where to put journey to excellence patch

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Who can wear the Journey to Excellence patch on their uniform?

Everyone in the organization — the head coach, the trainers, even the person who refills those little cups of sports drink — gets recognized in a tangibly shiny way.

The same logic applies when a pack, troop or crew earns Journey to Excellence recognition.

Everyone who has a role in the unit that earned Scouting honors deserves to wear the JTE pin or patch.

In some units, confusion persists about who wears the JTE patch in a qualifying unit. That’s the case in David’s troop, so he emailed me for clarification.

I hope you can assist me. My troop recently earned the Journey to Excellence award. My son got his patch, and so did I. However, my wife was told that since she is on the committee and not an assistant Scoutmaster, she could not have one. Is this correct? I have been l combing through everything I can search for on JTE, but I cannot find who can and cannot wear the patch. Do you know where I should search for this? Yours in Scouting, David

What is Journey to Excellence?

Quick sidebar for people who might be hearing about JTE for the first time.

Journey to Excellence , often shortened to JTE, is a self-evaluation tool that lets unit leaders see, quantitatively, how well their unit is meeting the goals of Scouting.

Think of it as a progress report. You can check in regularly to make sure you’re delivering the best possible program for our Scouts and Venturers.

Units earn points toward bronze, silver or gold JTE status — with gold being the highest.

Members of those units that achieve gold, silver or bronze status are eligible to wear the JTE patch. It goes on the right sleeve under the patrol patch — or about 4 inches from the top of the sleeve.

Read more about JTE in this explainer .

Who can wear the JTE patch?

With that covered, let’s go back to David’s question.

For the answer, I checked with Jeff Rand, a JTE expert who works on the BSA’s performance management team.

Jeff says a JTE award is something everyone in the unit can — and should — celebrate.

Yes, that means the front-line assistant Scoutmaster or den leader who attends every meeting, campout and event.  But just as important, it means the pack or troop committee member whose efforts behind the scenes keep the unit running smoothly.

Journey to Excellence uses a balanced approach to measure a successful unit. In doing so everyone in the unit has a role in its success, both youth and adult. For example, committee members are engaged in developing a planned budget, fundraising, recruiting youth members, and selecting adult leaders — all of which are JTE measures. Therefore, all registered youth and adults are entitled to wear the appropriate JTE patch as an emblem of their unit’s success.

About Ask the Expert

See other expertly answered questions and ask your own .

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Ultimate Cub Scout Patch & Badge Placement Guide 2024

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Updated to include the Lion rank patch, this ultimate guide to Cub Scout patch placement will show you exactly where the patches go. Simple diagrams help put all those badges in the right places.

Cub Scout patch placement can be very confusing –especially for a new Cub Scout family . In this article, we'll cover the basic Cub Scout patches and badges so that you can get your child's uniform ready for their first Cub Scout meeting!

This post will walk you through the Cub Scout insignia placement. If you prefer to watch a video, keep scrolling !

Check out the easiest way ever to sew on Cub Scout patches !

Left Sleeve Cub Scout Patch Placement

If you aren't a seamstress, consider using Badge Magic !  It's an easy, no-sew, no-iron solution for those Cub Scout badges.

Let's start with the left sleeve. Your Council shoulder emblem  goes at the very top along the shoulder seam. It is shown as position 1 on the diagram above.

Just below the Council shoulder emblem at position 2a is where the small Veteran Unit Emblem is worn if you use it. It is for units (in our case, packs) that have been chartered at least 25 years.

The number on the emblem represents how many years your unit has been chartered. Wouldn't it be great to be in a unit chartered 50 or 60 years ago?

Next, in position 2 above, is your pack number . Our pack number is 3 digits, but yours could be more or less than that.

A little hint if you're sewing…  Sew the numbers together first then sew the connected numbers onto the uniform.  MUCH easier than sewing each number individually onto the shirt!

Right Sleeve Cub Scout Patch Placement

The American flag is sewn on the right sleeve of the Cub Scout uniform at position 1. If you purchase your uniform new, the flag will be sewn on already. If your uniform is used, the flag may have been removed, but you can buy another one from your Council.

Directly below the American flag in position 2 is your den number . In our pack, a Tiger den is given a number when it is formed, and that number stays the same for that group of Cub Scouts.

For example, when my son was a Tiger, his den was numbered Den 3. When he became a Webelos, he was still in Den 3.

When you leave the den numbers the same each year, you don't have to replace the patch.

