Boy Scouts of America helps youth

I have been involved with the Boy Scouts of America for 30 years and am now serving as Scout executive/CEO of the Voyageurs Area Council. Through my work with the BSA, I have seen firsthand how children benefit from the variety of experiences and opportunities that are made possible through scouting. I also know that as a parent, our most important duty is keeping our children safe. As you are probably aware, the BSA has recently received a significant amount of media attention and I want to take this opportunity to address those issues and assure you that the BSA takes its role in protecting youth members very seriously.

 It is important to note that recent media reports, including the Oct. 24, 2012, International Falls Journal article, have focused on partial records from many years ago that were used in our application and screening process. The sole reason these files exist has been to protect youth by keeping out individuals deemed to be inappropriate leaders. Those records were not intended to be a complete history of each case. Rather, they were essentially a list of people who did not meet BSA’s leadership standards because of known or suspected abuse or other inappropriate conduct that occurred either inside or outside of Scouting. If a registrant’s name appears on the list, he or she is not to be permitted to join Scouting.

I would also like to highlight the fact that these files are not — and have never been — secret. They have been reported extensively in the media going back to the New York Times in 1935 and included in books on Scouting throughout our history. Further, the files are known to our volunteers, because joining the organization requires they be cross-checked against this list. While not secret, the files are confidential because experts agree that confidentiality is a key component of effective government and private-sector reporting programs.

 Recently the BSA released at, www.bsayouthprotection.org, the results of an internal review of the Ineligible Volunteer files conducted by Dr. Janet Warren, a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia. Among other qualifications and professional credentials, Warren is the University of Virginia’s liaison to the FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit and sits on the Research Advisory Board of the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. The report shows that in some instances the BSA failed to defend Scouts from those who would do them harm but that as part of BSA’s broader Youth Protection program, the BSA’s system of ineligible volunteer files functions to help protect Scouts. Make no mistake. These files have created a barrier that has prevented dangerous individuals from joining scouting.

 The BSA fully recognizes the responsibility it has when parents entrust the development and safety of their children to Scouting which is why BSA policies have consistently evolved along with increased knowledge and best practices, and BSA is committed to ongoing enhancement. The BSA now requires background checks for all volunteers and staff, comprehensive training programs, and strict safety policies. In 2010 the BSA hired a full-time youth protection director, a recognized expert on child abuse, dedicated to the continued strengthening of Scouting’s youth protection programs and policies.

 Today, the BSA has been recognized by numerous experts as a leader in combating child sexual abuse among youth-serving organizations. Here are a few important facets of BSA’s Youth Protection Program:

• All volunteers are required to complete Youth Protection training and must renew every two years. This training is accessible to the general public online at www.scouting.org. 

• No child is left alone with just one adult. Two adults must always be present for all Scouting activities. 

• In every Cub Scout and Boy Scout handbook, a pamphlet is provided to help teach parents how to teach their children how to recognize, resist, and report abuse.

• Anyone suspected of inappropriate behavior is immediately removed.

• The Boy Scouts of America has mandated that all volunteers and employees are mandatory reporters of abuse.

 I am proud to work with the Voyageurs Area Council, Boy Scout of America and in particular with the volunteer leaders in the International Falls area. I am thankful to be a part of an organization that works across 18 counties and three states to deliver programs that foster character development, citizenship, and the moral, mental and physical fitness of young people. The Voyageurs Area Council does this through partnerships with 130 local, community organizations and their volunteers. I am also confident in the Boy Scouts of America’s dedication to youth protection.

Rest assured, the Boy Scouts of America will never waiver in its ongoing commitment to protect Scouts. The BSA exists to help youth. Keeping them safe is fundamental to our purpose.