The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) was organized in June of 1875 by Junius F. Wells, under the direction of Brigham Young, to provide spiritual and cultural activities during leisure time for the young men of the Church.

Scouting, with its spiritual background and cultural ideals, appealed to Church leaders as an excellent program for boys. The YMMIA thoroughly investigated Scouting in 1911, and, on motion of President Anthony W. Ivins of the YMMIA general superintendency, the MIA Scouts were officially organized.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally affiliated with the Scouting movement in the United States in May of 1913 as its first institutional sponsor, and today sponsors more Scouts and Scouting units in the United States than any other organization. Hundreds of thousands of young men are enrolled as Scouts in groups or units sponsored by the Church.

The Church adopted Scouting as part of the activity program for Aaronic Priesthood quorums and later for Primary boys ages 8 and older. By providing opportunities for boys and young men to put into practice the gospel lessons they learn in the home and at Church, Scouting programs have supported the priesthood.

The Church continues to follow the programs of the Boy Scouts of America to help its young men 12 to 18 years of age as they magnify their callings in the priesthood. Scouting helps young men develop desirable character traits, citizenship, and physical and mental fitness. The Scouting program teaches young men how to rely on themselves, serve and lead others, prepare for emergencies, conserve natural resources, and become actively involved in community, school, and Church service projects.

The Young Men general presidency emphasizes that Scouting continues to play a strong role in fulfilling the Aaronic Priesthood objectives of preparing young men for full-time missions, temple blessings, and righteous manhood. The Church and the Boy Scouts of America form a strong, mutually beneficial partnership to teach and train our young men.

We have strong affiliations with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA); Scouts Canada; the Scouting Associations of Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain; and other associations in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. The vast majority of Latter-day Saint Scouting affiliations, however, are in the western and central United States and Canada.

For boys and young men ages 8-18 in the United States, the Church endorses affiliation with BSA Cub Scout packs, Scout troops, Varsity teams, and Venturing crews. These programs are also endorsed for boys and young men overseas who are attached to military bases or other U.S. expatriates who wish their children to have a BSA Scouting experience. We do not endorse or sponsor Tiger Cub or Exploring programs, and inasmuch as the Church sponsors its own Young Women activity programs, we do not sponsor Girl Scout or Venturing programs for girls or young women.

Likewise, in Canada the Church sponsors strong Cub Scout, Scout, Rover, and Venturing programs for boys and young men ages 8-18. In November 1998, Scouts Canada adopted a national program of coeducational Scouting, but allowed organizations that have a religious or traditional history of all-male Scout groups to maintain that status. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not sponsor coeducational Scouting in any country where we affiliate with Scouting.