Your pack's most recently earned Journey to Excellence (JTE) patch is worn below the den number on the right sleeve at position 3.

Left Pocket Cub Scout Patch Placement

The World Crest is worn above the left pocket. It is centered between the left shoulder seam and the top of the left pocket. It signifies that the Boy Scouts of America is part of the World Organization of the Scout Movement .

The badges of rank go on the left pocket as shown in the image above. They are placed in this order:

• Lion Badge – Below other ranks
• Bobcat Badge – 12:00 Position
• Tiger Badge – 6:00 Position
• Wolf Badge – 9:00 Position
• Bear Badge – 3:00 Position

Lions , our newest Cub Scout rank, wear a t-shirt instead of the blue Cub Scout uniform shirt. When the kindergarteners complete all of the requirements for their rank, they can wear the Lion patch over their hearts on the t-shirt. 

When the Lions move up to be Tigers, they will put their Lion patch below the left pocket right under where the Tiger badge will go.

Religious knots indicating a Cub Scout has earned the Religious Emblem for their religion are worn centered above the left pocket.

Right Pocket Cub Scout Patch Placement

The Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award patch is worn on the right pocket flap. Pins earned for the Summertime Pack Award are pinned onto the Outdoor Activity Award patch.

If your Scout earns the Recruiter patch , it is worn directly below the right pocket.

Cub Scout Temporary Patch Placement

Temporary patches can be worn on the right pocket . These include patches earned for participating in an activity or for completing an achievement.

The picture above shows a Cub Scout day camp patch. Only one temporary patch can be worn on the pocket at a time.

Some other examples of temporary patches are:

• Shooting Sports Award Patch
• Cyber Chip Patch
• Nova Award Patch
• Pinewood Derby , Raingutter Regatta , and Space Derby Patches
• Day Camp Patches
• Popcorn Sales Patches
• Scouting for Food Patches
• Scout Sunday Patches
• Cub Scout “segments” (Council-specific)

Many temporary patches have loops attached so that you can hang them from the pocket button instead of having to sew them on. Makes life so much easier!

According to page 28 of the Guide to Awards and Insignia , the Whittling Chip badge isn't worn on the Cub Scout uniform.

Read this article for some ideas on what to do with those temporary Cub Scout patches when you put a new one on your child's uniform.

Webelos Uniform Patch Placement

Webelos and Arrows of Light wear the tan uniform shirt like Boy Scouts. When the Scouts earn their Webelos rank , they will wear the badge sewn onto the left pocket. 

The Arrow of Light rank patch goes directly below the left pocket. It is the only Cub Scout badge that may be worn on the Boy Scout uniform.

If you would rather watch a video, click below!

How Do You Attach Scout Patches?

Unfortunately, Cub Scout patches are not iron on. They'll need to be sewn on with either a sewing machine or by hand. I discovered this super easy way to hand sew them .

And that's where all the patches go! If this was helpful, please share it with your Cub Scouting friends .

Yours in Scouting, Sherry

P.S.  Get uniform shirts and accessories at great prices from eBay ! 

Monday 11th of March 2024

I have a question about symmetry and balance. I noticed that the flag on my son’s shirt is not centered on the sleeve like it is in the example above; it basically starts behind the shoulder seam. So, that means the den patch will be that far back, as well. So, when I add the patches to the other sleeve and I actually center them on the sleeve, he’s going to look off balance. One of his fellow cubs has the same issue. Should we remove the flag and center it? Anyone else have this problem?

Monday 3rd of July 2023

Thanks, for the tips. I myself am a major procrastinator & I have to sew patches for the 4th July parade that my son is walking in tomorrow & I really didn't feel like daging out my sewing machine, I was going to hand sew them on but not the way you had mentioned but that sounds alot easier & faster than the way that I had in mind. Thanks again.

Nick Tackes

Monday 29th of May 2023

We have a bunch of Tiger Adventure badges that look like clips but I can't find anywhere on the web, not a single picture or a single description anywhere on any cub scout material as to what to do with them or where they go on the uniform. Amazing. If you have any knowledge of these it would be greatly appreciated. They are the size of a postage stamp made of metal and appear to be a clip.

karen linda

Sunday 12th of December 2021

Useful guide for uniform patches!

Saturday 20th of November 2021

My son just earned his bobcat. It might be a silly question but when I sew the patch on do I go through the pocket? It means the pocket won't open anymore. Thanks!

