The Importance Of A Boy Scout

One of the most influential extracurricular activities during my high school years has been scouting. For me scouting is not only an organization for young men and women to develop into well rounded, active members of society, but also an organization for them to learn lifelong skills, go on adventures, and create countless memories.

As a Cub Scout and young Boy Scout I was someone who did what everybody else did. I followed the leaders, did the work or project I was instructed to do, and had little input on what was going on. I essentially treated scouts in a similar manner to how I treated school: follow the rules, don’t take risks, and do what the other kids do. I had no personal ambitions of wanting to do anything different; I just wanted

I found it difficult to manage the meetings and keep the group together. I struggled to make any progress during the meetings and almost nothing would get accomplished. I was dedicated to become a good leader. I didn't want to let the scouts who had placed their faith in me down. I did my best to learn from other scouts who were in leadership positions in out troop. Taking what I thought I could use to grow. I was able to set up a few patrol outings and establish the connections we needed to be able to function as a patrol. Eventually, I was able to gain trust and respect from my patrol, and we were able to accomplish our goals: earning ranks, going on multiple patrol outings and bonding as a

For my project, I designed and built an observation deck. It was initially designed for the viewing of baptisms that happened in the river by my troop’s sponsor church, but it was able to be used as an outdoor learning environment or just a place to enjoy the outdoors. I was able to continue using the leadership skills I had learned as a Patrol Leader. When my project came to a close I had a chance to reflect on what being a leader meant. I initially thought leadership was for people who knew how to run large groups and keep them under control, but I learned that leadership is much more than this. Leadership requires one to know how the group works, where it has faults, and where it needs work. The leader is part of the group, a team member, he is equal to his followers. He knows each person's strengths and weaknesses and will use those attributes to help move the group forward. And one of the most important parts to being a leader is being able to trust the members of the group. I needed to learn to trust other people in my patrol or crew in order to move the group forward. This also affected how I approached my Eagle service project. I originally only asked for people that I knew I could trust to get the work done correctly. However, on some days I needed more volunteers, so I reached out to other scouts and trust them to do the work right. This quality of a leader, to me, is the