The Scouting Movement in America has a great opportunity to develop a key linkage and a motivate, youth-influencing demographic by fostering the active and positive presence of college-aged Scouters in service to service organizations, including other scouting units. Due to time constraints, academic pressures, and navigating the change from high school to higher education, many past Scouts drop o
ut of active participation with their troops and are often unable to establish connections with the troops in their new collegiate locales. The central and fundamental goal of the University Scouts is to fill this bridgeable gap and to encourage both Scouting and America’s college age young adults to add vitality to the Boy Scouts of America by providing community service as well as positive modeling, mentorship and coaching to younger scouts while giving the Uscouter opportunities for their own mentoring relationships along with meaningful fun, fellowship, and adventure. The unique character of University Scouting leads to many advantages and benefits in the pursuance of its goals to inspire, mentor, and lead the youths of Scouting. All of its members are fully certified as adult leaders and many strive to complete other trainings and certifications in order to broaden their reach and impact. University Scouts are always prepared and ready to take the place of, or provide support as, an adult leader, whether it is to help run a troop meeting, to teach an introductory course in fire building, or to lead a high adventure outing as well as anything in between. Though membership is not limited to those who were already in scouting, the large presence of Eagles, Gold Award Recipients, and prior Boy/Girl/Venture Scouts provides University Scouting with the advantage of having an intimate familiarity with the principles and skills of Scouting borne out of their recent aging-out of the program. Another appeal of University Scouting is the ability to make use of the natural connection between youth and young adults. Scouts from elementary school through high school look up to the young men and women in college as a source of inspiration, as moral guidance, and as a resource for self-reflection and personal betterment. Unfortunately, many of the country’s college-age individuals have not recognized the opportunity presented by this relationship. The youth-young adult connection fostered by University Scouting is paralleled by the program’s relationship with adult leadership. The University Scouts have both learned their craft and honed their skills with the help of their adult mentors in Scouting. The older and more experienced leaders already active in the Movement serve as excellent coaches and teachers throughout the University Scouting experience. This also expands to the positive roles played by university professors and community leaders in regards to the work and planning of University Scouting programs. The relationship, however, also works both ways. University Scouts provide new energy, resources, and manpower to Scouting and are thus able to assist and expand upon the work already being done by adult leaders in the community. The ability for the University Scouts to make a positive and meaningful impact is almost boundless. Not only do they step in and provide help and guidance to local units, but they also represent the Scouting Movement in their community and on their respective campuses. They are intimately involved in local projects and volunteer organizations as well as in college-level clubs and intramurals. Their presence in these different areas of the community expands the image and impact of scouting. In all levels of involvement, they are able to exemplify the values and ideals of the different Scout organizations. Through these intimate webs of connection among and between the local scouting units and organizations, the campus, and the community, University Scouting is ready to make its mark on the greater Scouting Movement, the United States, and the World. Thank you for submitting your renewal, however, your CIO has been denied because it doesn’t currently have the non-affiliation language on the Facebook and/or website. Please add the language under your about section and resubmit. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have
University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization’s contracts, acts or omissions.
