What Scouting Can Do for Your Son (or Daughter)
Imagine…it’s 9:30 on a Saturday night. Your son has just crawled into his sleeping bag after a long, fun day of swimming, fishing, and singing around the campfire. He is whispering and laughing with the other Scouts. The Scout next to him is talking about the “big hike” tomorrow. As they settle down, a pine-scented breeze comes in through the woods. They can hear the soft hoo-hoot of owls. He falls asleep, dreaming about the fun yet to come.
Be Prepared. The Scouting Motto.
Your son was ready for this trip, because he learned how to cook over a campfire, practicing at meetings and learning traditional campfire recipes from other Scouts. He shared a favorite pie-iron recipe that he learned in Cub Scouts. Your son checked his equipment with his Patrol leader. A couple of the older Scouts helped him when he had trouble learning to pitch a tarp for a shelter – but together they figured it out. He was excited about this camping trip because he and his buddies planned and rehearsed a crazy skit to crack up the other Scouts around the campfire. He was ready – he was prepared.
Scouting is not just for boys and young men.
Venturers and Sea Scouts are co-ed programs.
Imagine your 17 year-old daughter, scuba diving in Florida with her fellow Venturers or Sea Scouts. She was one of the key planners for this trip, assigning fellow Scouts to arrange air travel and organizing other Scouts to handle fund-raising so that everyone could attend. Your daughter was a little unsure about joining the Boy Scouts, but quickly realized that the high-adventure program appealed to her growing independence and need to test her strengths and raise her horizons. Since she joined, she has gone on multi-day camping trips, learned to rock climb, and had a great time with the other teens in her crew. She has gained confidence, learned to lead, and become more fit and active. Turns out the Boy Scouts were an ideal fit for your daughter!
Leadership and Cooperation.
In a hyper-competitive world, Scouting is unique it its twin goals: cooperation and leadership. From the earliest days of Cub Scouts, Packs, Dens, and parents work together to help boys achieve. As Scouts get older, responsibility for advancement gradually shifts to the Scout. They are given opportunities to lead. Simple tasks such as taking attendance leads to planning adventure trips.
This is what Scouting is all about.
But it is not all the Scouting teaches.
Scouting teaches planning and leadership. The dinner that the Cub Scouts cooked and enjoyed was carefully planned by a Webelos Pack. Venturers worked all year on fund-raising for a high-adventure canoe trip so that all the crew members have a chance to attend. Boy Scouts help each other with community service projects so that one Scout can earn his Eagle rank – and know when it’s their turn on their path to Eagle, their Troop members will be out there for them. Leadership and cooperation.
Boy Scouts has been turning out leaders for 100 years.
Our time-tested methods honor the aims of ethical behavior, good citizenship, and fitness. Your son or daughter will not only have a great time, they’ll learn valuable skills and lessons which stay with them for a lifetime.
Colleges, scholarship committees, employers, and the US military value Scouting
Scouting experience is consistently rewarded by college recruiters, employers, and the US military. College recruiters regularly highlight students who have achieved through Scouting. The US military awards rank advancement to Scouts who become Eagles. Employers know that Scouting teaches skills that make job applicants good workers. And scholarship committees not only weight Scouting achievements, many scholarships are available exclusively to Scouts. The value of Scouting lasts a lifetime.
Isn’t it time for you to consider getting
your child into Scouting?
Think Scouting may be for your son or daughter? We have Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops in every town in Boston Minuteman Council service area. Venturing Crews and Sea Scout Ships are located in several conveniently located communities.
Want to learn more? Click on one of the Scouting levels below and see how YOUR son or daughter can begin the Scouting journey.