Sherry Smothermon-Short

Sunday 21st of November 2021

Yes, you sew through the pocket.

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Journey to Excellence Award

"Scouting's Journey to Excellence" is the BSA's council performance recognition program designed to encourage and reward success and measure the performance of units, districts, and councils. It replaces the Centennial Quality Awards program as a means of encouraging excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA. Starting in January 2011, a new quality program called Journey to Excellence (JTE or sometimes J2E) has become the new national performance assessment, communication, and recognition program for units, as well as for councils and districts. Many additional details are available on the BSA page .

The award patch is displayed on the uniform's right sleeve below the patrol emblem or den numeral. Only the most recent year's patch is worn, not a string of past year patches.

The Journey to Excellence program provides:

• A framework for planning the year
• A method for evaluating a unit
• Guidance in areas where a unit might do better
• Specific guidelines and standards of what is considered good performance
• Early warning of potential problem areas
• Recognition for good Scouting
• Benchmarking to get ideas and tips from other good units

See BSA Info page for award details, forms, and FAQ pages.

Apr 04, 2014 - Tyler Villegas

Apr 04, 2014 - Scouter Paul

Apr 11, 2014 - Jeff

Apr 11, 2014 - Scouter Paul

Apr 26, 2014 - Pam

May 10, 2014 - Alesha

May 27, 2014 - PackLdrJM

May 27, 2014 - Scouter Paul

Jul 16, 2015 - Emily

Jul 19, 2015 - Scouter Paul

Dec 22, 2016 - Tom Linton

Dec 23, 2016 - Scouter Paul

@Tom - JTE lists thresholds to reach, but not HOW to reach them.   "Have a plan and budget", "Have an effective plan to recruit", "Conduct campouts", "Use the patrol method", ... Since #11 promotes training of adult volunteers, there is an expectation that the adults know how to implement the patrol method, as well as how to accomplish the other requirements. There are over 300 pages at scouting.org that have "patrol method" in their content, including Scoutmaster Training and IOLS . The Troop Leader Guidebook also addresses it.

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Cub Scout Pack 341 Patch & Insignia Placement

Awards earn as Lions

There are no patches that make up the Lion Uniform.

Awards earned as Lions should be kept by their parent/guardians in a safe place. There isn't a place for awards earned as Lions to be worn on the uniform.

Tigers, Wolves, & Bears

Right Sleeve

American Flag Patch: Sewn on all new Cub Scout Shirts by default. The corners touch the shoulder seam

Den Numeral Patch : Check with Den Leader to find out what Den Number you are in. It is sewn directly underneath the American flag

Journey to Excellence Patch: If the Pack earns the Journey To Excellence Award, it goes 4 inches below the shoulder seam

Left Sleeve

Last Frontier Council Shoulder Patch : The top edge should touch the shoulder seam

Unit Numeral Patches : One of two configurations. First is 3 separate patches sewn directly under the Council Shoulder Patch or 1 patch with all three numbers combined, along with recognition that our Pack has been around for 50 years

Right Pocket

Here's where things get fun!

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award : If earned, this patch gets sewn onto the right pocket

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award Wolf Paw Pin : If the Outdoor Activity Award is earned multiple times, the second and subsequent times, a wolf paw pin is awarded, which gets placed anywhere on the patch

S ummertime Activity Award Pins : Placed on the pocket flap, and through the Outdoor Activity Award Patch if earned

Temporary Patches: This includes any patch that is earned that doesn't have another location, such as a patch for attending summer camp, earning the Cyber Chip, or for donating to Friends of Scouting. Patches generally have loops and can hang from the pocket button, we do not recommend sewing temporary patches onto the shirt. Only one temporary patch should be worn at a time. Extra patches can be sewn on a blanket or vest for display. More information about temporary patches here .

