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Highlights:

 

Give Your Best is our Scout Motto

Our Scouts inspire each other and us every time they give their best

 

The motto of our Scouts is “Give Your Best.”  We chose this motto because we believe that giving your best is the truest demonstration of character.  Our Scouts have different levels of ability.  Some already have experience with sports and outdoor skills, and others do not.  Some have aptitudes on a particular subject, and others do not.  In addition, some of our Scouts have challenges they struggle with everyday.  However, everyone can give his or her best.  Giving your best requires commitment, character, passion and strength.  Giving their best is a reflection of the content of our Scouts’ character, rather than details that make up their identities.  It does not matter which neighborhood our Scouts are from, if English is their first language, or if they use a wheelchair.  Our Scouts choose to give their best, and so they are heroes.

 

 

youth cartwheel against sunset

 

 

Success

 

We want our Scouts to experience true success in their lives.  We want our Scouts to have the great job and material success they deserve, but we want them more importantly to know the kind of success possible when they share their success with others.  True success comes from being of service to others and being of service to others makes a hero.

 

Heroes

 

Anyone can be a hero!  Each of us has the opportunity to act heroically on behalf of others and some of us require heroic fortitude to just get through a situation.  Every school day, youth are in a position where they have to deal with peer pressure and potentially the taunts of others.  Our Scouts are heroes everyday when they stand up for themselves and each other and always give their best.

 

Our Scouts Give Their Best Everyday

 Heroes always give their best, but heroes are often thought of as super human, born and bred, and limited in number.  But real heroes do not need capes!  We encourage our Scouts to recognize real heroes surround them every day and can serve as inspiration to give their best.  In fact, all of us can be heroes. 

 Even the Postal Carrier is an action hero postal carrierwhen, on their route, they check in at the home of a shut in.  No matter what our Scouts go on to do in life, they are heroes when everyday they choose to give their best to the betterment of themselves, their families, and their entire communities, not just in the future, but right now.Society often relates to the future, particularly with regard to youth.  Our Scouts are part of the future, but live in the present. 

When our Scouts give their very best right now, they are living one’s life and leading one’s life as a Scout. Living one’s life and leading one’s life as a Scout also means our Scouts are as good as their word.  We consider the word of our Scouts their bond, rather than asking them to promise or swear.  We ask our Scouts to give their best in all that they do, and consequently our Scouts appreciate that we trust them and that their word is considered their bond. 

We encourage our Scouts to appreciate the value of good character and of having what they say count.  

Passion Contributes to Our Scouts Giving Their Best 

Youth can look for dinosaur bones for hours, or count stars until past their bedtime.  They can spend the weekend building a soapbox derby car, or practice a skateboarding trick from sun up to sun down.  That level of commitment to adventure comes naturally to someone who is doing what they are truly passionate about.  Youth display passion all the time, but unfortunately, we seem to lose it with time as mundane details start to creep in and take over our lives. 

The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA believe passion is a lifelong pursuit.  We have created our Scout Programs around the philosophy of choice, freedom, and FUN—allowing our Scouts to spend their time doing what they are passionate about.  Our Scouts choose, organize, and lead their own programs, so they have the opportunity to do what interests and excites them.  Passion contributes to our Scouts giving their best because they develop a sense of ownership about their activities.  They want to give their best because they are having FUN and accomplishing their goals. 

Our Scouts also accumulate needed practical life skills related to their area of interest.  Suddenly, learning first aid does not seem dull to a Scout who wants to be a professional skateboarder. 

 A Scout who loves backpacking and wants to be a forest ranger will happily learn about conservation.  A Scout who is a great artist acquires the knowledge of how to price and sell their art willingly.  Those skills help our Scouts pursue their passions, so they have the desire to learn. We are very conscious of ensuring that all of our Scouts are individually important and motivated to set goals for themselves for continuing improvement.

Our Scouts want to improve their skills because they are doing what they love.  Because our Scouts choose, organize, and lead their own programs, our Scouts develop ownership in their activities.  A Scout passionate about their choices gives their best because they desire it of themselves and of others. Our Scouts do not get bored, because their activities are never boring.  They chose their activities based on their own interests and passions. 

Our Scouts Give Their Best While Earning Personal Achievement 

A Challenge is a part of the requirements for an award which our Scouts earn by both achieving and demonstrating a particular skill set.  The Challenges our Scouts perform are evaluated by our Scouts. 

Therefore, in order to earn a particular Challenge, our Scouts must have the skills necessary to perform the Challenge and furthermore, must be able to demonstrate them in front of their fellow Scouts. Part of the evaluation is determining whether our Scouts really gave their best.  Because the Scouts assessing the demonstration have done this task themselves, they know exactly what goes into achieving the skill and demonstrating it properly.  Our Scouts also know each other; they are friends and their teams become a part of their extended families. 

 Because they know each other, our Scouts are aware if a particular member of their team is really giving their best. It is exciting and unique for our Scouts to evaluate each other’s efforts and to help each other succeed.  They offer each other constructive criticism and support each other’s goals and efforts. 

Our Scouts improve their skills in a FUN way by interacting with and helping each other.  Because of this, our Scouts learn more through FUN and connection with their friends – a remarkable system that is entirely lacking in Scout programs in which adults simply judge the efforts of their Scouts. Because each of our Scouts value that they are unique, our Scouts understand that one Scout’s best is different from another’s.  There is of course a limit in how long it should take to set up a tent.  On a camping trip, our Scouts do not still want to be setting it up four hours after they arrive!  However, one Scout will set up a tent in a different amount of time than another.  Our Scouts  give their best with differing results. 

Through constructive criticism and evaluation by their fellow Scouts, our Scouts improve their skills.  Seeing and understanding how others give their best helps our Scouts appreciate the circumstances of others.  During their evaluations, the Scout is expected to honestly reflect on their effort, to disclose fully whether they have given their best, and whether they have acted with character. 

The true measure of success is inside the hearts of our Scouts.  Did you give your best is the question our Scouts ask themselves which can only be answered by them. Our Scouts compete against themselves continuously by striving to better their last effort.  We encourage our Scouts to improve their own performance.  We encourage each of our Scouts to continuously improve and to be able to proudly say to themselves and others, “I am improving.”  Always doing their best contributes to developing their self-respect, and earning the respect of their fellow Scouts. 

Giving Their Best Beyond Our Scout Programs 

We as a society must deal with the issues we face such as homelessness, hunger, divisiveness, and of tolerating bad character.  One of our goals is to encourage each of us to be the best person we can be, and to inspire others to do the same.  Our Scouts choose to give their best in all they do because we trust our Scouts and enable them to choose activities they are passionate about.  Our Scouts are in a better position to solve the problems they are passionate about because always giving their best becomes a way of life.

 

Participation in our Scout Programs contributes to positively affecting behavior.  Our Scouts develop an appreciation that life is and can be about more than just school, their block, street or community.  We do not presume to think our Scout Programs can single handedly change the world.  Nor do we presume to think our Scout Programs can single handedly change the life of all our Scouts.  The barriers many face present extraordinary challenges and we are committed to giving our best to help our Scouts overcome the challenges they are faced with.
 Our Scouts prepare themselves for living in the larger world because giving their best becomes a part of their daily lives.  Those who give their best are rare and are in a position for future success and to be able to better help others succeed.  We encourage our Scouts to be that rare person who gives their best and helps everyone else do the same.
 
Adventure Scouts USA