Alexander 1

Colby Alexander

Wood

English IV

17 March, 2020

A Scout Is...

What is a Scout? Well i could start with the obvious answer by citing the Scout law; A

scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful... etc etc. However, that would only scratch the surface of

what scouting is, and what it means to be a scout. When I was a young child I remember

looking up to Boy Scouts, I really wanted to be a Scout. So, when I was old enough I joined Cub

Scouts. Frankly I have few memories of Cub Scouts, but at the end of fifth grade I aged out of

Cub Scouts, and finally became a Boy Scout as I was so excited to be. For some people there is

some sort of negative connotation around Boy Scouts. I’ve heard people jeer at some of my peers

saying things like “how can you be 16 and still be a Boy Scout.” People seem to think that being

a Boy Scout is a childish thing, and don’t expect high schoolers to still be in Scouts. But these

people have never been Scouts and clearly don’t understand what Scouting means. People

associate Boy Scouts with camping, knots, and merit badges. Which, yes they are big parts of

Scouting, but there are reasons for that.

Scouting is first and foremost a program to teach young men to be good leaders, but even

so it’s more than just that. A Boy Scout Troop is a community, it's a place where everyone is safe

and accepted. I always looked forward to the troop meetings every Monday, the monthly

campouts, and summer camp. I know many of my peers did too. I have learned so much from the

Scouting program, so I’ve always been quick to defend Scouting when someone I knew would
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jeer about it. I know that it is very beneficial to youths, because I would not be the same had I

not been a Scout. But I’ve wondered; in what ways exactly is this program beneficial to young

adults, and how has the program changed over the years to remain relevant and beneficial in

today’s times? After research I found there are three main ways that Scouting is beneficial.

The first is what Scouting does for youths. For one thing, scouting provides young men

with adult mentors, “The Term Mentor describes a person who consciously and with purpose

fosters a relationship between the target of such efforts, the protégé,” (Darity 1). In this instance

the mentors are adult leaders in the Troop, and the protégé are the youth members. Now scouting

is well hailed as being a youth run program but in the words of Lord Baden Powell, “Scouting is

a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of trained men”. There are

many adult leaders, Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, Merit Badge Counselors etc in a

troop. These adult leaders provide guidance to the scouts, acting as mentors, and help to provide

the tools the older scouts need in order to lead the younger scouts successfully. These adult

leaders also provide an approachable adult figure for young Scouts who may be experiencing

bullying or other trauma and need someone to talk to about it. Having a role model/mentor for

youths has been found to be very important “sufficient evidence supports the notion that

mentoring is a powerful tool for the development of the protégé. Successful mentoring can often

influence indicators such as compensation, promotion, exposure, and visibility.” (Darity 1)

Not only does Scouting provide role models to youths, it also gives them a community

where they can always feel welcomed and accepted. I have long held the belief that there is no

greater sense of community than that of 30 Scouts singing around a campfire. And this sense of

community leads to having a stronger understanding of community, and serving their greater
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community as a whole. The Fundamental Principles of Scouting states one of the 3 major goals

to be “Duty to Others” (World Scout Bureau). It is understood that the reason why Scouting is

divided into small roops is because it builds a sense of community for the youth to be able to

take ownership of and have an understanding of how a community should function. They can

then apply this sense of community to outside of scouts. Three of the most important merit

badges in scouting are citizenship in the community, citizenship in the nation, and citizenship in

the world, teaching Scouts to apply what they’ve learned from their small troops to much larger

communities. Hence community service is a large part of scouting. In 2018 alone, “Members

recorded more than 14 million hours of service” (Wendell 1). There are few other groups that

can lay claim to such an amount of time in service to the community. Scouts develop a strong

sense of community because of the nature of the program.

The next way is what you learn from Scouting. Some skills are conventional such as

camping and knot tying, others are more conceptual like leadership. I personally know a lot

about what you learn from scouting because I learned those things, but coming from just me

alone it would be a little biased. To get a better perspective of what Scouts learn in Scouting I

interviewed Dan Wade, an Eagle Scout himself, and Scoutmaster of Troop 818. When asked if

the skills he learned in scouting helped him in the adult world Wade said “Absolutely, as a

teenager being put in a position to lead your peers and being given the tools and taught those

tools is an invaluable skill”

The Scout motto is ‘Be Prepared’ which is part of the reason Scouts learn things such as

first aid, and knot tying are taught in Scouting. A Scout is taught to be prepared for anything, and

with recent events this preparedness can prove to be invaluable. “In the national picture, 2018
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was a year of devastating and record-breaking ​natural disasters​, with ​climate change​ playing a

significant role in exploiting conditions conducive to fires,” (Gale 1). Now more than ever being

prepared for emergencies is crucial, and luckily for scouts, the skills needed are taught and tested

again and again. Weekly meetings where scouts learn these important skills, and campouts where

the skills can be tested. Every scout is expected to carry the BSA 10 essentials on them at these

campouts, items ranging from pocket knives, to firestarters, to first aid kits, and they learn how

to use all of these skills.

