Exemplary, Sustainable, Outdoor Experiences and Creative Learning for 21st Century Youth
The Leaders of Tomorrow Campaign is an initiative to unleash the potential of our programs and camp properties to best serve the needs of Scouting families in the 21st century.
Brochure Pledge Form Campaign Objectives
We recognize that to achieve our vision for leaders of tomorrow, we must lead with imagination.
The Sam Houston Area Council has championed principled living, service to others, and leadership since its inception in 1914.
Scouts became confident and accomplished men, strong leaders, upstanding citizens of great character - and they've been having fun doing it for more than 100 years.
Men who have spent time in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) during their formative years have learned to strengthen and expand themselves, their families, their communities, and their country. Scouts are taught to make the right decision in every capacity and challenge themselves to achieve that which is noteworthy. Every single day across this nation - from the most powerful political offices and Fortune 500 boardrooms, to family dinner stables and schoolyards - the positive principles of the Boy Scouts of America loom large.
Not every Scout goes on to become a CEO or the President of the United States. Not every Scout becomes a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Not every Scout becomes a Nobel Laureate, or wins the Pulitzer Prize, or earns the Congressional Medal of Honor. Not every Scout gives their life to save another. But all Scouts learn to live principled lives - to do their best, to be self-reliant, to value work, to be creative thinkers, and to embody humility. A Scout is a person who does the right thing when no one is looking. A Scout gets more out of life and gives more than they get. An exhaustive study published by Harris Interactive in 2005 confirmed these facts and strengthened the notion that Scouting prepares young men for prosperous lives.
Compared with men who were never Scouts, men who were Scouts for five or more years as youth are more satisfied with their present lives and occupations, have sustained lifelong friendships, and place a higher value on family relationships. Men who were Scouts also earn higher incomes, achieve higher levels of education, and attend religious services more often than men who were never Scouts...their involvement and dedication to Scouting has positively influenced their character development, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, family relationships, and career development.
The 6 Pillars
Sustainability
Scouting was green long before it was cool. We are the proud cornerstone of America's conservation and environmental movements. Although we didn't always have fancy buzzwords for it, Scouting has always had sustainability at our heart. In 2013, the BSA launced the Sustainability merti Badge - to earn it, Scouts must analyze their family's consumption of water, food, fuel, and utilities, while offering ways to improve. Our camps will serve as living classrooms that show Scouts how to do more with less
Healthy Living
The BSA is on the front lines of the fight against childhood obesity. We get kids outdoors and active, while ingraining in them healthy habits. We've always trained our youth to recognize and prevent bullying, teaching them to buid each other up rather than tearing each other down. The strong peer groups, healthy living habits, and lifetime friendships that Scouts development help us address issues like teen suicide and mental health.
Leadership Development
Successful leadership traits can be taught. Boy Scouts learn how to lead and work in teams through opportunities given at an early age. Character development is essential to the development of leaders and is taught through our Scout Oath and Law, patrol system, and rank advancements. In accordance with the Scout Motto "Be Prepared,"lessons learned in Scouting prepare young men to accept leadership and its responsibilities in our communities and work forces.
Education
Scouting programs and our camps are where young people develop scientific minds. Years ago, Ohio State University found that more than 85% of our Merit Badge met national science education standards...that number is even higher now. Our camps will have STEM centers and our programs will continue to connect young people to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics that are crucial to our lives and our future.
Urban and Hispanic Needs
Since its inception, Scouting has embrace hard-to-serve areas and communities. These families need us, and we need them. We help provide what every child craves and deserves: hope, adventure, skills, and opportunity. The excitement of our programs and camps will continue to attract these youth and their families.
Workforce Development
Scouting has introduced millions of young people to their future careers. From unit activities to camping adventures, Scouting has fostered personal initiative, team spirit, and a hardy work ethic in young men. Every serious employer desires workers with initiative, and what employers wouldn't want employees who have taken an oath to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Camp Strake
Camp Strake is currently being built at a rural site near the Sam Houston National Forest, close to the community of Evergreen in order to create a 21st century Scouting experience for Scouts and their leaders. For more information, please click here.
Campaign Update - August 2016
Rex Tillerson on Leadership and the Next Century of Scouting
Contact
For more information about the endowment programs of the Sam Houston Area Council, please contact: