Deep inside, I know that I could have done more to recruit people who looks like or sounds like me. I could have affected more lives. I could have changed more youths. As a former employee of the Boy scouts, one of my biggest regrets is not having had the bandwidth with all the others competing priorities to recruit or reach out to more people of color. I said it awhile back when I joined the organization and I will say it again, America needs BSA and BSA needs America. Individually, the goal of Scouting is to prepare young people for life, to cultivate a higher sense of positive character and decency. Collectively, it teaches us what it means to live in a pluralistic society. I did and still strongly believe that it has the solution to the moral decay going on in our respective communities that none of us can afford to ignore.
The Boy Scouts of America has much to offer; however, I know many youths and parents are distancing themselves from the Scouting movement simply due to misunderstanding or historical missteps. Furthermore, by prioritizing the national office over the chartered organizations that are the heart and soul of the community/scouting, the organization had many leadership setbacks.
However, we all must realize that the organization is at an important crossroad. With 50% of our kids being born in minority communities, the action of the current leadership will lay the course ahead and define the viability of the organization. Making the boy scouts diverse will require leadership, intentionality and the willingness to be and feel uncomfortable. Most importantly, it will require a long-term strategy, which is really hard since resources are limited and organizations are mostly judged on short-term added benefits/earning. Nevertheless, we must realize that BSA can no longer afford to trade-off short-term benefit for long-term value. Diversifying BSA is a generational challenge that will take time and patience. The spirit of scouting depends on it. It is the only way forward.
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