Boy Scouts of America, Capitol Area Council

Since 1912, the Boy Scouts of America, Capitol Area Council, has worked to prepare every eligible youth in Central Texas to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law. We achieve this annually through thousands of dedicated, talented volunteers and a small number of professional staff. We serve youth, families and communities through Scouting programs in 15 Central Texas counties: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Hays, Lavaca, Lee, Llano, Mason, Travis and Williamson.

For more than one hundred years, the Boy Scouts of America has provided programs with a mission of p

Goal One: Ensure the value of Scouting and its programs are widely known.

Goal Two: Deliver life-enriching programs and experiences to all Scouts all of the time.

Goal Three: Attract and inspire families to lead and deliver the promise of Scouting to our youth.

Our professional staff attends a series of national training programs to develop their understanding of and ability to manage the Scouting program, including volunteer management, fundraising, and safe delivery of Scouting activities. We make more than a dozen virtual and in-person training courses available to our volunteers, ranging in focus from youth protection to outdoor skills to leadership development.

Before 2020, any health expert would have told you at length about the benefits of children spending time outdoors, including increased fitness levels, social aptitude, and – especially – diminished stress. The increased reliance on virtual communication and decreased outdoor socializing necessitated by Covid-19 protocols have further reinforced the importance of these benefits and the activities that deliver them. Scouting’s safe, social, outdoor programs have never been more important for the health and well-being of America’s youth. “The data is very clear that the mind and the brain are healthier when we spend more time [...] in nature, but [also] just outdoors in general,” says Dr. David A. Merrill, director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. But in reviewing the latest studies on youth mental health, even a lack of time outdoors alone doesn’t appear to be enough to explain the rise in diagnosed concerns. However, Monash University researchers believe their continued research into how young people tolerate uncertainty may help us understand what’s causing a dramatic increase in youth mental health problems. Dealing with uncertainty is at the very heart of the Scout Motto, Be Prepared. Few, if any, programs give young people experience engaging and overcoming uncertainty, in roles ranging from leader to team member, like Scouting. Age-appropriate activities test younger Scouts’ abilities, with trained, caring adults providing supervision and support. Advanced problem-solving and group challenges allow teens to plan, adapt, and – sometimes – fail, all while in a safe, judgement-free environment that prioritizes growth and self-evaluation. Since 1910, Scouting has helped youth to maximize their potential and grow into successful citizens. Scouting now enters the dawn of a new era, ready to deliver the life-changing opportunities boys and girls from every background so desperately need.