A Century of Scouting Delivers Tomorrow’s Leaders

From the May 24th Issue of The County Journal

The Boy Scouts movement started over hundred years ago when Lord Robert Baden-Powell, a war hero from England learned of a concept where young boys learn outdoor camp experience from an American Ernest Thompson Seton and Daniel Carter Beard, and tested it with 20 London Boys on Brownsea Island.  The rest, as they say, is history.

In today’s world, work, school, family, religion, sports, and extracurricular activities pull parents and children in many directions.

The Boy Scouts of America has achieved these outcomes by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. It has helped my son develop his own sense of responsibility, strengthen his character, develop good citizenship, and enhance both mental and physical fitness. These are his building blocks in preparing for adulthood.

The Chief Okemos Boy Scouts Council, which covers Eaton County, has a successful program to improve access to Scouting for at-risk, disadvantaged youth from targeted schools free from financial and social barriers providing traditional troop packs, uniforms and supplies and a life learning experience.  These programs depend on the strong community collaborative partnership from agencies such as local churches, elementary schools, and local service organizations.

Research conducted by Harris Interactive indicates that one year in Scouting provides a boy with a safe and healthy environment in which he learns important values and develops self-confidence.

Many young people lacking direction and focus often display destructive behaviors such as violence, theft, drug and alcohol use, and promiscuity. They are often isolated from their parents and community, and disconnected from the guideposts designed to help them through the difficult years of adolescence. Scouting has answers to reach these youth.

Fortunately, there is little disagreement about how to solve many of these problems. Studies have shown that one of the best ways is early and consistent education, honesty, compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect. Youth who learn and practice these common values have a much better chance of succeeding in life.

As parents, there are many things we do for our children. Scouting is something we do with our children. Invest in Scouting today by getting a child you love involved in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, or Venturing.

As Lord Powell simply stated, “The most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.”