The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
Character, Citizenship, Personal Fitness, and Leadership
Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Being outdoors, exploring, experiencing, and learning about our natural world firsthand informs how we live, work, and play in Scouting. We force ourselves out of our comfort zones, take chances, work as a team, and see things that we wouldn't otherwise see. As Cub Scouts, we work within the family unit and Dens within our Pack. Graduating into Scouts, we camp, cook, eat, compete, and learn as Patrols within our Troop; as Sea Scouts, Shipmates similarly work together within the Ship. We grow together as a unit, learning to respect each other, our leaders, and our teachers, knowing that soon, each of us will be called upon to lead and teach.
Learning to be contributing citizens and leaders of good character in our communities, nation, and world is not generally a focus of academia, where the best efforts and intentions of our teachers are subordinated to artificial rankings and test scores - there's just not a lot of time for much that's not "on the test". We do our best to partner with schools and community organizations to supplement the schoolroom with learning best accomplished in the outdoor classroom.