Youth, Boy Scouts, and Soccer
We are very familiar, as Hispanics, with the soccer field; yet not as familiar with Boy Scouts and the scouting experience. The Boy Scouts of America have been targeting the Hispanic “market” for almost a decade now, and have been outreaching to the Hispanic youth through their “Scoutreach” program.
Scoutreach offers Hispanic youth the same opportunity for success that has been available and taught to mainstream youth for generations. For mainstream American youth, this has been done through the disciplined teaching of responsibility and respect for themselves and others; the same traits that are honored and valued in the Hispanic family and community. In addition, however, Boy Scouts have traditionally also learned skills in decision-making, leadership development, setting and achieving personal goals, which are qualities that have put them on career paths to becoming successful professionals, managers, and executives. Hispanic youth deserve the same opportunity.
For this reason, Scoutreach was endorsed, since its inception, by various Hispanic organizations, including the AGIF/US, HACU, HACR, LULAC, NCLR, U. S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, among others. It has been implemented in various locations throughout the Southwest. In California, programs were implemented successfully in Orange County and Santa Maria.
The Cpl. Joseph J. Heredia/Santa Maria Valley Forum Chapter in Santa Maria chartered its first four Boy Scout Scoutreach Packs five years ago, serving approximately 60 young men. Today, the Santa Maria AGIF chapter sponsors over 250 boys and their parents, participating in soccer and scouting. The Santa Maria chapter was a significant force in helping to make this a reality. Five GI Forum members serve as unit advisors, one serves on the District Committee. The AGIF also makes the AGIF clinic building available for parent/team coaches meetings, collaborates on fundraisers, donates money for uniforms for those who can’t purchase them, and has continued to increase sponsorship every year.
The AGIF chapter is also going to sponsor a “Venture Crew” of 14 to 18-year-old girls who have been involved in some kind of trouble that has taken them into the juvenile courts, in order to raise their self-esteem and help them learn to make better decisions.
We hope this trend will continue to spread in other Hispanic communities, and the American GI Forum can make a great difference in that regard.