Since its inception in 1910, the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) has been one of the most iconic parts of American history. It won’t be wrong to call the BSA one of the largest youth organizations in the US, as this program has enrolled more than 110 million Americans since its inception.
What does BSA aim for?
So, why was the Boy Scouts originated?
What does it aim at?
How is BSA helping boys build a better career?
Why should a parent arrange for that extra money to get his child registered in BSA?
The questions are many, and we will further discuss why the Boy Scouts in America are gaining so much popularity lately.
There’s a unique prestige attached to Scout Law and Scout Oath, and this prestige has been attached for more than 100 years.
Participating in Scouts is equivalent to learning life skills; it helps individuals grow to their full potential and learn various skills that make life easier and worth living.
Not just life skills, but participating in Scouts also helps develop academic skills for youth while allowing them to attain better self-confidence in life.
Both boys and girls learn to grow into more civilized human beings at a young age, where the Scouting experience plays an important role.
Acquiring citizenship skills through various tasks performed in the Scouting process helps youngsters attain better citizenship skills that influence their adult lives.
The youth of America gets to learn a lot through various activities and programs organized in the Boy Scouts.
They get to learn a lot and try new things at every stage in life. It not just builds self-confidence among young boys but also reinforces their ethical standards.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of Boy Scouts in America.
Also, Read Boys Scouts VS Girls Scouts
Pros of Participating in Boy Scouts!
1. Earning Respect is the Foremost Benefit!
Academic training is different from Scout training, which introduces a prominent difference amongst boys who participate in the Boy Scouts.
So, the first and the foremost benefit of joining Boy Scouts is earning respect. Boys learn decision-making skills; they learn to communicate better and be better citizens for their county.
2. Boys Get to Learn From their Role Models!
Young boys have to learn a lot while they happen to be an active part of the Boy Scouts. They get the exposure to learn from the older boys, interact with them, and communicate with them to learn basic life skills.
Older boys review the task accomplished by the young boys; they review their meetings and other activities.
On the other hand, young boys can learn from their role models while taking their advice seriously and performing well to earn grades at different levels.
3. Boys Get a Sense of Independence!
The journey starts with practicing as Cub Scouts, and as Cub Scouts, the boys learn to work with campouts and other activities.
The activities might involve;
- Learning to set up tents
- Ways to build or generate a fire
- Ways to safely use a knife and other sharp tools
- Jungle survival skills
- Cooking skills, etc.
These skills are learned to earn badges, and badges are the rewards for good performance. When in scouts, Boys are never handed over any prize or badge without work; they are pushed to work very hard to earn everything.
4. Boys Learn Persistence!
Endurance and tenacity are base on a well-lived life. As a parent, it becomes the responsibility of the individuals to teach their children persistence in life.
Persistence brings patience, and patience teaches us to control our emotions and reactions in the hardest times of life.
Therefore participating in Boys Scouts teaches us all to have patience in life, and to set goals, and strive for the same with utmost zeal and enthusiasm.
It teaches us to aim for better each day and achieve the aim, no matter how long it takes.
Therefore, this is how the Boys learn persistence in Scouting.
Cons of Participating in Boys Scouts
1. School Activities Get Affected!
When your child is participating in Scouting, it is but natural that other school activities and academic requirements come in the way.
As a result, the child feels pressurized, and there are times when Boys end up ruining their academic results.
Therefore, Boys will have to learn to balance Scouting and to work on other school activities. The parents also need to assist the child in striving for the right balance, while the leaders in the Scouts should also be helpful.
2. Scouting is Expensive
Like any other extra curriculum activity, Scouting also requires extra money and extra fees to be paid. This additional expenditure is beside the school fees, and thus Scouting is expensive.
Some parents might not bear this extra cost, which puts the entire family under unconditional financial pressure.
Therefore, as a family, you should always count your expenses to make sure whether you can comfortably enroll your child in the Boy Scouts or not.
3. You Need to Invest Ample Time!
Besides so many pros and cons attached to scouting, one of the most common disadvantages observed by parents and their children is the amount of time they must invest.
Scouting requires a lot of time, and boys work day and night while they enroll in various programs in their journey.
Besides this, parents also need to be equally active while their children are diligently involved in Scouting.
At times, the parents get exhausted, and as a result, they end up withdrawing themselves from the program in the middle of the course.
And thus, this results in wastage of time and money to a great extent. Therefore, one disadvantage is, you’ll need ample time to invest.
The BSA has gained immense popularity since its inception, and there are a large number of people who get their children enrolled in the process.
On the other hand, since the time girls are allowed to get actively registered as a member in the Boy Scouts, girls in large numbers are getting registered. Scouting has therefore been the learning cycle for a lot of young boys and girls.
