David Harling: BSA celebrates 114 years of service delivering what parents want for their children

Today, parents have so many options to fill their child’s “free” time. There are opportunities to participate in every sport under the sun, plus music lessons, art classes, and theater. If you are looking for something a little different for your child, something that has the potential to teach leadership development and a wide variety of life skills that could serve kids well into adulthood, do not overlook Scouting.

When kids join a Scouts BSA (formerly known as Boy Scouts) pack or troop, they become part of a global network with a long history of personal development, leadership and community service.

The Scouting movement can trace its roots to England, where an official Scouting organization for boys was first established by Robert Baden-Powell in 1908. The Boy Scouts of America was established two years later in 1910. Scouts BSA celebrated the anniversary of its founding last week, Feb. 4-10 with many troops leading worship services of their sponsor organization. Today, Scouts BSA is part of The World Scout Organization which is found in 216 countries. Through the years, the movement has evolved to reflect the changing times, not only by adding and emphasizing modern skills in their merit badge system—including cybersecurity, coding, and other STEM-related skills—but also by becoming more inclusive.

Globally, many of what were traditionally Scouting organizations for boys became co-ed back in the 1970s. In the United States, Boy Scouts of America welcomed females into its Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scouts programs in 1971, but it was not until 2018 that girls were permitted to join the traditional Scouts BSA program.

The core tenets of Scouts BSA include character building, environmental care, volunteerism and outdoor skills

The Scouting movement that started 114 years ago has really remained consistent, and part of that consistency is because those core tenets have stayed quite true.

Entry into Scouts BSA typically begins at the Cub Scout level, which is for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Cub Scouts are organized geographically in packs, which are made up of smaller dens by grade level (Lion Cubs, Tiger Cubs, Cubs, Webelos, and Arrow of Light). Cub Scouts work to earn badges and participate in friendly competitions like the Pinewood Derby where Cub Scouts race miniature cars that they design and fashion from a block of wood and the Rain Gutter Regatta where Cub Scouts race small boats down a rain gutter under the wind of their breath.

After Cub Scouts comes the traditional program most people are familiar with: Scouts BSA for ages 11 to 17. At this level, Scouts are organized in troops. Girls’ troops are separate from boys’ troops, but they often collaborate on projects and other activities.

For ages 14 to 20, there are also Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scouts programs, which are completely co-ed, and which focus on high-adventure outdoor activities, career interests or boating skills.

The Scouts BSA program focuses on traditional Scouting skills like knot-tying, outdoor activities like camping and hiking, and advancement through the earning of merit badges where future career interests may be discovered.

Outdoor activities serve as the ‘hook’ for the program. These outdoor activities are the platform to engage youth and adults to teach character, volunteerism and stewardship for others and the environment. The outdoor program includes monthly camping trips with a program focusing on lifesaving or survival skills, a weeklong summer camp with a focus on fun and rank advancement, boating, hiking and swimming activities.

As Scouts progress through the ranks, the focus begins to shift towards leadership development and community service, culminating in the highest rank: Eagle Scout. To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, Scouts must earn 21 merit badges, including four citizenship badges. Three of those — citizenship in the community, citizenship in the nation, and citizenship in the world — have been required for many years. The fourth, citizenship in society, was added in 2022 and focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Other required badges focus on everything from first aid to personal fitness to financial literacy. The path to Eagle also requires the Scout to take on leadership roles within the troop.

Finally, after approval from the district, the prospective Eagle Scout must prepare and execute a service project worthy of an Eagle Scout to benefit the community. The main purpose of the Eagle Scout project is to demonstrate leadership as the plan, prepare, execute and evaluate their Eagle project as they recruit others to lead during the life of the project. Local Eagle Scout projects over the years have benefited Scotland County organizations like Helping Hand, the John Blue grounds, Camp Monroe, local schools and many churches.

Besides leaving a lasting impact on the community Scouts BSA organizations has a positive impact on the youth who participate in them. So, what do parents want? During my many years working with the Scouts BSA program and hundreds of Scouts and parents, I learned that parents want their child to develop character, learn to be accepting of others, become self-advocates, learn problem-solving skills, learn to become independent, learn presentation skills, learn public speaking skills, receive formal leadership training and learn how to network. But, most importantly parents want to see their child develop self-confidence to succeed in life.

The only organization that can deliver this full package of skills to the youth of our community is the Scouting program. It has been doing it for 114 years. Give your child a leg up in life by becoming a Scout.