Can Scouting Save Young Men?

There is an organization dedicated to addressing the “boy problem.” It operates in over 100 countries and works with tens of millions of children, primarily boys and teenagers. It promotes positive values like bravery, loyalty, and service. It’s focused on outdoor activities, not screen time. It models positive masculinity by actively engaging parents, particularly dads, in leadership roles. It’s Scouts, previously known as the Boy Scouts.

Robert Putnam, the author of Bowling Alone, offers a fascinating history of the Boy Scouts in a New York Times interview. The original Boy Scout organization was founded in England by Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell in the early 1900s, then brought to the US by W.D. Boyce, an American newspaperman and entrepreneur. Putnam notes how the challenges then mirror those we face now:

About 125 years ago, what was called the “boy problem” was a big problem. It was a problem of boys who were getting in trouble and raising trouble for the country as a whole. And to address that problem, a burst of new associations directed at boys were invented. Big Brothers, and the organization called Boys Clubs, now called Boys and Girls Clubs, it started in 1906. And Boy Scouts. Now, what do I infer from that? This goes back to my understanding of why we would look at that period, the progressive era. Folks in that era were concerned about the same problem we are now. That is, loner males, boys especially, were getting in trouble and causing the country trouble. And nowadays it’s exactly those loner males, young loner males who are drawn to white nationalism and violence. So if I were talking to the president, either president, and said: How do we solve this problem of white nationalism and violence and terrorism in America? We have to begin early in life, and that means thinking of new ways.

Putnam concludes that we need new civic organizations for young men, implying that traditional models are no longer effective. But there’s a compelling argument that revitalizing an established organization with deep roots and broad reach may be more impactful than starting from scratch.

A recent World Economic Forum article, written by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, presents a version of this argument. In response to the discussion over the Netflix show Adolescence, the organization writes:

If we want a future where boys don’t have to choose between silence and violence, we must invest in educational programmes that give them purpose, a sense of community, challenge harmful norms and enable them to thrive alongside girls.

Scouting is, of course, not the only solution — but it’s one we have currently and it works. And one the world needs now more than ever to build young people ready for life.

While there is potential, the Scouts still face significant hurdles, including their own history.

Over 82,000 men alleged sexual abuse by adult leaders during their time in the US program, leading to a $2.46 billion settlement in 2023 and bankruptcy. For decades, the organization excluded openly gay scouts and leaders. Membership plummeted from 6.5 million to around 1 million.

The Boy Scouts of America changed its name to Scouting America for several reasons, central among them the desire to broaden its appeal. The organization now admits girls and gay scouts as it adapts to the modern age, changes that have drawn criticism from the far-right for going “woke.”

Whether Scouting America and World Scouting can continue to grow and meaningfully engage young men across the world remains an open question. There are promising signs: after years of membership decline, Scouting America reported a slight uptick in membership following its rebrand.

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We will continue to explore the civic engagement space, highlighting established organizations that still hold value, as well as newer models that seek to address young men’s needs in different ways.