Report to the Nation Offers Scouts a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

A delegation of Scouts from across the country is participating this week in an annual tradition that the Boy Scouts of America has observed since we were given our congressional charter in 1916: the Report to the Nation. Each year, as part of that charter, we are required to present a report to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. This report covers who the BSA is as an organization, the programs and initiatives we support, and our major accomplishments and contributions during the past year.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for these young people to visit Washington D.C. and get rare access to our elected officials.  The delegation will have incredible opportunities to learn more about our country and see first-hand what citizenship in the nation means! Representing Scouting, Venturing and Exploring, this inspiring group is sharing the past year’s accomplishments with our country’s leaders as they carry on a tradition that spans over one hundred years, multiple generations and many administrations, when we share the past year’s accomplishments with this country’s leaders.

In this year’s report, we are proud to share some very encouraging results from 2016 that show the incredible impact our Scouts, volunteers and professionals are making on communities across the nation and how our programs are meeting the needs of today’s families:

• A total of 55,186 young men earned the rank of Eagle Scout, which is 820 more than in 2015.
• Boy Scouts earned nearly 2.4 million merit badges.
• Scouts and Explorers across America recorded more than 15.4 million hours of service to their communities, up 1,000 hours from last year.
• Exploring participation grew by 7 percent, a testament to the emphasis we placed on expanding this co-ed career exploration program.
• STEM Scouts more than doubled its membership, demonstrating that we are meeting a need for a values-based learning experience that can grow a child’s understanding of classroom concepts.

These results demonstrate how well we are progressing as a movement. We are successfully helping young people learn life skills and develop leadership abilities, while providing service to others. It is invigorating to see our programs growing nationwide. You can learn more about the 2016 results in this year’s Report to the Nation here. (And download the infographic for use in your council here.)

Thank you to everyone who made 2016 such a success. Here’s to another great year!

Mike