"The Scoutmaster's number one job, in plain English, is to help his Scouts run a good troop, and thus to get what they joined to get: exciting outdoor action and fun.

"But beyond this boy-level point of view are three adult-level aims that form the bedrock of the American Scouting movement. We call them simply the three aims of Scouting, for they represent the long-term Scouting outcomes we want for every boy who joins. They will therefore underlie everything we do."

We mean by this not only the dictionary definition of "character"; of "moral and ethical quality" or "qualities of honesty, courage, and integrity", but also "self" qualities. Over the years, Scouting has been especially successful in developing self-reliance, self-discipline, self-confidence, and self-respect. All of these qualities go into what we call character.

Simply put, Scouting's second aim is to help boys become better citizens of their community. Our goal is to foster in each boy a knowledge and appreciation for his community's heritage and history; for each person's rights, duties, obligation, and function as a citizen of the community; for the democracy that knits together diverse cultures into a nation that welcomes them all. Of course, by community we mean everything from a boy's family to the United Nations. When all is said and done, we hope to not only show each boy how he can serve his community, but to teach him to enjoy doing it.

We're talking about much more than physical fitness here. Scouting recognizes four types of fitness the program is intended to help develop: physical, mental, emotional, and moral. Physical fitness means good general health and good health habits. Not necessarily being athletic, but being healthy. Mental fitness means the ability to use the brainpower you were born with. Emotional fitness means learning to live with problems, learning self-control and self-discipline. Finally, moral fitness means the courage to do what your head and heart tell you is right. A Scout who took the Scout Oath in 1910 promised to do his best to keep himself "morally straight." A Scout who takes the Oath today promises the same thing.

Just as important as the Aims of Scouting are the methods Scouting uses to reach those aims. These are not merely a collection of techniques; they are an integral part of Scouting. Without the three aims discussed earlier, Scouting would be nothing more than a fancy club. Likewise, without the eight Methods of Scouting, it would be nothing more than a fancy gang with some lofty goals. The eight Methods of Scouting are: Ideals, Patrols, Outdoors, Advancement, Personal growth, Adult association, Leadership development, and Uniform. Here's a more in-depth explanation:

The ideals of Scouting are the personal behavior guides and standards to which a boy commits himself when he joins Scouting. 

Scout Oath:                                                                  and the Scout Law:

Each Boy Scout troop is composed of patrols. A patrol is a group of three to eight boys who work together as a team. Of course, like everything in Scouting, a patrol is much more than just a team. It is with the other members of the patrol that each Scout experiences Scouting. In camp they live together, eat together, work together, and play together. They are more like a small community because each member has a job to do or they don't go anywhere together. A patrol is a lot like a family which, in its own way is like a community. At meetings, patrols help each other learn the skills of Scouting. They work together to recognize each individual Scout's strengths and weaknesses.

Scouting's ideals provide standards of behavior. Patrols provide a community to experience Scouting through. But it is in the outdoors that Scouting tests each standard and skill. Everything Scouts do can (and should) be done outdoors. When Scout activities are conducted outdoors, it provides much more than a chance to get close to nature. The wide-open spaces are not just places to go. In Scouting, they are the most popular method of helping Scouting work. Given the choice, most Scouts and non-Scouts would much rather have a meeting outside in the fresh air than inside in a stuffy meeting room.

The advancement system of Scouting is like a ladder used to climb to the roof of a house. Each step takes you closer and closer to your goal. What that goal is and how he gets there is entirely up to the individual Scout. Each step up the ladder corresponds to a Scout rank from Tenderfoot through Eagle Scout. For each rank, though, there is another ladder defining the individual skills and tests that must be accomplished. In this way each step in earning a specific rank challenges the Scout to "do his best" at whatever the skill happens to be. As the Scout reaches for higher ranks, the tasks become more and more challenging. As a Scout advances through Scouting's ranks he learns to set goals that will challenge him, and he learns to push himself beyond what he sees as his limitations.

"All of the Scouting methods help a boy grow as a result of his Scouting experience. But growth, personal growth, is itself a method -- and a critical one. The other Scouting methods 'specialize,' so to speak, in offering one or more particular benefits -- character, fitness, leadership, skill training, citizenship, and so on. All of them contribute, in one way or another, to a Scout's personal growth as an outcome of his experience. We have learned over time, however, that this quest for growth as an outcome has had the effect of making it a method as well. In striving in different ways to help Scouts grow, we have seen the striving itself become a way. So with personal growth, the outcome, we join personal growth, the method."

"Boys learn from the example set by their adult leaders. Troop leadership may be male or female, and association with adults of high character is critical at this stage of a young man's development"

Part of what a Scout believes is doing his best to get things done. Part of getting things done is developing a plan and delegating responsibilities. These are skills adults use every day. In Scouting, leadership development is all part of being prepared. A Scout may not want a job that requires him to lead a group of people, but he may be asked to. Scouting provides opportunities and guidance to Scouts to learn how to lead. The leadership skills Scouting teaches can be used in every day life. So Scouting's idea of leadership isn't necessarily leading a group of people. You have to lead yourself before you can lead others.

Everyone wears a uniform. Doctors, policemen, firemen, clergymen, football players, baseball players, soldiers, sailors, even lawyers all have a uniform of some kind. That uniform identifies an individual with a group. Scouting's uniform is much more than that. To the Scout the uniform is an outward sign that he believes in certain values and is willing to stand up for them. It gives him a feeling of belonging to a group with similar values. It gives him a reason to take pride in the way he looks, and in the badges and awards that testify to his achievements. To the community the uniform represents a welcome image, a reminder that not all kids are bad, and not all gangs are violent.

Scouting's beliefs, aims and methods have come under attack in recent years by those who advocate tolerance of a person's viewpoint, (as long as it agrees with theirs).  Click here to go to the Boy Scouts Legal Issues website for more information on litigations, news articles and FAQ's on this hot topic.