In the many years I have been involved with Scouting, I have witnessed the good (the wonderful confidence a Scout shows when they realize they can do the skill) and the bad in human behavior (nasty legal battle at the Scout Council Executive Board). The good has always outweighed the bad. In my opinion, Stovie has hit the nail on the head, "just give the youngsters a great experience out of doors". Lots of great guidance above on how to become involved. I too suggest to visit different units and start with small tasks in helping out. In my last Troop level position, we had it established where parents initially were required to participate with one of the twelve monthly outings. The parent responsibilities were from transportation, assisting with the patrol's grocery purchases for the outing, to camping with the Troop on the outing. There was an immediate offering to the parents to attend the Troop's Committee meetings and see how the Troop was run. There were always needs in administration, fundraising, Scout advancement reviews, Courts of Honor, service project support, etc., etc. By having an open invitation, parents could start with a small responsibility and move to more responsibility, if they so desired. That Troop had 70 Scouts on the rolls and at any one time there were 60+ active on outings and meetings. There were 12 uniformed assistants and a Troop Committee full of parents willing to help in running the Troop.
If you are inclined to get involved, start small and explore the opportunities.
Gordy
