For school-age kids, scouting, 4-H and other social groups these days are about more than selling cookies, camping and raising livestock. They are an opportunity for kids to learn how to work together, develop leadership skills and form friendships that last for years.
Here's how to get involved:

Boy Scouts of America
Boys can start scouting once they hit first grade. Two Boy Scout councils serve the Triangle.

Boys in Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake counties can join the Occoneechee Council, based in Raleigh. The Occoneechee Council has two camps, including Camp Durant in Moore County and another on Kerr Lake.

In Johnston County, boys can sign up with the Tuscarora Council. The council's Camp Tuscarora has a BMX track and will open a 100-foot waterslide in 2008. It also is the only Boy Scout camp in America to have a skateboard park.

Girl Scouts of the USA
Girls can sign-up for scouting starting at age 5. Girl Scouts - North Carolina Coastal Pines serves 41 central and eastern North Carolina counties, including Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake.

YMCA's Guides and Princesses
Give the dad in the family some one-on-one time with with Bobby or Susie, starting at first grade. The hugely popular YMCA program allows for one-on-one time with dads and their kids.

The YMCA of the Triangle's Y-Guides and Princesses program serves more than 11,000 dads and kids in Wake, Durham and Johnston counties. You don't have to be a member of the Y to join.

Orange County dads and kids can bond through the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA's Guides and Princess programs.

Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake and Durham offer after-school programs and other activities for school-age kids. The Boys & Girls Club of Wayne County has a program for kids in Johnston County.

4-H
Kids ages 8 to 18 can generally get involved in 4-H, the largest out-of-school program for the kids in the United States. There are more than 10,000 established programs in North Carolina. The program is run through extension agent offices in Durham, Orange, Johnston and Wake counties.

Civil Air Patrol
Starting at age 12, kids can get involved in the Civil Air Patrol, the U.S. Air Force's auxiliary. Members learn about leadership, fitness and aerospace engineering. The patrol, which also includes adult members, performs 90 percent of the nation's inland search and rescue missions, saving 75 lives a year. There are more than 40 units across the state.

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