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Girl scouts and Boyscouts

Scouting Across the Pond

Scoutmastership, A Handbook for Scoutmas... (by Baden-Powell of Gilwell, Robert Stephenson Smyth B...)
John F. Kennedy, President (by Hugh Sidey)
Rolf in the Woods (by Seton, Thompson)
Tom Slade's Double Dare (by Fitzhugh, Percy Keese)
Boy Scouts on Motorcycles (by Ralphson, G. Harvey (George Harvey))
The Swoop! or How Clarence Saved England... (by Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville)

American politicians, international dignitaries, celebrities, artists, and world-renowned athletes share a common distinction: they acknowledge that their successes are in part due to the transformative youth groups of which they were once, and always, members. More than tying knots, pitching tents, selling cookies, and rowing kayaks, The Boy Scouts of America and The Girl Scouts of the United States provide millions of children with the necessary tools and practicality to become world leaders.

In 1909, W. D. Boyce, a Chicago publisher lost in London, was aided by a child who protested any reward in exchange for his assistance. The young boy, intent only on completing his “good turn” birthed the legend of the unknown scout. Returning to the United States, where large influxes of families moved from farmlands to cities, Boyce and others grew increasingly concerned about the waning of American individualism and patriotism. The following year, Boyce helped to found The Boy Scouts of America. Through the organization, young men pledged the Boy Scout Oath, vowing to be “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, courteous, and kind.”

The Girl Scouts of the United States, which has been run and organized by women since its inception in 1912, was also inspired by the United Kingdom. Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, living in London but concerned with the well-being of young American girls, met Robert Baden-Powell, a soldier and writer who penned Scoutsmastership, A Handbook for Scoutmasters on the Theory of Scout Training. It served as the basis for her American youth group for girls. When she returned to her hometown in Savannah, Georgia, Low found herself fostering community service, self-reliance, and a knowledge of the outdoors, all in compliance with the theory of scout training.

History has proven that the traditions stuck. Notable scouts insist that their earliest leadership roles came from these organizations. Senator Hillary Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama, actress Carrie Fisher, singer Mariah Carey, and astronaut Sally Ride were all Girl Scouts. Bill Gates, former president John F. Kennedy, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who credited the Girl Scouts for their efforts in dismantling segregation at Camp Shantituck in Kentucky), famed news anchor Walter Cronkite, and American astronaut Buzz Aldrin are among the many Boy Scouts who’ve gone on to international acclaim.

The Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the United States, both federally recognized organizations, have not only molded some of the America’s finest leaders, but they have also inspired great artistic endeavors. Check out the following titles and explore the literature that spurred movements shaping history and culture:

The Swoop, P.G. Wodehouse
Rulf In the Woods, Ernest Thompson Seton
Tom Slade’s Double Dare, Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Boy Scouts on Motorcycles, Harvey G. Ralphson.

By Logan Williams