Recruiter Patch : Centered and sewn under the pocket

Interpreter Strips (not shown): Placed centered above the pocket above the "Boy Scouts of America" Text

Summertime Activity Award - Tiger

Summertime Activity Award - Wolf

Summertime Activity Award - Bear

Summertime Activity Award - Webelos/AOL

Outdoor Activity Award - Wolf Paw

Interpreter Strips

Some Examples of Temporary Patches

Tiger Shooting Sports Award

Wolf Shooting Sports Award

Bear Shooting Sports Award

Webelos Shooting Sports Award

Special Mention Pins for Temporary Patches

Cyber Chip Recharge Pin

Gets placed on the Cyber Chip Patch

Gets Placed on the points of the Nova Award Patch

BB Shooting Sports Pin

Placed on one of the stars on the Shooting Sports Patch

Archery Shooting Sports Pin

Sling Shot Shooting Sports Pin

Left Pocket

World Scouting Patch : Centered between shoulder seam and top of pocket

Religious Knot : Centered right above pocket

Rank Emblems:

Bobcat is at 12 o'clock

Tiger is at 6 o'clock

Wolf is at 9 o'clock

Bear is at 3 o'clock

Lion is below the other emblems, though since it is earned before the other ones, and you won't have those for reference, it should be placed 120 mm or 4 3/4 inches below the pocket edge

Messengers of Peace Ring

Goes around the World Scouting Patch

100th Anniversary Ring

Belt Loops earned go on the Cub Scout belt.

If you've earned more then fit on your belt, or want an alternate storage method, the scout shop sells display boards for the belt loops

Take a look at the Tip/Tricks page for some great belt & belt loop tips

Webelos & Arrow of Lights

Webelos is a transition year. As a Den you will decide if you will transition to the tan uniforms, or stay with the blue uniforms. As Arrow of Lights in 5th Grade, the transition to tan uniforms is required.

Patrol Patch : Check with Den Leader to find out what Patrol y ou are in. T his patch is sewn directly underneath the American flag

Webelos Colors: If worn, it is pinned directly under the Patrol Patch. Adventure Pins go on the ribbons. There is no order or specific placement for pins on the colors. It will overlap the Journey to Excellence Patch. Adventure Pins can also be placed on the Webelos Hat

Temporary Patches: This includes any patch that is earned that doesn't have another location, such as a patch for attending summer camp, earning the Cyber Chip, or for donating to Friends of Scouting. Patches generally have loops and can hang from the pocket button, we do not recommend sewing temporary patches onto the shirt. Only one temporary patch should be worn at a time. Extra patches can be sewn on a blanket or vest for display. More information about temporary patches here and above .

Recommend buying a plastic rank badge holder from the scout shop

Webelos: Replaces all the other rank badges and gets centered on the pocket below the pocket flap

Arrow of Light

Webelos and Arrow of Light Adventure Pins can be placed on the Webelos Hat as an alternative to the Webelos Colors

Still Confused?

The BSA Guide to Awards and Insignia may have the answer. If not, email [email protected] or ask your Den Leader

Patch & Pin Placement

Where does that Patch go? How about this Pin?

Uniform Diagrams:

Tan Webelos Uniform: Webelos Uniform

Blue Cub Scout Uniform: BSA Uniforms

BSA Insignia Guide: Insignia Guide

Patches and Pins go in the same spot on both the blue and tan uniform.

Note the measurements on the insignia guide for help in placing certain patches.

All Scouts:

"Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award" PATCH - This covers the right pocket flap. 

CAREFUL - Only sew the top 3 edges, leave the bottom edge open for access to the button and to be able to put pins through the patch

"Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award" PIN - This goes on the previously earned patch.

Summertime Pins - Right Pocket Flap (or through any patch worn on that flap)

4 Colors to be earned in the Summer Between Ranks

Religious Emblems - Not worn for daily use. Can be placed on uniform above the left pocket for special occasions.

Relgious Emblem Knot - Centered above the left pocket flap

Veteran Unit Bar - Pack 314 is a 50 Year Veteran Unit. The Veteran Unit strip goes between the Council Patch and "314" Unit numbers

Occoneechee Council Strips - Special versions of these arrive yearly. You can choose to replace the standard strip on the uniform.

Journey to Excellence - Right Sleeve - note placement

Den Strip - Right Sleeve below the US Flag

World Scouting Crest - Half way between the shoulder and Left Pocket

Recruiter Emblem - Centered beneath the right pocket

Other Patches - Permanently put on the optional Red Patch Vest . Most can be temporarily worn on the right pocket of the uniform.

Academic & Sports Belt Loops - These are designed to go on the Blue Cub Scout Belt which can be worn with either the Tan or Blue uniform

Academic & Sports Belt Pins - These are not designed for the uniform.

There is an optional letter "C" that can be purchased to go on the Red Patch Vest. The Pins can then be placed in this letter.