These conventional skills are useful in their own right for the preparedness aspect, but

there’s a bigger reason why Scouts are taught these skills. That reason is leadership. Knot tying

for example; “Knot-tying has long been​ a part of the Scouting program — for good reasons. It

promotes discipline and focus, and it teaches useful skills that can be used immediately,”

(Jacobsen 1). Scouts tie knots not only because it is a useful skill, but because it is something an

older scout is able to learn and teach to younger scouts. “​Scouting gave me the opportunity to

learn how to lead my peers, and if it wasn’t for scouting I think I really would’ve taken a much

longer time to really figure out how to lead effectively. So Scouting gave me the basic skills to

be able to do that” Wade said when asked what had stuck with him the most into adulthood. He

also as a Scoutmaster had insight to what he observed from current scouts and said “ a lot of

times they don’t realize the degree to which they’ve grown but as an adult leader I can see it

happen right before my very eyes.” Scouts get taught the skills as young scouts to be leaders, and

then when they age up they get a chance to utilize the skills they learned in leading and teaching

the younger scouts.

The Fundamental Principles Document of scouting touches upon learning by doing. It

touches on the fact that “​A programme which is not based upon the concept of learning by doing

cannot be considered a Scout programme.” (World Scout Organization). This is shone through in

one of the leadership methods taught in Scouting. The EDGE method of Explain Demonstrate

Guide and Enable. Scouting is essentially one big edge method because Scouts are explained,

demonstrated, guided, and then ultimately enabled to be a leader. As Wade said ​“leadership

happens as a scout advances the scout has opportunities to lead their peers first as an assistant

patrol leader, then a patrol leader and maybe a senior patrol leader,” this shows how scouts

gradually make their way up the leadership ladder, learning by doing the whole way up.

There’s one more idea taught in Scouting, that is being a person of character. Wade had

told me that was the other most important thing learned in scouting, besides leadership, was good

character. Scouts have the guiding principles of the Oath and Law, and the Slogan being “Do A

​ uthor David Macleod

touches upon the idea of moral oaths and pledges. In the early 1900’s programs to try to teach

morals using a very specific code and promise of what not to do. He goes on to write how

ineffective this was, and so a new idea of broad sweeping moral pledge was created by many

programs. “The Boy Scout Oath became the most renowned of these broad form pledges”

(Macleod 86). The boy scout Oath isn’t a strict list of things not to do, it is simply a promise to

do one’s best. This is what makes it so effective. This idea of the moral code of scouting even

ties back to the conventional skills that scouts learn. One of the main points of the scout law is

“to help other people at all times.” Author Jay Mechling touches upon how learning first aid can

tie back to the idea of helping other people in his book​ On My Honor: Boy Scouts and the
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Making of American Youth. ​“The movement’s emphasis on ‘duty’ and ‘preparedness’ was

creating in these boys at least the expectation that they could help other. That one day they could

save a life” (Mechling 119). The idea of learning first aid and emergency preparedness clearly

ties into the duty to others that is mentioned in the scout oath. It creates not only the ability to

help others but as demonstrated by Mechling, a desire to help people.

Finally, I wouldn’t be able to talk about the benefits of Scouting without

mentioning those two words everyone in Scouting is thinking about. I mentioned earlier how

people like to make fun of Boy Scouts, and the negative childish connotation around Boy Scouts,

but when you mention those two words that connotation all but disappears. The same people who

made fun of people for being in Boy Scouts instantly congratulated me when they heard I had

earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Because everything else aside, the words ‘Eagle Scout’ convey a

huge amount of dedication, commitment, determination, and leadership.

Being an Eagle means not only have you mastered the skills learned in scouts, but it

affords you an amount of respect. Being an Eagle can help you get ahead in life in surprising

ways, because of what it represents. When I was a Scout at summer camp one of the camp

directors told us a story. He was applying to be an EMT, he sat down at the interview, and the

person interviewing read over his resume, and read that he was an Eagle Scout. Almost

immediately after reading this he hired him on the spot. The rank of eagle scout helps people get

ahead in life, because this recognition shows that people have leadership and dedication. Because

of this, there are many Eagle Scouts in high places throughout the nation. For example Robert

Gates who, “has served the country as secretary of defense, as director of the CIA and as an

intelligence professional at the National Security Council and the White House under eight
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presidents​,” (Wolf).​ ​Robert gates has been heavily involved in scouting for quite a long time and

is an Eagle Scout, he in “The Scout Oath and Law have been with me all my life,” (Wolf). This

is a man who has served under many presidents from both sides of the political aisle, and credits

what he learned in scouting for at least part of his success. I was able to personally talk to a small

business owner Tim Mullen who said “Scouting was a big part of my life, I still remember what

my Eagle Project was and everything I learned in scouts.” Him and many other Eagle Scouts I’ve

met often speak about how much they benefited from the whole process, and are always

encouraging people to join scouts, and encouraging current scouts to put in the work to become

Eagle.

Scouting has throughout the years held firm to the values it teaches, but that doesn’t mean

the program has stagnated. The idea of following the scout oath and law, helping others, and

being prepared has not changed in the many years in which the organization has existed. But it

has definitely changed quite a bit from its inception “It’s become more diverse, which is a

positive development, it’s been able to accommodate different types of people,” Wade said.

