Boy Scouts

Camp counselors instruct the proper way to apply a splint; the senior patrol leader calls out commands for a flag ceremony; and the troop guide asks an annoying scout to calm down for the twentieth time. From the senior patrol leader position to helping at day camp, Boy Scouts learn how to lead in all situations. As an Eagle Scout and previous senior patrol leader of two troops, I have developed leadership abilities that I will use as an adult. I discovered that leadership requires extra work and sacrifice as I led by example and gave up my free time to help other boys finish a task. Truly, Boy Scouts has given me and countless others many opportunities to develop leadership.
Through Scouting’s many different positions, boys gain leadership skills. Timid eleven-year-old boys can take the role of scribe. To an older boy, recording the weekly attendance requires minimum effort and skill; however, logging who came without forgetting early leavers or latecomers challenges a younger boy. As the boy gains experience, he can work up from recording attendance or cataloging
As a part of achieving Eagle, a scout must find volunteers, raise funds, make plans, and organize work days for an approved service project. Also, he must show leadership in the way he directs the workers. For my Eagle project I made eight sets of corn hole games for a children’s ministry. During the work days, I had to figure out how to separate around ten people into three or four groups to build and paint the game boards. Since the volunteers worked at different stations, I could not stay with a group and guide them through, but instead, I moved between stations giving directions where needed. I learned to delegate to others who knew the process to help one group out while I helped another. While scouts work through similar challenges in their Eagle projects, they learn to lead with sureness and