Webelos Scouts:

Webelos Colors - Below the Flag on the Right Sleeve

Den Emblem - Right Sleeve, see diagram

Webelos Rank Patch - Centered on Left Pocket

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Cub Scout Uniform Patch Placement

Troop Scout Uniform Patch Placement Guide Patrol Patch Placement Guide

Patch Placement on your Cub Scout uniform can be hard to figure out, so we’ve made this guide to help you know what to do! We’ll break down each patch location and type to help you better understand the patches on your cub Scout uniform.

Front of Uniform

Your Cub Scout uniform houses a lot of different patches!

Shoulder Loops

Let’s start with Shoulder Loops! Only Webelos Scouts and Cub Scout Leaders wear Shoulder Loops. These loops are the standard blue Shoulder Loops.

Right Pocket Flap

The Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award patch is worn directly on the right pocket flap! Any pins earned from the Summertime Pack Award will be pinned directly to your Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award patch!

Right Pocket

The right pocket placement is where temporary Patches go. Cub Scouts can wear any Scouting patch of their choice here! Only one temporary patch can be worn at a time. Patches that contain a button loop are hung from the right pocket button behind the pocket flap. Some examples of patches worn here are Cub Scout pack patches, day Camp patches, or cool Camping patches! Check out Custom Cub Scout Pack Patches!

Beneath the Right Pocket

This spot is reserved for the Recruiter Patch Recruiter Patches are given to Scouts that bring another person to join Scouting! The patch is worn centered directly below the right pocket.

Above the Left Pocket

The World Crest is displayed above the left pocket. All members of Scouting display the Word Crest to they are a part of world scouting. The World Crest should be centered between the left shoulder seam and the top of the left pocket.

Left Pocket

The left pocket house the Cub Scout ranks! They should be placed in the following order:

Bobcat Badge should be in the 12 o’clock position Tiger Badge should be in the 6 o’clock position Wolf Badge should be in the 9 o’clock position Bear Badge should be in the 3 o’clock position

Below the Left Pocket

Below the Left Pocket will house the newest Lion Rank! This rank should be placed directly below your Tiger Badge.

Right sleeve

The right sleeve is home to 3 important patches!

The American Flag Patch

The American Flag Patch comes with every uniform already sewn on. The patch should be located directly below the shoulder seam and should be a BSA-issued flag patch.

Den Numbers or Den Emblems

Den Number Patches are worn directly below the American Flag patch and should be touching the bottom of the American Flag patch.

Journey to Excellence Patch

This patch is awarded to Packs who are awarded the Journey to Excellence Award! This patch should be placed just below the Den Number patches. Only the most recently earned award should be worn.

Left Sleeve

Council Patch

The top of the left sleeve houses the Council Patch or CSP. The Council Patch should be flushed against the shoulder seam. The Council Patch is given through your local Council and cannot be customized to each cub scout pack.

Unit Numeral Patch

The Unit Numeral Patch is your Cub Scout Pack’s number. Unit Numeral Patches are placed below the Council Patches. Some Unit Numeral Patches will have a Veteran Bar which represents the number of years the Cub Scout Pack has been together. The Veteran Bar is placed on top of the Unit Numeral Patch, between the CSP and the numbers. Save sewing and get a single patch – check out Cub Scout Pack Unit Numeral Patches

Badge of Office

The Badge of Office patch is for adults to show their role in the Pack! Some examples are Cub Scout Den Leader, Assistant Cub Scout Den Leader, Pack Committee Chair, Cubmaster, or Assistant Cubmaster. This patch is placed in the center of the Left Sleeve Pocket.

Cub Scout Leader Front Uniform

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The Ultimate Guide to Boy Scouts of America Patches and What They Mean

Written by: peter morrell.

When you see a member of Scouts BSA, more commonly known as the Boy Scouts, one of the first things you may notice are the many patches that adorn their Scout uniform. What do all of the different patches mean, and how do they get them? Our ultimate guide to Boy Scouts of America patches will break down the meaning behind each of the patches that can be found on the navy blue Cub Scout uniform or the khaki BSA uniform as well as the official uniform patch placement for each. The Boy Scout patches and Cub Scout patches are used to identify things like scout ranks, troop numbers, awards earned, and their position within the troop. And don’t think we forgot about one of the best parts of the BSA Scout uniform: the merit badge sash! This is where a Scout permanently displays all of the merit badges they have earned throughout their years of scouting. Check out our illustrated guide to the many Boy Scout badges and patches that decorate the Scout uniform, and don’t forget to “do a good turn daily”!

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When Was Boy Scouts of America Founded?

