From the Chief: A salute to Scouting magazine and its readers

There aren’t many magazines that can brag about serving their readers for a century, but Scouting magazine has reached this significant milestone. 

When thinking about the early Scouting volunteers who picked up that first issue in April 100 years ago, I wonder how different their views were about what they hoped to accomplish for America’s youth.

All history and new technologies aside, I like to think their values and goals were pretty much in line with what you accomplish for our Scouts every day.

You—the volunteers—are the backbone of our organization. The time and effort you add to your already-busy schedules make sure our young people receive a quality Scouting experience—building great future leaders for our country. Whether you’re an assistant Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, den leader, Wood Badge trainer—or even a parent who helps cook hamburgers or drives for weekend campouts—your service is invaluable and important to the young people we serve. And we thank you!

Lord Baden-Powell once said, “Success in training the boy depends largely on the Scoutmaster’s own personal example.”  Your commitment to guiding our young people according to the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law sets the best example of why we are always in need of great volunteer leaders like you to make our organization strong.

I hope, as you continue your service to Scouting, that you will always strive to add others to our roster of trained and motivated volunteer leaders. Our goal to keep the BSA a strong and sustainable organization rides heavily on your ability to inspire others to follow your lead.

Let’s all take a moment to give a “Well done!” to the current and past editors, designers, writers, photographers, illustrators, and contributing columnists for Scouting magazine as they celebrate 100 years of service. I hope that as you browse the special commemorative section in this issue, you will take pride in knowing that many before you have also learned and benefitted from the information carried in the pages of this terrific publication.

—Wayne Brock, Chief Scout Executive