Being prepared

The Boy Scouts of America turns 100 this week, amid suggestions that the group might no longer be relevant in these modern times. The 5,000 or so Scouts in the Rio Grande Valley and the dedicated adult leaders, counselors and parents who work with them know just how relevant the organization remains.

Scouting has endured similar dismissals in the past, as well as challenges to their promotion of faith and religion and opposition to homosexuality. The organization also has endured scandals that have erupted when leaders have turned out to be predators. One of those cases occurred in Edinburg several years ago.

Such cases have been rare, and Scouts and parents alike generally see the experience as positive. They know that Scouting is so much more than staging campouts and helping little old ladies across the street.

While it has held true to its core values, it has changed with the times. After all, it couldn’t be faithful to its motto of "Be Prepared" without making adjustments for modern life.

The program began in England, essentially by providence. Robert Baden-Powell, a British intelligence officer, became a national hero through his resourcefulness in leading successful campaigns during the Boer War in Africa. Using knowledge of the area and creative deceptions, he withstood a 217-day siege against a much larger force. Afterward he wrote a training manual so that other soldiers could learn how to use their knowledge and wits to use their resources successfully.

After the war his book was made available to the general public. Some accounts state that Baden-Powell and others wanted to create citizen militias and train them so that they might be able to respond of England were invaded by a military force.

The manuals became popular — not so much by the adults who would be recruited for any militia, but by youngsters and teachers who enjoyed the regimentation and skills the manuals offered. In response, Baden-Powell began the Scouting program not for warfare, but for community service.

Camping and outdoor skills remain a big part of modern-day Scouting, but the program now offers merit badges — and dozens of belt loops and pins awarded to Cub and Webelos Scouts as well — to recognize proficiency in a wide variety of skills that include law, graphic arts and computer knowledge. Certain badges are required for Eagle Scout achievement, and most of those remain survival and service oriented.

The primary goal of Scouting is not just the acquisition of skills, however. It is to give young men the knowledge and confidence they need to solve problems they will encounter in adult life. It also encourages them to use their resourcefulness to identify needs in their community and work toward mitigating them. And as they gain skills, the young Scouts gain the confidence that helps them meet challenges they might face.

In that sense the value of Scouting is just as great as it ever has been. As long as it continues to teach our children to value community service, and helps give them skills that help them provide it, Scouting will always remain relevant.