SCOUTING IS ON TOP OF CHANGES

Trends toward single-parent families, both parents working outside the home, a changing role for women in society, new technology, and increasing societal pressures all contribute to vast changes in boy and girl scouting.

The organizations - both dating back more than 80 years - have tried to be on the cutting edge of societal changes in their efforts to serve youths, trying to address the changing needs of young people.

Staff from the Otahki Girl Scout Council and Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council both reported that membership has grown in recent years. They see the growth as an indication that values being taught by scouting are more important than ever and a reflection of the broad support scouting programs have amid growing competition for volunteer hours and financial contributions.

"We have had quite an increase in our membership over the last year 8 percent and we're quite pleased with that," said Millie Turner, public relations director for the Girl Scout Council.

"We're serving the needs of girls and this growth is a reflection that we are doing something for girls, fulfilling something they need."

Without willing volunteers, Turner said the council would not be able to accommodate that increase. "We have been working to get volunteers who can give short-term help and accept less responsibility than they did in the past," she said. "It takes more volunteers now than it did in the past."

With both parents working, or many homes with single parents, recruiting help is "a bigger challenge than ever," said Turner. "That's why we have learned to break jobs down now so we can get the job done with a lot more people."

Turner and Shawnee District Boy Scout Executive Tony Smee said leadership positions at scouting's unit level demand more sharing of responsibilities among adults.

Smee said at one time Cub Scout dens were primarily led by mothers, with fathers taking over as boys moved toward the final year of Cubs and on into the Boy Scouts.

Now it is not uncommon to have fathers leading dens or having both men and women sharing responsibilities for leading dens. Women are also becoming more involved in helping with Boy Scout troops than they were in the past.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are also attempting to expand their volunteer base outside of parents to include adults who do not have children, college students, and older people.

To reflect changing interests and technological developments, the kinds of badges offered in scouting change frequently to focus on items related to interests like computers, space, science, and the environment.

Recently, for example, the Boy Scouts of America ended several merit badges it had for years, including one for signalling, which dated back to the days when Morse Code and wig wag flags were used. One of the newer merit badges is cinematography, to reflect the growing use of video cameras.

Both organizations have also had special programs that focus on values, the importance of providing service to others, developing personal self-esteem, and dealing with societal problems such as alcohol and drug abuse.

"Our badges reflect the changing times and technological changes in our society," explained Turner.

Besides the badge program, girl scouting also offers a series of programs called "contemporary issues, so we can address current social problems, self-esteem, teenage human sexuality, and drug abuse," said Turner.

"We are also starting to pay more attention to the girls in math and sciences, knowing that we have to let the girls know they can achieve in those fields the same way that boys can."

Smee said the Boy Scouts for several years have had a program known as "Ethics in Action," which is an attempt to place a focus on values and decision-making in today's society.

Smee said he anticipates an increasing emphasis on that area in the years ahead.

Both Turner and Smee said that there are a lot of opportunities for scouting to provide service to youth and to communities in the area.

"There are still a lot of challenges and a lot of areas that are underserved with our programs," said Turner.

The Otahki Girl Scout Council serves 2,600 youths in 11 counties; the SEMO Boy Scout Council serves over 5,000 youths in 14 counties.