Resources to Help You Prove the Value of Scouting

Have you heard how Scouting promotes positive character development? Last month Scouting Wire shared a study that shed light on the effectiveness that Scouting has in fostering positive character development in youth. The results proved exactly what we expected: Scouting is succeeding in its goals and missions.

Working with the Cradle of Liberty Council and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, Dr. Richard M. Lerner and his team at Tufts University surveyed nearly 1,800 Cub Scouts and nearly 400 non-Scouts to better understand character development of Scouts.

After a two-and-a-half-year period, Cub Scouts showed significant positive development in attributes of being cheerful, helpful, kind, obedient, trustworthy, and hopeful. Cub Scouts were also significantly more likely to embrace values such as “helping others” or “doing the right thing” than non-Scouts. The study showed that as boys spent more time in Scouting, these positive attributes increased. But there were no significant increases in these traits among non-Scouts. In fact, non-Scouts reported decreased scores in several of these areas.

The study proved Scouting builds positive character and prepares young people for life.

3 Tools to Help Prove the Value of Scouting

You’ve got the study, now, take the three tools below to further show the value of Scouting to a variety of audiences. These visual tools will help you engage your audiences with the full breadth of knowledge from the study in an accessible and easy to understand format.

Download these presentation slides for an easy, user-friendly format to present the ideas and findings of the Tuft’s study.

Check out this one-page Does Scouting Work? infographic for a quick look at how Scouting builds positive character. This infographic pinpoints the four key take-aways from the study and its statistical findings.

If you’re looking for a quick-hitting glimpse at the value of Scouting, check out this animated video. Or, if you want a deep dive into the study, watch the YouTube video of Dr. Richard M. Lerner’s full presentation from Top Hands 2015. This presentation includes Dr. Lerner’s full slide deck and commentary on his findings.

How to Use These Tools

So what can you do with these resources? Share them, of course! Pass them along to your volunteer and professional leaders and members of your team. Also, think about using them in Friends of Scouting presentations and as handouts. And, don’t forget to spread the word to our existing and potential chartered organizations and new parents.

Share with Your Scouting Network

If you haven’t already read How Scouting Promotes Positive Character Development on Scouting Wire, do that now and then add the tools above into your marketing and recruiting toolkit. You can also check out the official press release on Scouting Newsroom. Share these resources with your Scouting network and keep checking Scouting Wire for an additional video resource you can add to this toolkit. And tell us in the comments, how do you plan to use these tools in your councils to prove the value of Scouting?