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This is my Boy Scout Troop. We went on campouts, did service projects, and spent time giving back to our community.

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The cultural acceptance of Scouting has positively affected the way my Troop functions by giving us many opportunities to visit places such as Washington D.C. and observe numerous historic monuments.

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History has shaped the way my Troop functions in society through multiple circumstances that have shaped Scouting into what it is today. Stand-out events include World Wars 1 and 2 where "Scouts supported their countries through the world wars by feeding the hungry and helping the injured." This took Scouting, a small movement of people in England, and catalyzed it into an actual globally recognized organization. Without these events, it's unclear whether my Troop in the United States would even exist.

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1. Home/

2. Scouting's History

More than 500 million young people and adults have taken part in Scouting since its inception over a century ago. Each joined the Movement to be active citizens and create positive change in their communities.

Today, Scouting is the world's leading educational youth movement with over 57 million Scouts in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Through its unique combination of education, adventure and fun, Scouting continues to be an inspiration for young people to become active citizens who are engaged in creating a better and more sustainable world.

The World Wars

Between the two world wars, Scouting continued to flourish, except in totalitarian regions where Scouting activities were banned. In occupied countries and in those with totalitarian regimes, Scouting continued in secret with Scouts playing important roles in the resistance and underground movements.

Scouts supported their countries through the world wars by feeding the hungry and helping the injured. In some places, Seas Scouts acted as coast guards.

A Century of Scouting

The Scout Movement celebrated its 100th anniversary by returning to its roots in the United Kingdom for the 21st World Scout Jamboree.

On 1 August, millions of Scouts from around the world celebrated the Scout Movement and its growth from humble beginnings to becoming a global Movement with millions of members in nearly every country around the world.

Promoting Peace and Sustainability

Scouting continued to expand its membership - reaching even remote islands in the Pacific and Caribbean - while innovating and adapting its educational offerings to reflect the current needs and aspirations of young people.

2011: The Messengers of Peace initiative was created to promote peace building and support Scouting's impact on local communities.

2018: Scouts for SDGs was launched with the aim of engaging the Scout Movement in making the world's largest coordinated youth contribution to the SDGs.

2020: The Earth Tribe was launched as a global youth community for environmental action and to enable young people to tackle the impacts of climate change.

Global Pandemic

2020-2022: Scouts around the world showed the Movement's resilience by taking action to support their communities and adapting to global restrictions through virtual and at-home programmes.

2020: The Global Youth Mobilization was launched in an effort to support the development of young people in a post-pandemic world. It is as a partnership with the Big 6 Youth Organisations, which is comprised of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Association, World Young Women's Christian Association, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award.

Robert Baden-Powell

Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, was an educator, soldier, and prolific writer, who presented the ideas and theory behind Scouting in his bestselling book "Scouting for Boys". He is popularly known as B-P.

Born Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell in London on 22 February 1857, B-P was the son of an Oxford University professor and the eighth of ten children.

B-P received his early education from his mother, and later won a scholarship to the Charterhouse School, one of Britain's most prestigious institutes.

At Charterhouse, he began to turn his attention to the great outdoors, hiding out in the woods around the school to track wildlife, catch, and cook rabbits, all while being careful not to let the tell-tale smoke give his position away. Holidays with his brothers also consisted of many adventures where B-P fine-tuned his outdoor skills and craftsmanship.

From 1876 to 1903, B-P served in the military, starting in India and then the Balkans, West Africa, South Africa and Malta. As a young army officer, he specialised in map-making and reconnaissance, and soon began to train other soldiers in what were essential skills for soldiers at the time.

B-P's methods were considered unorthodox. He set up small units or patrols who worked together under a single leader and made sure there was special recognition for those who did well. The proficiency badges he awarded then resembled the traditional design of the north compass point, and today's universal Scout badge remains remarkably similar.

After a successful military campaign in South Africa, B-P returned home in 1903 a national hero.

Beginnings of the Scout Movement

After learning that young people were reading his books and practicing what he had written for soldiers, B-P reworked his book "Aids to Scouting" for a younger audience. This became "Scouting for Boys".

In 1907, he organised what is now known as the first experimental camp on Brownsea Island, off the coast of Dorset, where he put some of his ideas into practice. He brought together 20 boys from different economic backgrounds and took them camping. This event marked the start of the Scout Movement, and is commemorated with a foundation stone on the island.

"Scouting for Boys" had been written as a training guide for existing youth organisations, but it soon became the handbook of the new Scouting Movement. The book has since been translated into all of the world's major languages.

After retiring from the army in 1910 to devote his life to the Scout Movement, B-P travelled the world to inspire young people. Two years later, he married Olave St Clair Soames, who like her husband was also born on 22 February.

Olave was B-P's constant companion and supporter, as the two worked closely around the development of the Scout Movement. She would later become World Chief Guide and co-founder of the Girl Guides Movement.

The couple went on to have three children: Peter, Heather, and Betty.

