In February, a delegation of Scouts representing all aspects of the Boy Scouts of America traveled to Washington, D.C. to present the 2013 Report to the Nation to key leaders in our government. Included in this delegation was Order of the Arrow National Chief Nick Dannemiller along with the National Venturing President Annaliese Parker, National Sea Scout Boatswain Billy McElligott, and a handful of Scouts who paint a picture of the Scouting program. Dannemiller explained that the report "gives a snapshot of what the BSA has accomplished in the past year."
The Boy Scouts are mandated by its Congressional Charter to present a report to the leaders of Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. In addition, each Scout in the delegation met individually with a member of Congress from their state and presented a copy of the Report.
In addition to Congress, the delegates visit many different leaders in our government including the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan, the Surgeon General, and the Supreme Court.
The 2013 Report to the Nation details the BSA's membership numbers, which total to 2.6 million youth members and more than 1 million adult volunteers. The Report is broken several categories that outline Scouting.
‘Prepared. For Adventure.' outlines the high adventure opportunities provided in Scouting at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier, and the Florida Sea Base. Over 26,000 youth attended the 2013 national Scout jamboree and an additional 1.1 million Scouts visited the high adventures camps. In 2013, Scouts camped just over six million nights.
‘Prepared. For Service.' outlines how the "BSA prepares young people for a life of service by teaching youth to help their communities through service to others." In 2013, Scouts recorded over 17 million hours of service. Based on the national volunteer-hour value of $22.14, the BSA performed $377 million in service. During the national Scout jamboree alone, Scouts provided 180,342 hours of service in just 10 days.
Included in the report is an explanation of the Messengers of Peace program, a global initiative that was lead by Arrowmen at the 2013 national Scout jamboree. Globally, Scouts have contributed 21 million hours of service since the Messengers of Peace program's inception.
In addition to the outdoor and service opportunities Scouting provides, ‘Prepared. For Learning.' outlines the BSA's role in preparing "young people for a life of learning." Specifically highlighted is information on the Boy Scouts' 61 STEM- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics- related merit badges.
The Report explains that the SCOUTStrong initiative, "which seeks to ensure Scouts and all young people are healthy in ind, body, and spirit," has award 100,000 Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards to Scouts completing a 60 day fitness challenge and has partnerships with USA Triathalon and the U.S. Swimming Foundation.
The final section of the report, ‘Prepared. For Leadership.' examines how Scouting teaches Scouts the skills needed to take responsibility and teach by example. A clear indication of this, as the report points out, is the Eagle Scout rank which was awarded to 56,841 Scouts in just the past year. In 2013, Eagle Scout projects provided "$206 million in service to communities across the nation."