Boy Scouts of America was founded more than a century ago, in 1910. It was based on a similar Boy Scout movement that began in England a couple of years prior. The BSA program grew rapidly to become the largest youth organization in the United States. It eventually split into two separate age groups, with Cub Scouting for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade and BSA scouts for those who are older. Cub Scouts is more of a family-oriented program designed to address the needs of younger kids, while the scouting BSA program is more focused on developing the individual Scout’s skills and leadership.

Why Did They Change the Name of Boy Scouts?

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) changed the name of their flagship program from Boy Scouts to Scouts BSA on Feb. 1, 2019, when they decided to also allow girls to join. Members of the Boy Scouts of America are now refereed to as just Scouts instead of Boy Scouts. Since they made this policy change, more than 31,000 girls have joined the Scouts BSA program.

What Is a Merit Badge?

A merit badge is a patch that Scouts are awarded after proving their knowledge and skills in a specific area of study. The merit badge program allows Scouts to explore different areas of interest to determine if they would want to pursue them in the future as a hobby or a profession. The merit badge list covers a wide variety of topics that Scouts can explore, including emergency preparedness, plants and animals, cooking, sports, and even video game design.

How many merit badges are there? There are more than 135 BSA merit badges that Scouts can earn. Each merit badge has its own set of requirements that a Scout will need to satisfy before they can earn the badge. Detailed steps and requirements for each BSA merit badge can be found at the official Boy Scouts of America website , along with a list of the Eagle required merit badges.

The 20 Most Earned Boy Scout Merit Badges of 2021

• Environmental Science
• Citizenship in the World
• Communication
• Rifle Shooting
• Personal Fitness
• Citizenship in the Nation
• Fingerprinting
• Leatherwork
• Citizenship in the Community
• Family Life
• Personal Management
• Emergency Preparedness
• Wood Carving

One of our favorite things about the Boy Scout uniform is the ability for troops to create their own customized patches and Boy Scout pins to wear on their uniforms with pride. How would you design a custom patch or pin for your troop?

The Complete List of Boy Scouts of America Patches and What They Mean

Shoulder Loops: Shoulder loops indicate the level of scouting that the Scout has reached. There are different colored shoulder loops to represent the different Scouting levels.

• Cub Scout (only worn by Webelos and adult leaders): Blue
• Boy Scout: Olive
• Varsity Scout: Blaze
• Venturer: Green
• District and Council: Silver
• Regional and National: Gold

Rank Badge: The rank badge identifies the (Scout rank) and is earned after completing the rank requirements; it is worn centered on the front of the left pocket. Scouts in the BSA wear their current rank, while Cub Scouts wear all of the ranks they have completed so far.

Cub Scout Ranks

• Lion: Kindergarten
• Bobcat: New Cub Scouts in 1 st grade or above
• Tiger: 1 st grade or 6 years old
• Wolf: 2 nd grade or 7 years old
• Bear: 3 rd grade or 8 years old
• Webelos: 4 th and 5 th grade or 9 years old
• Arrow of Light: Highest rank in Cub Scouts

Boy Scout Ranks

• Second Class
• First Class
• Eagle Scout

World Crest: The world crest patch is worn by all Scouts to show that they are a part of World Scouting. The world crest ring is not required, but a Scout can choose to wear it on their uniform. The world crest is worn above the left pocket, centered between the top of the pocket and the shoulder seam.

Service Star: Service stars are pins that display the Scout’s number of years in Scouting. They are worn just above the left pocket.

Arrow of Light: The Arrow of Light award is the highest award earned during Cub Scouts and shows that the Scout has completed all of the requirements to move on to BSA. It is the only Cub Scout badge that can be worn on the BSA uniform, and it is worn just below the left pocket.

Order of the Arrow: The Order of the Arrow (OA) lodge patch is used to identify scouts who are part of the OA, an honor society of the BSA. It is the only approved patch to be worn on the right pocket flap for Scouts in the BSA.

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award: The Outdoor Activity Award is awarded to Cub Scouts who complete specific outdoor requirements. It is worn on the right pocket flap.

Temporary Patch: The right pocket is for temporary patches. Scouts can choose to wear any Scouting patch here. Temporary patches have a button loop to hang from the pocket button, so they can easily be switched out; only one temporary patch can be worn at a time.

Recruiter Patch: The Recruiter patch is awarded to Scouts that recruit a friend into their Scouting unit and is worn just below the right pocket.