Granted, Scouting has not always been perfect and accommodating as it is now “The Boy Scouts

of America have been dragged onto the front lines of the culture wars. "It started 20 years ago

with lawsuits complaining girls and atheists were being excluded” (Tucker).

Clearly, this has all changed. For one thing despite ‘Duty to God’ being one of the key

factors of the Scouting movement, not just in America but worldwide, this doesn’t have to mean

to a Judeo-Christian God, or even a literal god. “​The concept of a force above man is basic to

Scouting. The whole educational approach of [Scouting] consists in helping young people to

transcend the material world and go in search of the spiritual values of life.” (World Scout
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Bureau). It is made clear that it is no longer required to practice any religion, ‘duty to god’ is

simply to acknowledge some sort of spiritual presence beyond oneself. Starting in 2017 Boy

Scouts reversed their official policy of not allowing gay and transgender Scouts, and more

recently, Girls have been allowed in Scouting, and as Wade said “We will see the first ever girl

Eagle Scout within the next 2 years” this is truly a groundbreaking change.

In recent years there has been much more growth apparent in urban areas, and some

decline in more rural areas. This can be partially attributed to the loss of support from

organizations like the LDS Church, but it's obvious that the overall demographic is shifting.

Many years ago scouting was mostly a rural program, but now there are more scouts in urban

areas, because the values and teachings of scouts are being proven to be beneficial time and time

again.

In the end it is clear that despite the controversy, scouting has done a lot of good, for

individuals, for the nation, and for the world. There are 3 main ways scouting is directly

beneficial to the members of it. Those 3 main ways are the mentoring and support scouting gives

its members, the skills the members are taught, and the ultimately the respect you are afforded if

you earn Eagle Scout. Now granted, as an Eagle Scout myself I can safely say that the leadership

skills you learn from scouting are much more important than just the award of Eagle Scout, but

the benefit certainly exists. When I told my mom what the question of my research paper was

going to be she said “well there’s no need to research that, you’re living proof that Scouting is

beneficial.” I certainly believe that to be the case, I would not be the person I am today if I hadn’t

been a Scout. I am proud to have been a part of the cycle of learning that is a Boy Scout troop. I

remember having been a young new scout looking up to the older scouts and leaders. I later
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became a leader in the troop that all the younger scouts looked up to. I did my best to utilize the

skills that I had learned as well as teach them to the younger Scouts.

So what is a Scout then? A Scout is a young person, who is growing up and learning.

Learning conventional skills, learning to lead, learning to teach, learning to be a citizen, and a

person of good character. There historically have been some flaws in the scouting program, this

is true, but it is still evolving to remain relevant, but remaining true to the values it was founded

for. I still remember everything I’ve learned from scouting. All those campouts, summer camp

monday meetings. Starting every monday night with the scout law, a scout is… and ending every

night with the Scout Oath ...to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally

straight.
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Works Cited

Jacobson, Cliff, et al. “How to Tie 10 Essential Scouting Knots.” ​Scouting Magazine​, 19 Apr.

2018, scoutingmagazine.org/2017/04/tie-essential-scouting-knots/.

Macleod, David I. ​Building Character in the American Boy: the Boy Scouts, YMCA, and Their

Forerunners, 1870-1920​. University of Wisconsin Press, 2004.

Mechling, Jay. ​On My Honor Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth.​ University of

Chicago Press, 2004.

"Mentoring." ​International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences,​ edited by William A. Darity,

Mullen, Tim, Personal Interview

"Paradise Wildfire of 2018 Devastates California Town and Surrounding Area." ​Historic U.S.
Events​, Gale, 2019. ​Gale In Context: High School,​
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/SZYHSP254223594/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=
c4f9b1b9. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
Tucker, William. "Thrifty, brave, clean, and persecuted: across the country, the Boy Scouts are
under attack." ​National Review,​ vol. 60, no. 17, 15 Sept. 2008, p. 32. ​Gale In Context:
High School,​
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A184482454/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=716f5b
e8. Accessed 17 Mar. 2020.

Wade, Dan, Personal Interview

Wendell, Bryan. "Your Scouts' Report Went to Washington." ​Scouting​, vol. 107, no. 3,
May-June 2019, p. 4. ​Gale In Context: High School,​
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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A586014341/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=dd5f9c
03. Accessed 11 Mar. 2020.

Wolf, Mark. "Robert Gates: former Defense Secretary, CIA Director--and Eagle Scout." ​State
Legislatures,​ vol. 41, no. 9, Oct.-Nov. 2015, p. 22+. ​Gale In Context: High School​,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A437878283/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=1b701c
70. Accessed 16 Mar. 2020.

World Scout Bureau. “Fundamental Principles.” ​ScoutDocs​, World Organization of the Scout

Movement, 1992, scoutdocs.ca/Documents/Fundamental_Principles.php.

Works Consulted

Hubbard, Matthew. “A Cartographic Depiction and Exploration of the Boy Scouts of America's

Historical Membership Patterns.” ​KU ScholarWorks​, University of Kansas, 1 Jan. 1970,

kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/24173.

www.scouting.org