The youth protection program of the Boy Scouts of America

Abstract

OVER THE COURSE of its 80-year history, the Boy Scouts of America has become a part of the fabric of American society. The Scouting program extends into almost every city and town in the nation, involving millions of young people and adult volunteers each year. In fact, nearly 20 percent of the American youth population comes into contact with Scouting every year. The nearly universal presence and availability of Scouting presents both problems and opportunities for the organization. Much like the public schools, Scouting must confront and deal with many of the social problems that plague our contemporary culture. At the same time, however, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), as a well-organized, disciplined and highly structured youth-serving organization, is in a strong position to have a positive impact on the pressing social problems of the day. The BSA has a long tradition of addressing social problems within the context of building character, citizenship and fitness among young people. Through Scouting, young boys can learn coping skills that will help them navigate through some of the hazards of contemporary American life. In the early and mid-1980s the national leadership of the BSA identified five compelling societal problems that posed challenges and opportunities for the BSA to have a positive impact. Referred to by the BSA as the “Five Unacceptables,” the problems are: drug abuse, hunger, illiteracy, youth unemployment, and child abuse, including child sexual abuse.