By 1920, the Scout Movement was large enough to hold its first mass gathering, later known as a Jamboree. Close to 8,000 Scouts from 34 countries gathered for the first World Scout Jamboree beneath the glass-covered dome of London's Olympia - the floor covered in earth especially for the occasion so that Scouts could pitch their tents. As the event drew to a close, B-P was acclaimed the Chief Scout of the World, a title that he would hold until his death.

Nine years later, at the 3rd World Scout Jamboree, the Prince of Wales announced that B-P would be given a peerage. B-P took the title of Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell, honouring Gilwell Park as the location of the international training centre he had established for Scout Leaders.

With his health declining, B-P returned to Africa in 1938 to live in semi-retirement in the shadow of Mount Kenya at Nyeri.

B-P died on 8 January 1941 at the age of 83. He had written a farewell message for Scouts to be published only after his death, in which he urged them to "try and leave this world a little better than you found it".

Throughout his life, B-P inspired generations of young people. He wrote at least 32 books and received honorary degrees from at least six universities as well as numerous other orders, decorations, and 19 foreign Scout awards.

Baden-Powell Last Message

"Try and leave this world a little better than you found it."

Robert Baden-Powell

Founder of the Scout Movement

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Home/ Scouting's History More than 500 million young people and adults have taken part in Scouting since its inception over a century ago. Each joined the Movement to be active citizens and create positive change in their communities. Today, Scouting is the world's leading educational youth movement with over 57 million Scouts in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

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Environments such as the Bethlehem House of Bread, a local church in my community have given us a place to hold our meetings and perform group activities. Without them, we would function a lot differently, having to sporadically move from place to place unsure of where we would meet next. Here is a picture of me doing my Eagle Scout project (repainting their parking lot).

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My troop and me in the white house.

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A picture of my troop and me.

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Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have severely affected the economic stability of Boy Scout troops such as mine. The switch to virtual activities during this time period (primarily 2019-2020) has led to a decrease in gross revenue to “$187 million in 2020 from $394 million in 2019” (Vigdor). This has led to a lot of budget cuts in terms of activities for local Troops and a membership fee increase from $66 to $72.

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Scouting Groups Report Losing About 1.7 Million Members During Pandemic (Published 2021)

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The Boy Scouts have lost more than half of its members since 2019, while enrollment in the Girl Scouts dropped by 30 percent in one year, the groups estimated.

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Institutions related to health and safety have affected my community by establishing guidelines that require us to be more careful with how our Troop is run and managed. This includes background checks on leadership positions and mandatory youth protection programs.

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Scouting Safely Guide to Safe Scouting Boy Scouts of America Scouter Code of Conduct Exploring Program Youth Protection and Adult Leadership Aquatics Safety Camping Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs Medical Information and First Aid Chemical Fuels and Equipment Activity Planning and Risk Assessment Sports and Activities Insurance Transportation Winter Activities Animal and Insect Hazards Incident Reporting […]

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Elements such as the hidden curriculum and intersectionality wheel affect my community as the environment created by Scouting is different to a lot of traditional environments that people in my troop may come from. For example, campouts often require scouts who do not know each other very well to perform tasks together such as doing chores. There is also a buddy system that requires two people to stay together at all times. People from more affluent upbringings are not as used to doing required chores, especially for free and people from urban areas that do not place an emphasis on being nice to strangers are placed in a different environment as well.

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Religion has played a large role in my community. It has created the space that my Troop now holds our weekly meetings in. The principles of religions such as Christianity that include helping others and being kind also go hand in hand with some of the fundamental principles my community holds.

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Social movements have heavily affected my community in the context of social change. One social movement my Troop has been influenced by is the SOLVE clean-up movement, which aims to keep beaches, forests, and protected wildlife areas free from litter. This movement motivates my troop to keep any area they occupy whether it's for a campout or service project clean through regular litter sweeps.

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The social change influence that has affected my community the most would most likely be the COVID-19 pandemic, a social change influence related to Health, Safety, and the State. Scouting membership dropped dramatically during the pandemic "from 1.97 million in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2020, a 43% plunge" (Crary). This was likely due to the increase in staying at home and away from other people. This caused a decrease in membership, which both hurt the social health of my community as well as economic health as less money was coming in to fund trips and activities. Another social change influence related to religion that has affected my community would be the societal shift away from religious beliefs. One of the main ideas of Scouting is to be reverent to a god or higher power. As society evolves in fields such as science and technology, secularism also increases. This leads to a decline in membership as the views and ideas of Scouting do not line up with some of American cultures more modern norms. Both of these changes affect people in my community differently as there is a large age gap ranging from middle schoolers to people in their 50s. The older people in my Troop who have been a part of Scouting for most of their lives who hold more traditional values are more impacted by its decline in membership than those who are younger and grew up during the pandemic and are still developing their world views in an age of increased secularization.

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America's most iconic youth organizations - the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA - have been jolted by unprecedented one-year drops in membership, due partly to the pandemic, and partly to social trends that have been shrinking their ranks for decades.

