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Scouting builds value system that leads to success

Direct link to article at Courier & Press Opinion

By ROBERT E. HOPPER Special to the Courier & Press October 24, 2005

Youths today are confronted with myriad choices, and many youths are unprepared to make ethical, moral decisions, according to a new study released by Harris Interactive and the Boy Scouts of America. "The Values of Americans: A Study of Ethics and Character" examines the values of society and American youths. The impact Scouting has on values is also a focus of the study.

The study shows that girls and boys in grades 4 through 12 today have some difficult choices to make, and don't always make the best choices. But Scouting helps youths build strong ethics and values, so when a Scout is faced with a tough decision, he is more likely to make the right decision, not the easiest one.

Some key findings include:

• 49 percent of youths have cheated on homework or a test in the past 12 months; 16 percent say they have cheated five or more times.
• 27 percent have drunk a full glass of alcohol or can of beer in the past 12 months; 14 percent say they have had a full glass of alcohol on at least five occasions.
• 23 percent have taken part in a group fight, and 10 percent say they have hurt someone badly enough that the person needed bandages or a doctor.
• 16 percent say they have smoked marijuana in the past year; 8 percent say they have done so five or more times.
• Boys are more likely than girls to engage in violent or delinquent behaviors, and the incidence of violent or delinquent behaviors increases with age.

In the study, Scouting is shown to make a difference in the lives of youths. Compared with boys who have never been in a Boy Scout program, those who have been Scouts for five or more years:

• Have higher self-confidence.
• Are more likely to resist peer pressure or take part in delinquent activities.
• Are less likely to consume alcohol.
• Are more willing to help others.
• Report earning higher grades.
• Are more likely to volunteer to be a leader.

Findings indicate that the positive effects of Scouting last a lifetime. Men who were Scouts for five or more years as youths are more likely than men with no Scouting experience to:

• Graduate from high school (91 percent of Scouts versus 87 percent non-Scouts).
• Graduate from college (35 percent Scouts versus 19 percent non-Scouts).
• Earn higher incomes ($80,000 Scouts versus $61,000 non-Scouts).
• Have lifelong friendships (89 percent Scouts versus 74 percent non-Scouts).
• Believe helping others should come before one's own self-interest (92 percent Scouts versus 83 percent non-Scouts).

For almost 100 years, men and women have been using Scouting's methods to positively affect lives. Research shows what we already knew was true: Scouting helps build men from boys. This fall, more than 2,000 youths will join Buffalo Trace Council. Look for them performing a service project, raising the flag at school or just having fun at an activity, and you will know that their future is more secure because they are Scouts. For more than 3,000 registered adult volunteers, that is why we do what we do.

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Robert E. Hopper is Scout Executive with the Buffalo Trace Council in Southwest Indiana and Southeast Illinois.

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