Skills Instruction—The Aims and Methods of Scouting
The presentation will lead participants to
■ Understand the underlying principles of Scouting.
■ Realize how the aims of Scouting apply to Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity
Scouting, and Venturing.
■ Relate the aims of Scouting to their own lives and BSA responsibilities.
Procedure
1. Ask patrol members to think about young people they know who are currently
in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, or Venturing.
2. Next, imagine the same people 10 years in the future. Consider what they
might be doing, where they could be living, and how they will be spending
their time.
3. Ask each patrol member to take two or three minutes to write down (on the
back of the Aims of Scouting Work Sheet) some qualities that those young
people will exhibit in the future that they have gained from their current
Scouting experience. Answers might include:
■ Self-motivation
■ High expectations
■ Focus
■ Interest in the outdoors
■ Technical skills
■ Leadership ability
■ Citizenship
4. Discuss with the patrol the following ideas.
■ It is often said that Scouting is “a game with a purpose.” The aims of
Scouting—its purposes—are to help youth become better people and to fully
realize their potential as they move into the future.
■ The aims of Scouting are character development, citizenship training, and
personal fitness.
■ The “game” part of Scouting is what we most often see—young people taking
part in outdoor adventures, service projects, meetings, advancement efforts.
Those are the methods that the Scouting program uses to guide its members
toward worthwhile aims.
The Methods of Cub Scouting
■ The ideals ■ Activities
■ The den ■ Home- and neighborhood-centered
■ Advancement plan ■ The uniform
■ Family involvement
The Methods of Boy Scouting and Varsity Scouting
■ The ideals ■ Outdoor activities
■ Patrol/squad method ■ Personal growth
■ Advancement ■ Leadership development
■ Association with adults ■ The uniform
The Methods of Venturing
■ The ideals ■ High adventure
■ Group activities ■ Teaching others
■ Recognition ■ Leadership
■ Adult association
Underlying the aims and the methods of the BSA is a solid foundation of
ideals—the values upon which all of Scouting’s programs are built. These
are contained in the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
5. Ask patrol members to list on their work sheets some specific ways that each
BSA program brings to life the aims, ideals, and methods of Scouting.
6. Encourage participants to share what they have written. Use their responses to
facilitate a discussion that relates their ideas about Scouting’s aims and values
back to the young people—those they thought about at the beginning of this
presentation and those who are not Use their responses to
facilitate a discussion that relates their ideas about Scouting’s aims and values
back to the young people—those they thought about at the beginning of this
presentation and those who are not currently involved in Scouting but who
could gain from the BSA message.