Now, the first thing that should be said is that yes, I may be a tad bit biased about this because I am a Boy Scout, but that is also important because some random adult who only has the internet to go off of will know less than I do. 

Even though ScoutsBSA hasn’t had the best reputation from the news lately, they have put in rules and guidelines to prevent history from repeating itself. There is a rule that is called two-deep leadership, which makes sure that there are two adults minimum, whether it be emails or in person, there has to be at least two adults present. 

Scouting has been a part of my life since I was six, when I joined Cub Scouts, which is a more adult-led side of an organization, mostly because, well, scouts can’t lead at that age, or plan camping trips or pack meetings. So the adults do that for them. It’s kind of like a stepping stone into Boy Scouts. After completing 5th grade, they then ‘bridge,’ literally and figuratively. I say literally because my pack put a six-foot-long bridge on the stage of where we met, and you would go across the bridge to your new troop representatives.

Boy Scouts is from 6th grade to when you turn 18. In Boy Scouts, we develop leadership skills, as we need to serve in leadership positions to progress in rank. We plan our own campouts, cook our own meals, and pack our own gear. We accomplish extreme feats that most people can’t say they have done. Have you biked 50 miles in less than eight consecutive hours? One of my favorite campouts was where we went underground ziplining in Kentucky. But that is not all! On the way there, we stopped at the National Corvette Museum, and on the way back, we stopped at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace because that just so happened to be President’s Day weekend. We have gone skiing several times in the last few years, and that is a ton of fun. We try to go on a camping trip every month. Sometimes, we go backpacking.

Some of the most elite trips you can take in Scouting are when you go to a high-adventure base. There are four bases, which are Florida Sea Base, Northern Tier High Adventure Base, Summit Bechtel Reserve, and Philmont Scout Ranch. The Florida Sea Base, as you might imagine, is where scouts can do all types of water-related activities. Northern Tier is based in Minnesota and Canada. It is where scouts can have lots of adventures in cooler temperatures. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is located in West Virginia. It is full of crazy outdoor adventures. The Philmont Scout Ranch occupies more than 214 square miles in New Mexico. It is where scouts can go on severe backing treks. 

Another reason to join ScoutsBSA is the level of respect gained from being in the program, whether you completed eagle or not. Whether you are a boy or girl, being in ScoutsBSA looks good on a resume, and completing the rank of Eagle is something that might make people think differently about you. If you complete Eagle, you will have completed the same thing as many prestigious men, like astronaut Neil Armstrong, former president Gerald Ford, TV personality Mike Rowe, and Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.

Scouting is a great way to teach tomorrow’s generation what it needs to lead. Scouts can lead you to great things in life, and I highly recommend joining a troop or pack near you.