While both organizations insist they'll survive, the dramatic declines raise questions about how effectively they'll be able to carry out their time-honored missions -- teaching skills and teamwork, providing outdoor adventure, encouraging community service.

Membership for the BSA's flagship Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs dropped from 1.97 million in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2020, a 43% plunge, according to figures provided to The Associated Press. Court records show membership has fallen further since then, to about 762,000.

The Girl Scouts say their youth membership fell by nearly 30%, from about 1.4 million in 2019- 2020 to just over 1 million this year.

Both groups, like several other U.S. youth organizations, have experienced declining membership for many years. The Girl Scouts reported youth membership of about 2.8 million in 2003. The BSA had more than 4 million boys participating in the 1970s.

Reasons for the drop include competition from sports leagues, a perception by some families that they are old-fashioned, and busy family schedules. The pandemic brought a particular challenge.

In Lawrence, New Jersey, 8-year-old Joey Yaros stopped attending meetings while most in-person gatherings were shut down, and might not go back, even though his father and three brothers all earned the elite Eagle Scout rank. Joey was already struggling with virtual school classes, and the family didn't pressure him to also participate in virtual Cub Scout activities.

"If there are den meetings in the fall, we'll see if he gets back in the swing of it," said his father, high school history teacher Jay Yaros. "There are a lot of interesting things for kids to do these days, and scouting doesn't seem to be keeping up."

The Boy Scouts' problems are compounded by their decision to seek bankruptcy protection in February 2020 to cope with thousands of lawsuits filed by men who allege they were molested as youngsters by scout leaders. The case is proceeding slowly in federal bankruptcy court as lawyers negotiate creation of a trust fund for victims that will likely entail hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions from the BSA and its 252 local councils.

To provide those funds, some councils may have to sell cherished camp properties, the BSA's president and CEO, Roger Mosby, told the AP.

"We understand that this is a difficult and often emotional decision, but in some instances may be a necessary step as we work toward our shared imperatives of equitably compensating survivors and continuing Scouting's mission." Mosby said in a written reply to AP's queries.

The pandemic, the membership drop and rising costs of liability insurance have strained BSA finances. A disclosure statement in the bankruptcy case says its gross revenues dropped from $394 million in 2019 to $187 million last year.

In response, the Boy Scouts' annual youth membership fee will rise from $66 to $72 on August 1. The BSA also says some councils may merge to consolidate resources.

The Girl Scouts have bureaucratic complications of their own. There is ongoing litigation pitting the national headquarters against two of the 111 local councils- based in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Nashville, Tennessee - which refuse to implement a nationwide technology platform.

Despite the varied challenges, Mosby and other Boy Scout officials, as well as the Girl Scouts' leadership, say there's reason for optimism. They say their summer camps are full, special events are sold out, and they're expecting many thousands of families - some new to scouting, some who left during the pandemic - to sign up now that activities are occurring in-person rather than virtually.

"We knew some girls would take a pause," said Girl Scouts spokeswoman Kelly Parisi. "But as the pandemic goes in the rear-view mirror, we've seen a substantial rebound... We feel really good going into the fall recruitment."

Membership in the Boy Scouts' Longhorn Council, which serves parts of Central and North Texas, dropped by 44% from 2019 to 2020, said its chief executive, Wendy Shaw. But she is buoyed by surging interest this year from families considering their first foray into scouting; the council has scheduled 12 special events for them.

Manny Ramos, chief executive of the BSA's Seattle-area council, said pandemic-related restrictions on group activities were rigorous in his area -- a factor in recruiting only 500 scouts last fall instead of the normal 3,000 or more. To maintain interest, his staff held numerous outdoor activities, including winter camping, and now anticipates a large influx of families who skipped scouting last year.

Bryan Koch of Madison, Wisconsin, has been an adult leader for more than a decade as two sons went through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He believes the programs have invaluable benefits: teaching leadership skills, offering adventures such as a 78-mile hike at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico that his eldest son completed as a 14-year-old.

"I'm a firm believer in what scouting can be," Koch said. "It helps us develop more well-rounded and aware young men and women. That's sorely needed in our country right now."

Yet he says membership in his Boy Scout troop dropped by 30% in recent years as boys and parents turned to other activities.

"There's not really a passive way to go through scouting and get the full experience," Koch said. "It takes a lot of time for the scout, for the parents."

Josh Garner has been scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 30 in Jackson, Mississippi, for six years; his oldest son will soon be an Eagle Scout. Troop membership has dropped by 25% during his tenure, and even more sharply in the Cub Scout pack that's also sponsored by St. Richard Catholic Church.

Garner said the BSA's national leadership "has a lot of baggage right now" and needs to devise better recruitment strategies. Yet he'd hate to see the organization fold.

"I've watched boys learn all kinds of skills, from welding to giving speeches," he said. "It's a fantastic program -- too important to a lot of people for it to just go away."

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Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts suffer huge declines in membership

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America's most iconic youth organizations - the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA - have been jolted by unprecedented one-year drops in membership.