Boy Scout

Programs in

The image of the Boy Scouts of America is changing. It is no longer composed solely of solely of a Norman Rockwell illustration of a group of uniformed boys around a campfire.

The good citizen and woodsman image of the Scout still exists, but a new orientation of the Boy Scouts is reflected in the Scout Handbook, its innovative programs, and its membership drive: all are directed to inner city youth.

The handbook was-and still is-a goldmine of information on backpacking, woodlore and "roughing it." But now in addition to snake bites, it discusses the treatment of rat bites and lead poisoning along with drugs, venereal disease and homosexuality.

and public housing youths.

Public a drug abuse

Housing

Scouting programs are now turning toward the recruitment of inner city Recent innovations include Operation Reach, a drug abuse program; Project SOAR (Save Our American Resources); coed Explorers, for youths 15 to 20 years old; Scouting for the Handicapped; and Outreach to Low-Income Areas through mobile vans, storefront centers, block Scout units, Spanish literature, and employment of paraprofessionals and youth coordinators.

Scouting is still composed overwhelmingly of white middle-class boys from suburbia, but BSA officials, HUD Office of Housing Management staff and Local Housing Authority administrators have been making a cooperative drive since 1968 to reach inner city youths. Largely as a result of HUD-BSA-LHA workshops, the number of Scout troops in housing projects increased 29 percent in 1972, as compared to a five percent growth rate for all troops.

"The future of Scouting is irrevocably linked to perfecting our ability to serve the needs of the people of the ghetto," said Scout Executive Alden G. Barber. "Scouting itself cannot solve all the problems of the disadvantaged-but what it can do, it will do, believe me."

Scouting in the inner city has been praised for its benefits to management, the community and tenants in

service examination.

Assisting in such ventures are dedicated volunteers such as Sergio Colon, Scoutmaster of a troop serving a predominantly Spanish-speaking area, and Mrs. Estelle Walker, a 75-year-old grandmother and den mother with 15 years of Scouting service. "I enjoy working with these boys," she said, "because Scouting teaches them how to get along and to become useful citizens."

Parent enthusiasm is also a big plus, Homer Meade says. Despite limited incomes, parents find a way to obtain uniforms for their boys. "We have a tremendous Scouting program, one of the best in the country," he added. "It works here, and it'll work anywhere, given the chance."

participate in cleanup projects, tutorial programs and canoeing along Lake Michigan.

as

During the summer such athletes

Dick Allen, Donnie Freeman, Cazzie Russell (a former Explorer) and Gayle Sayers visit the neighborhood and provide inspiration to the Scouts.

"Believe me, Scouts are the greatest landlord-helpers that ever happened," said Alvin Rose, a former executive director of CHA. "Boys in the Chicago Housing Authority projects are now enlisted by the score. Scouts honor, I don't think anything nicer could happen to our city." Houston

The Houston Housing Authority increased its Scout membership from 37 to 1,500 in less than two years with the help of Model Cities and the BSA. HHA contributed three youth coordinators, Model Cities provided a weekend camping campaign-including money for a day camp, equip ment and transportation-and the local BSA council assigned six paraprofessionals to the area.

One of these paraprofessionals was 38-year-old Pete Martinez, father of eight children and a part-time student, who recruits via "street corner" Scouting. "If you don't give these boys something exciting to do, they're going to do something exciting," he said. So far he has brought more than 400 inner city youths into Houston's Scouting program.

Houston is also a stronghold of Explorer posts, with some 300 posts

with more than 5,000 members in the metropolitan area. "Our thrust is

career

oriented," said Exploring Executive Hiett Ives. "Teenagers are interested in their futures, in learning leadership capabilities and in learning about the job market." Some of the interests of the posts include dentistry, law enforcement, engineering, banking and singing.

Diboll

Scouting has achieved spectacular success in this small Texas town, where 80 percent of all boys in the

public housing projects have been associated with the Boy Scouts since early 1972. "We presently have over 120 boys and over 50 adult leaders who are participating in our public housing Scouting program," said Woodrow Woods, executive director of the Diboll Housing Authority.

Scouts have been active in Project SOAR, park and neighborhood beautification projects and the DHA Summer Youth Work program. Housing authority officials also purchased new uniforms for boys from low-income families.

Indianapolis

Exploring is also a thriving program in this city, as youths in the Lockfield Gardens public housing complex have become involved in posts specializing in such careers as law enforcement, auto mechanics and health education. Indianapolis Housing Authority officials and local corporations such as General Motors also have helped Explorers obtain scholarships to state universities and colleges. HUD's Role

HUD's role in Scouting has been defined by formal policy guidelines designed to encourage and assist Local Housing Authorities to cooperate and work with community service organizations and to provide space and facilities for services, programs recognize and applaud the efforts of and meetings when possible. "We recognize and applaud the efforts of the many residents, local housing officials and project managers who have encouraged and assisted the Boy Scout movement to exert its positive influence on inner city youth," said HUD Secretary James T. Lynn.

an increase of Scouting units from 1,000 to 1,350 and a gain in Scouts from 20,000 to 31,000 in LHA proj. ects. Every city with more than 200 public housing units now has some type of Scouting program, and 80 percent of all LHA's sponsor Scout units. These figures, incidentally, do not reflect Scout units composed solely of project youths but sponsored by non-project organizations (Churches, schools, community centers, civic and fraternal groups, etc.).

Another accomplishment of the workshops was the establishment of 33 youth coordinators in LHA's, a needed supplement to Scout paraprofessionals working in the projects. Coordinators' responsibilities include Scouting activities-Cub Scouts, 8 to 10 years, Boy Scouts, 11 to 17 years, and Explorers, 15 to 20 years (coed)-among a wide range of counseling, athletic, self-help, employment, ecological, school, arts and other social service programs.

A film strip, "No Place to Go, Nothing to Do," also was produced for the workshops by HUD and BSA. The $5,000 financing for the strip was raised by Jack H. Shiver, executive director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and past president of the Southeast National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. In addition, HUD and BSA wrote a handbook, "Boy Scouts of America Programs in Public Housing" (now being updated), for housing management staff.

The LHA Boy Scout recruitment drive represents only a small part of Scouting's total picture, of course, which includes some 4.6 million boys and a national goal of six million by 1976. But the most spectacular successes and real contributions to the

Over 1972 and 1973 HUD sponsored workshops in 44 cities across the country, with management from 12 to 44 LHA's attending each meeting. The result of the workshops was

have been achieved in Local Housing Authority projects in the past few years; Scouting's emphasis is now shifting to the inner city and that is where the innovations and evolution of the Boy Scouts will occur in the near future.

William Fang HUD Intern