Twitter Tackles Building Confidence in Youth

Building confidence in youth is no small feat. As an organization that works to empower young people, we at the BSA know this as well as anyone. That’s why I was particularly interested in a recent Twitter chat on the topic co-hosted by two organizations that reach parents of young children — Mom.me, an online source for moms at every life stage, from pregnancy to empty nest, and The Representation Project, a group dedicated to inspiring individuals and communities to overcome limiting circumstances.

A Twitter chat takes place when a group of Twitter users meet at a pre-determined time on Twitter to discuss a certain topic, using a designated hashtag (#) for each tweet in the chat. For this chat, 166 participants used #BuildConfidence in more than 900 tweets to answer questions posed by the chat moderators. By participating, the BSA reached  more than 259,154 Twitter users, which I think is extraordinary. As we examine ways to expand our membership, social media channels and tactical approaches like Twitter chats ought to factor prominently into our approach.

The #BuildConfidence chat was part of The Representation Project’s Build Confidence campaign, which inspires parents to make sure confidence is on their children’s back-to-school list. And I was pleased to find the Boy Scouts of America’s approach to building confidence in youth aligned with what was discussed. Here are some excerpts of the chat that demonstrate how parents and others are building confidence among youth and some commentary on how their examples align with what Scouting aims to achieve:

#BuildConfidence Insight: Inspire youth to participate in activities

Korrin is a writer and homelessness and housing advocate with Abt Associates.

The Scouting Correlation: Every day, Scouting shows parents how they can “Build an Adventure” with their children with unique, life-changing experiences their kids can’t get anywhere else.

#BuildConfidence Insight: Encourage laughing and positivity

Nicole is a writer, storyteller, author, journalist and blogger. She also is an editor at BlogHer and Cool Mom Tech.

Serge is a blogger for his personal blog, Thunder Pie. He also writes daily for Babble Dad, Babble Baby, Babble Voices (He Said/She Said).

The Scouting Correlation: Scouting is fun. We provide enjoyable ways for young people to learn how to do the right thing and have a positive impact on their communities.

#BuildConfidence Insight: Allow children to express their individuality

Andie is a Lifestyle editor for Mom.me and former contributor to Real Simple, Vanity Fair, Garden Design, HGTV Magazine, Brides and Country Living.

The Scouting Correlation: We know there is only a small window available to make a meaningful impact on children and shape who they may become as adults. Scouting helps to fill this critical need and make the most of right now.

These are just a few chat themes that piqued my interest, but I know there are many more wonderful examples of how we instill confidence in our young people through Scouting. How would you describe what we do in 140 characters or less?

Thanks for reading.

Mike