an alternative to the Christian based Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts programs. The philosophy of the scouting program is intended to bring parents and children together with activities that are drawn from under the umbrella of Paganism.
The growing popularity of Spiral Scouts reflects the need in the Pagan community for more mainstream programs geared toward parenting issues. For years the standards of Christian based programs for children loomed exclusive towards parents of minority faiths that wanted to take part. Many Pagan parents dealt with the dilemma of either entering their children into programs that would mock their faith or keeping their children at home to create activities in a solitary manner. In some areas of the country this problem still exists but for many Pagan parents within a larger Pagan community it is a problem of the past.
The Spiral Scouts offers different structure options within their program. The Hearth is the smallest inclusion for single family groups who are in rural areas or in areas where there is no thriving Pagan community already in existence. The Circle is the next rung up on the totem pole and is open to including many Hearths that hold more than a single family membership. The Clan is a larger group that includes not only Hearths and Circles but encompasses an entire regional area. The Tribe is the largest group and can oversee many Hearths, Circles and Clans which can span a larger area than that of just single Clan.
The program levels offered for the children in the Spiral Scouts are as follows: FireFlies that includes ages 3 through 8 years, Spiral Scouts that includes ages 9 through 13 years and the Pathfinders that includes ages 14 through 18 years.
Pagan parents have already started registered Spiral Scouts groups in 21 states and Nevada is among them. Nevada currently has the Silver Tribe but no Tribal Coordinator for the state as of yet. Other established Spiral Scouts in the state include:
Circle of the Spirits Combined #161- Reno
Mojave Desert Spiral Scouts Circle #147- Las Vegas
If you would like more information on the above listed Spiral Scouts groups you can contact the Silver Tribe via the Spiral Scouts Headquarters. The Spiral Scouts International website www.spiralscouts.org or call their main office at (360)793-9427.