Do you have the skills to survive? An even better question: Do you have the attitude, character and willpower to survive? While the Zombie Apocalypse may not happen anytime soon, life is happening right now, and you need to “Be Prepared.” This is the motto of the Boy Scouts of America, an organization with nearly 2.3 million youth participants (Cite quote.): a number that is continually dropping. The Boy Scouts of America seeks to instill good morals and leadership skills into every scout they serve. My life and the lives of numerous others has changed because of this program. Yet, the BSA’s numbers have been steadily dropping by 10% in the last decade. (Dave Banks SouRCe) It is important that we know why this is happening, what the effects are and how they affect us, and how it can be …show more content…
One of the causes of the number decline may be that there are many more extracurricular activities now than there were back when the BSA was first founded in 1910. People are finding different interests to fill their time, such as sports or FFA, both of which are heavily emphasized at this school. The BSA has less of an official presence at school, by law. Less people know about it, the programs it offers, or the benefit it can have, so less people join. This is called ignorance. Another reason scouts drop out or potential scouters don’t join, is they are opposed to the BSA’s more conservative viewpoint. An important topic in the last few years has been gay marriage and the general approach to homosexuals as a whole. In the past openly homosexual people were not allowed in any part of scouting because people were afraid of the other boys being negatively affected. Recently, in 2013, it was voted that homosexual youth would no longer be barred from membership, and just last year it was voted that homosexual adults can be scout leaders, volunteers, or employees. Although, the chartering organization (the organization from which the unit is based) still has the final say in who is authorized to be a scout leader. BSA President Robert M. Gates said in a statement about the vote, “For far too long this issue has divided and