Methods of Scouting
The Boy Scouts of America uses eight fundamental methods to meet boys' hope for fun and adventure and to achieve Scouting's aims of encouraging character development, citizenship, and mental and physical fitness. A Scout troop functions best when all eight methods are employed.
The ideals
The patrol method
The outdoors
Advancement
Association with adults
Personal growth
Leadership development
The uniform
The Ideals
Scout Oath
Scout Law
Scout Motto
Scout Slogan
The Patrol Method
The Scout’s "family circle"
Generally close in age and experience level
Develops a sense of pride and identity
Divides up the jobs to be done
Share in the satisfaction of accepting and fulfilling group responsibilities
The Outdoors
Boys join Scouting for the challenge, the excitement, and the fun.
Outdoor activities put the sizzle into Scouting.
A troop with a strong outdoor program is well on its way to finding success in all areas.
Advancement
The BSA believes that a boy should receive recognition for his achievements.
Tenderfoot through First Class prepares the boys to take full advantage of all that Scouting has to offer.
Merit badges allows them to explore many fields.
Advancement sets a pattern of setting positive goals and reaching them.
Association with Adults
Boys learn a great deal by watching how adults conduct themselves.
Scout leaders can be positive role models.
A Scout leader who is willing to listen to boys, encourage them, and take a sincere interest in them can make a profound difference in their lives.
Personal Growth
Scout-age boys are experiencing dramatic physical and emotional growth.
Scouting offers them opportunities to channel much of that change into productive endeavors.
Many Scouting activities allow boys to associate with boys from different backgrounds.
Leadership Development
Leadership is a skill that can be learned only by doing it.
Boys learn planning, organization, and decision making.
Helps give them the confidence and ability to be leaders in the future.
In Scouting, boys learn to be good leaders . . . and to be good followers.
The Uniform
Wearing the uniform helps boys develop a sense of belonging to their patrol and troop.
It reinforces the fact that all members of the BSA are equal to one another.
People seeing a boy in a Scout uniform expect someone of good character who is prepared to the best of his ability to help those around him.
"But the real way to get happiness is by giving out happiness to other people. Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best. 'Be Prepared' in this way to live happy and die happy - stick to your Scout Promise always - even after you have ceased to be a boy - and God help you do it." Robert Baden-Powell