Context: I was a Boy Scout for a number of years, making Eagle in 2020 right as COVID was really kicking off.
It was right afterwards, however, that the CSA scandal started popping up everywhere (which thankfully I was never exposed to or involved in during my time), and lately it seems like the organization & movement as a whole has fallen by the sociocultural wayside.
I would say that my time as a Scout did me objective good; I learned a decent amount about first-aid & survival-craft, participated in a number of volunteer & civic projects, and it generally made me a more well-rounded person. However, there’s no denying the impact that something “bigger than the Catholic Church scandal”, as I’ve heard it described, has on an institution such as this.
I’d like to get the community’s opinion, however; were any of you Scouts? How was your experience? What is your opinion of the institution today?
I volunteer with them here in the UK after being a youth member most of the way through. I know our respective organisations differ in some ways and I don’t know a great deal about USA Scouts.
I think we do legitimately help young people gain life skills and care for others. If I had kids, they’d be on the waiting list well in advance of joining age.
I’m proud that we’re an LGBT+ and neurodivergence inclusive space, by national policy as well as practical local example in many places. I have seen variations between groups though and I don’t think we get enough training on that. I would also say we’re pretty bad at race and class inclusion.
The biggest downside I feel is organisationally. We suffer from all the usual issues of a big organisation including internal politicking, shitty managers, disconnect between different teams, and putting the organisation’s interests above its professed values.