Continuing your education, our Investor Update is meant to keep you up to date on your investment in Scouting and to keep you connected. 

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: WE THE PEOPLE

 Did you know...   

Family Life, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the Community and Emergency Preparedness are just some of the 16 Merit Badges dedicated to educating youth about Civic Engagement.

Fully half of America's young adults can't find Ohio or New York on a United States Map.

• More Americans can name the Three Stooges than the three branches of the government
• Voting Americans under 30 years of age hovers around 50 percent - nearly 20 points below their parents and grandparents
• Just 19 percent of high school students volunteer on a regular basis
• Young men ages 15 to 25 are less likely than their female peers to volunteer, raise money for charity, and join political or non-political groups

"We the people." Those words from the Constitution encompass all of America's power and promise.  For more than two centuries, America has relied on its citizens to be informed about their rights and responsibilities, engaged with their government, and involved in their communities.  Yet since World War II, civic engagement has plummeted by virtually every measure.

That's not the case with the Boy Scouts of America.  Scouts who earn our three citizenship merit badges - more than 8 million to date - attend town meetings, contact their congressional representatives, and study world issues and cultures.  And many do more.  At least 25 percent of service academy cadets are former Scouts, as are some 40 percent members of Congress and nearly 60 percent of America's astronauts.

But boys don't have to wait until adulthood to serve their country and communities.  Each year, Scouts provide more than 36 million hours of community service (worth some $764 million), and most keep volunteering for a lifetime. 

Still, we want to do more.  That's why we've partnered with groups like the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity to provide new service opportunities for our Scouts.  That's why we've developed nationwide service opportunities like ArrowCorp5, which mobilized thousands of Scouts and leaders to complete conservation projects in national forests across America.  And that's why we're launching innovative leadership programs targeting at-risk Hispanic youth and other groups.

Deep in Scouts' DNA lies a commitment to leave places better than they found them, from the campsites they visit to the communities where they live.  The Boy Scouts of America is committed to giving Scouts the tools they need to make their communities and our country better than ever.  America's future depends on it.

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

Connecticut Yankee Council

60 Wellington Road

Milford, CT 06461

P (203) 876-6868

F (203) 876-6884

www.ctyankee.org