Part of the mission statement of the Boy Scouts of America is “. . . to prepare young people to make ethical decisions over their lifetime . . . “. I think Boy Scouts does much more than that. Not only does it teach decision making skills, it teaches all sorts of skills that anyone needs to become a good productive and successful adult.
I know this because I was a Boy Scout for over seven years. My son started in the then new Tiger Cub program and stayed with the scouting program through his high school years advancing to Eagle Scout. And I have seen many young boys grow into young men over my years in Scouting. I just don’t think there is another program that offers what a Boy Scouting does.
Consider what a young man has learned and done if he advances in the Scouting program:
· He has learned about duty to his God and has been encouraged not only to worship but to develop in his faith life through his individual actions and his opportunity to earn religious awards, all the while respecting the beliefs of others.
· He has learned duty to his country starting with pride and respect for the flag and then through training emphasizing local, national and world citizenship.
· He has learned about physical fitness and the need to care for his body.
· He has learned about being part of a family with respect for his mother and father.
· He has learned life skills such as personal finance, safety, first aid, and cooking.
· He has been part of a group that had to plan activities together, do chores together, solve problems and get jobs done as a group while respecting the individuality of each member.
· He has learned to be a leader dealing with the interactions of his group and learning what it means to put those he leads above his personal needs.
· If he has reached the rank of Eagle, he has completed a project which required him to plan a project which benefited others, get approval from several adults, secure funding, recruit both boy and adult help, keep records with precise documentation, and report the results. Many people go well into adulthood without doing what this young man will have done.
· He has learned unselfish giving to others, working to help those less fortunate than him and always wanting to leave the world a better placed for his having been there.
· And he has done this in a program which uses outdoor experiences that make all this learning fun and gives him memories he will cherish forever.