Scouting America expands opportunities for new generation of young people and volunteers
Scouting America is expanding opportunities for a new generation of young people, with plans to grow its membership to 2 million Scouts in the coming years and to place even stronger emphasis on volunteering.
At its National Annual Meeting, held earlier in May in Dallas, Texas, the organisation, one of the largest youth-serving movements in the United States, with nearly one million members, outlined its priorities for long-term growth. Central to this ambition is a new strategic “trail map,” which sets a clear direction for the years ahead. It focuses on recruiting, retaining and supporting volunteers, strengthening education programmes and leadership pathways, and attracting new members by expanding access to Scouting, particularly for girls, young women, and underserved communities.
Another key pillar of this strategy is a stronger focus on volunteers. Recognising the growing pressures on families, Scouting America is working to make volunteering simpler, better supported, and more rewarding. By equipping volunteers with the right tools, training, and support, the organisation aims to strengthen local Scout units and sustain engagement ensuring volunteers are able to effectively contribute to the development of young people through Scouting.
“Parents today are under a tremendous amount of stress. Even though there’s still a strong desire to volunteer and help kids, families and communities, people are balancing demanding jobs, busy schedules and a lot of responsibilities. Coming out of the pandemic, people also want to reconnect with their communities again,” said Ricky Mason, Chair of the Scouting America National Executive Board in an interview with On Scouting. “For Scouting America to have strong units and grow membership, we must make volunteering easier and more rewarding. That means giving volunteers the support, tools and resources they need to succeed.”
In recent years, Scouting America has continued to modernise its youth programmes to better equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a fast-changing and interconnected world. Updates to merit badges and new collaborations, including with the US space agency NASA, USA Triathlon, and America250 aim to inspire and prepare a new generation of confident and capable leaders. These efforts are further reinforced through the adoption of World Scouting initiatives such as Earth Tribe and Messengers of Peace, which encourage young people to take action on environmental sustainability and peacebuilding within their communities.
Speaking at the annual meeting, World Scouting’s Secretary General, David Berg, praised Scouting America’s leadership and the organisation’s commitment to adapt its education programmes for today’s youth. “Employers and parents today expect kids' education to focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, resilience, creativity and leadership,” he said. “When we hear these words, we know that there is no better place than the Scout programme to equip young people with those skills. But for that to happen, our programme must keep evolving and inspiring too. Scouting America has historically been exactly that kind of inspiration - for American kids and for kids around the world.”
The organisation has also made significant progress in strengthening safeguarding practices. Scouting America has developed and implemented some of the most robust youth protection measures among youth-serving organisations globally. These include mandatory criminal background checks for leaders, comprehensive youth protection training, and clear reporting requirements. Such initiatives are increasingly seen as a benchmark for other National Scout Organizations, demonstrating what strong safeguarding systems can look like in practice.
Beyond its national work, Scouting America continues to expand its international engagement, offering more opportunities for young people to connect with peers across the global Scout Movement. In 2025, nearly 100 members participated in the 16th World Scout Moot in Portugal, alongside the organisation’s largest-ever delegation to the 29th Interamerican Scout Conference in Curaçao.
Looking ahead, strong participation is already planned, with 600 young people and 400 adults registered for the 2027 World Scout Jamboree in Gdańsk, Poland. The organisation is also now preparing for its next major milestone: the National Jamboree, to be held at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia from 22 to 31 July. The event will bring together thousands of Scouts from across the United States, as well as international participants, for ten days of adventure, learning, and global friendship.