American Flag: The American flag patch is worn just below the shoulder seam on the right sleeve; the Cub Scout and BSA uniforms come with the flag patch already sewn on.

Den Number: The den number patch is worn by Cub Scouts and represents the number their Tiger den was given when it was first formed. The number remains the same for the Cub Scouts in that den. It is worn just below the American flag patch.

Patrol Patch: The patrol patch represents the Scout patrol they are a member of. It is often a custom patch that each Scout patrol chooses or designs themselves.

Journey to Excellence: The Journey to Excellence patch is awarded to Scout troops for having strong, quality programs and meeting specific requirements. It is worn just below the patrol patch, and only the troop’s most recent award should be worn.

Council Shoulder Patch: The council shoulder patch represents the Scout’s local council. Each council has its own custom council shoulder patch (CSP) design. The CSP is worn flush against the left shoulder seam.

Unit Numerals: The unit numeral patches display the Scout’s troop number. Some will have a veteran bar with the number of years the troop has been active. The troop number is worn below the council shoulder patch.

Badge of Office: The Badge of Office patch represents the Scout’s position within their troop; the positions can be elected, assigned, or volunteered. The patch is worn in the center of the left sleeve, below the troop number.

Trained Strip: The Trained Strip award is earned by completing the required training for the Scout’s position within the troop. It is worn on on the sleeve, centered below and touching the Badge of Office patch it was earned for.

Merit Badge Sash: The merit badge sash is a separate piece of the Scout uniform and permanently displays all of the merit badges earned by the Scout. Merit badges are earned by completing the specific requirements for each badge, which demonstrate the Scout’s skill and knowledge of the badge’s subject. There are more than 135 merit badges that span a variety of subjects, like art, business, culture, nature, sports, science, technology, and more. The merit badge sash is only worn over the Scout’s uniform during formal events.

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Journey to Excellence Awards

Home > Resources > Awards & Recognition > Journey to Excellence Awards

You think you’re making all the right moves for your Cub Scouts, Scouts, or Venturers, but do you really know? With the BSA’s Journey to Excellence scorecards in hand, you can answer that question with a satisfying yes.

Journey to Excellence, often shortened to JTE, is a self-evaluation tool that lets unit leaders see, quantitatively, how well their unit is meeting the goals of Scouting. Think of it as a progress report. You can check in regularly to make sure you’re delivering the best possible program for our Scouts. The process is simple, and the benefits are tangible.

Why is JTE worth your time?

JTE scorecards offer these benefits:

• A framework for planning the year with standards based on what successful units do to continually improve.
• A method for evaluating your unit in tangible ways (number of campouts, number of youth advancing, etc.)
• Guidance in areas where you might do better and early warning of potential problems.
• Specific guidelines and standards of what is considered good performance.
• Benchmarking to get ideas and tips from other good units.

What do I do?

Download the JTE scorecard for your unit. At the beginning of each calendar year, print out the latest JTE scorecard from this website .

Ask your Unit Committee members to fill in the sections corresponding to their function in the unit: finance, membership, program, leadership. This is where tracking workbooks, available here , come in handy. The JTE scorecards work best when several Scouters participate in tracking.

Review your progress. At the end of the year and at regular intervals throughout the year, monitor your progress as you go for gold in JTE. See where you aren’t maximizing your JTE points and find specific improvements. Appoint a volunteer to hold the unit accountable for those changes.

Complete your scorecard and turn it in. On December 31 of each year, JTE scorecards are due to your unit commissioner and district executive.

Units that plan ahead aren’t surprised by their score; they’re expecting it. Like a marathon runner checking his or her watch after each mile, a unit should check its scorecard regularly to aim for gold.

• District Committee
• Commissioner Corps
• District Executives
• Leader Recognition
• Youth Advancement
• Roundtable Meetings

Journey to Excellence Update

Scouting’s Journey to Excellence (JTE) is the BSA aspirational planning, performance and recognition program designed to encourage and reward success of our units, districts, and councils. It is meant to encourage excellence and continuous improvement in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA.

Many unit leaders have found JTE metrics to be an effective continuous improvement tool. As previously announced, changes were made to 2020 objectives to reflect the impact of COVID 19. For this reason, the unit JTE recognition program will continue, however, the district and council level JTE recognition will be discontinued for 2020 and 2021. JTE at the unit level will continue, and recognition patches will continue to be available for units and their members.

