Tips for Involving Youth in Scouting



Recruiting Youth Members

•• Make presentations before the youth groups stressing the advantage of membership for youth. Enlist your district/regional council’s support and listen to its ideas for involving youth.

•• Have youth assist the membership chairperson in developing and implementing the groups membership drive. Encourage youth members to recruit their peers.

•• Stress results. It will help youth develop a mental picture of how things in Scouting will be improved by their participation.

•• Set up a youth bulletin board with pictures and notices of Scouting programs.

•• Demonstrate support by publicizing awards for youth involvement via news media


Retaining Youth Members

•• Youth should be full members enjoying the privileges.

•• Everyone must have the attitude that youth involvement is going to work—that it will succeed. Youth, parents, and leaders must be willing to work together.

•• Survey the youth population to assess their views of and ideas for Scouting.

•• Implement a "youth support system" in which veteran youth and adult members provide new youth with encouragement, motivation, and direction for growth.

•• Provide youth with the means to evaluate their Scouting experience. This can be done through written evaluations or group discussions. It is important to make sure youth see that steps are taken to address their concerns.



Reproduced for Scoutscan.com by permission of Scouter Douglas Moore - Nova Scotia