Scouting is unlike anything your son has ever experienced before.  

Unlike school, organized sports, or perhaps even in the home setting, in a Boy Scout troop the youth are the ones who are in charge. THEIR desires become our agenda. THEIR ideas for adventure, fun, and excitement are what the adults guide them to bring into reality. In Scouting, THEY speak and the adults listen. 

By practicing representative democracy, they pick their own leaders who form the "Patrol Leader Council" that creates the yearly agenda.  Scouts work together on every issue, from what to eat at camp, deciding who will wash dishes and shop for food, they learn and PUT INTO PRACTICE communication, public speaking, teamwork, conflict resolution, and leadership.

By taking advantage of any of the 130 possible merit badges, they gain exposure to areas of interest ranging from Rifle Shooting to Chemistry, from Small Boat Sailing to Aviation, and from Reading to Nuclear Science. Statistically, the Merit Badge program often leads to life-long hobbies and even career choices. At a minimum, Merit Badges help a young man try things he may never have had a chance to do if not for the Scouting experience, such as rifle shooting, archery, sailing, or camping. 

While boys are busy "being Scouts" and having fun, they start to embody the virtues of Scouting defined in the Scout Oath and Law.

What is Scouting?   It's "fun with a purpose."