Unit Recognition Revised unit criteria, due to the pandemic, is available at https://www.scouting.org/awards/journey-to-excellence/unit/2020-scorecards-english/ . The criteria intentionally provides units a great deal of latitude due to the significant variability of programming due to local pandemic regulations.

2021 unit scorecards are available at https://www.scouting.org/awards/journey-to-excellence/unit/ .

Journey to Excellence for districts and councils represents data which is important to help districts and councils deliver a quality program. A new membership reporting tool is under development to aid districts and councils with key membership data including gender and ethnic diversity. You will soon hear more about this.

Unfortunately, the council and district JTE dashboard (dials) and finish line report require substantial manual compilation and data management each month. With the significant reduction in staff at the BSA national service center, the staff support necessary to keep the dashboard current is simply not available. Consequently, it is necessary to decommission the JTE dashboard and finish line report effective September 18.

We suggest that even if JTE recognition is not available, the JTE standards for districts and councils still represent a vision of good Scouting and can be used in strategic planning.

We will be considering what assessment and/or recognition system will be most helpful to councils and districts for 2022 and beyond. It is very premature to speculate on what that might be. Questions can be directed to [email protected] .

Thank you for all you do for Scouting and for your support of the Journey to Excellence program.

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Journey to Excellence

Scouting’s  Journey to Excellence (JTE) is the BSA’s planning, performance, and recognition program designed to encourage and reward the success of our units, districts and councils. It is meant to encourage excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA.  It lets unit leaders self-evaluate and see, quantitatively, how well their unit is meeting the goals of Scouting.

Here are the major changes in the JTE scorecards for 2022.

• The standards are written as activities that the unit  will  do. This is to emphasize that JTE is primarily a planning tool.
• The Cub Scout scorecard has many changed standards. This is because of changes in the Cub Scout program.
• For standard #10, Gold now includes recruiting a new leader. We have found that the best units continually recruit parents and other adults who have never been involved in Scouting.

There is no requirement, no expectation and, in fact, we might discourage a unit from believing that they should achieve Gold in all JTE criteria.  A great unit is balanced in the service that it provides to youth. There is no shame and no problem if a unit achieves Silver or Bronze. That unit is serving youth. 

• Tracking Workbooks
• Unit JTE Status Record Sheet

DISTRICT TOOLS

• District JTE Training Outline
• District Total Available Youth Tool User Guide

COUNCIL TOOLS

SERVICE PROJECTS

• Service Hours Input and Information  
• Unit Tips for Success
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• Eagle Scout and Exploring Service Projects Entry

SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

• Purchase JTE patches and plaques

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What’s in it for Me?
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Striking Gold: Series on Journey to Excellence | What is JTE?

NOTE: This article is the first part of a multi-part series on JTE.

Beginning in 2012, the introduction of the Journey to Excellence (JTE) program evolved the way we understand membership and program data in the Order of the Arrow (OA). JTE aims to measure the performance of a chapter, lodge, or section, including what areas are excelling as well as what areas require more attention. Seventeen objectives are organized in six categories: membership, program, unit service, finance, council support, and leadership & governance. Based on a scorecard format, each JTE objective is measured in one of three levels of recognition, increasing in difficulty: Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Three levels of our organization use the Journey to Excellence program: chapters, lodges and sections (although chapter JTE is determined by the lodge). The JTE criteria are frequently evaluated and updated to reflect the needs of lodges across the country.

Journey to Excellence is your lodge’s roadmap for the calendar year. This series will aim at explaining the different pieces of the JTE criteria so that you may create more specific goals aimed at improving your lodge. Your lodge’s JTE performance from the previous year will allow you to determine your lodge’s strengths and weaknesses – in what areas should you continue what you’re doing, and in what areas the lodge should look to improve. After identifying where improvement is needed, the lodge leadership should look for ideas on how to succeed. Use LodgeMaster to track your lodge’s progress in accomplishing the goals set in the beginning and throughout the year.

Several resources are at your disposal to understand the Journey to Excellence Program. This series will focus on the 2018 JTE performance points scorecard and will detail all seventeen objectives by providing best practices and other resources to help your lodge. Stay tuned!

Journey to Excellence resources:

• National JTE Website
• Journey to Excellence Guide (PDF)
• 2018 OA Lodge Performance Recognition Program (PDF)
• 2017 OA Lodge Performance Recognition Program (PDF)
• 2017 Chapter Journey to Excellence (Excel)

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