Boy Scouts of America Recognizes International Youth Day
Leading Youth Service Organization Encourages Attention to Key Youth Issues
Today youth ages 10 to 24 make up one-fifth of the world's population, and
by 2050 the proportion of youth to adults will be almost equal. This trend
indicates that in the future attention must be paid to youth-specific issues
such as education, hunger and poverty, health, the environment, leisure-time
activities, participation, and intergenerational relations. This August, one
of the nation's leading youth service organizations, the Boy Scouts of America,
joins the United Nations in encouraging organizations and individuals to
dedicate time and resources toward young people by recognizing International
Youth Day.
International Youth Day is designed to promote public awareness of youth
issues, and as part of its commitment to youth leadership and mentoring, the
BSA joins this initiative and encourages other youth-based, leadership- and
education-centered organizations to better understand their roles in key youth
issues.
"The guiding principles of International Youth Day are synonymous with our
mission, vision, and the Scout Oath and Law," said Wayne Perry, International
Commissioner, BSA. "Scouts live these principles every day, and we must ensure
that all American youth receive the guidance they deserve in all aspects of life."
The theme of International Youth Day is "Tackling Poverty Together." Today,
more than 1 billion people in the world live in conditions of poverty, and
almost one in every five children in the United States lives in poverty. Poverty
can lead to ill health, limited education, unsafe
environments, social discrimination and lack of participation in decision
making and social-cultural lifei. In the United States, poverty significantly
impacts hunger, with an estimated 13 million people going to bed hungry each night.
Scouting continues its legacy of combating poverty and other social issues while
creating leaders of tomorrow through its Good Turn for America initiative—a
collaboration with other community organizations that focuses the power of
volunteerism on the important community issues of hunger, shelter, and health.
Through Good Turn for America, organizations like the BSA, The Salvation
Army, America's Second Harvest, and thousands of other community organizations
work together to alleviate hunger in America. Specifically, the BSA employs its
Scouting for Food program that facilitates food drives across the country to
provide meals to the hungry. In recognition of International Youth Day, the BSA
encourages local communities to contact their local Boy Scout troop about
participating in the Scouting for Food program to help "Tackle Poverty
Together."
In addition to Good Turn for America and Scouting for Food, other BSA
programs help combat key issues such as poverty. These include traditional
Scouting, Scoutreach, Venturing, and Scouting's healthy-living-centered merit
badges.
Scoutreach is designed to identify and further develop urban and rural Scout
troops with camping and advancement programs. Those involved in Scoutreach strive
to create more opportunities for urban and rural Scouts and to provide
additional, positive support for traditionally underserved urban and rural
Scouts and adult leaders.
Since its inception, the BSA has trained young people in citizenship, service,
and leadership to better serve America's communities and families through its
quality, values-based program. In the past 96 years, nearly 110 million members
of Scouting have provided countless hours of service. The more than 1.7 million
Eagle Scouts alone have provided an estimated 36 million hours of service through
their Eagle projects. Good Turn for America aims to make a substantial positive
impact on the nation by providing millions of volunteer hours to benefit those
in need. More information about service and philanthropic leadership is
available from the BSA at www.GoodTurnForAmerica.org.
Serving nearly 4.5 million young people between 7 and 20 years of age with
more than 300 councils throughout the United States and its territories, the
Boy Scouts of America is the nation's foremost youth program of character
development and values-based leadership training. For more information on the
BSA, please visit old.scouting.org.
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