Delivering the Promise: Boy Scouts of America and America's Promise
"The Little Red Wagon. A symbol of childhood.
It could be filled with a child's hopes and dreams or weighed down with their
burdens. Millions of American children need our help to pull that wagon along.
Let's all pull together."
—General Colin L. Powell, U.S. Army (Ret.), Chairman, America's
Promise
America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth, led by General Colin Powell, is
dedicated to mobilizing the nation's groups and organizations and building
and strengthening the character and competence of our youth.
At the heart of America's Promise is a set of five basic promises made
to every child in America. To point them in the right direction and to help
them grow up strong and ready to take their place as successful adults, these
five promises must be fulfilled:
- An ongoing relationship with a caring adult—parent, mentor,
tutor, or coach
- A safe place to be with structured activities during non-school hours
- A healthy start
- A marketable skill through effective education
- An opportunity to give back through community service
The Boy Scouts of America was founded on principles of civic service activities.
Through thousands of community service projects Scouts foster the spirit
of citizenship.
Commitment
The Boy Scouts of America and each autonomous local council will commit
each youth to perform 12 hours of community service yearly, for a total of
200 million community service hours through the end of 2000.
Implementation
The community service hours will involve youth. Projects must have a definition
and purpose, be real to the Scouts, and be compatible with the objectives
of the Scouting movement.
Community service projects might include service to children or senior
citizens; projects focusing on safety, conservation, or neighborhood improvement;
emergency service, Eagle Scout projects; or the Scouting for Food National
Good Turn.
Progress
Through this commitment, 3.4 million Scouts and their families and 1.5 million
volunteers—representing 142,587 Scouting units, 321 councils, 16,800 communities,
and all 50 states—are provided opportunities for community service.
Over the past two years, 3.4 million Scouts have provided 100,757,046
hours of community service to others.
Recognition
Through the end of 2000 each Scout who completes a minimum of 12 hours of
community service per year will qualify to receive a Service to America patch.
If 75 percent of Scouts in a unit earn the patch recognition, then all unit
leaders will be eligible to purchase a patch. The participation patch, No.
339, retails for $1.99 and is available for purchase from Scout shops or
BSA distributors.
National Park Service
The National Park Service has expressed a willingness to work with the Boy
Scouts of America to identify potential service projects that need to be
accomplished on national parklands.
The National Park Service will provide Scouts the opportunity to earn
a National Park participation patch in addition to the BSA Service to America
patch.
The National Park Service will identify service projects that BSA volunteers
can complete on national parklands. At each site, there is a volunteer coordinator
who is willing to work with Scout leaders in preserving America's resources
for future generations. Individual Scout leaders wishing to participate in
the program need simply contact the park volunteer coordinator to initiate
a project.
Some examples of park projects include eradication of exotic plant species,
erosion control, and improvement of campsite and visitor conveniences. The
Web site can be accessed at http://www.servicetoamerica.org.
For more information about America's Promise, please visit the America's
Promise Web site at http://www.americaspromise.org.
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