For parents seeking opportunities to serve their community with their children, finding a purpose-driven activity that fosters camaraderie and skill-building can be challenging. While ad hoc projects or working in soup kitchens provide immediate help, they may not offer long-term satisfaction or opportunities for personal growth that can provide a sense of accomplishment and foster bonds of brotherhood or sisterhood. One organization that fulfills this sentiment while offering a structured program for personal and community development is the World Organization of the Scout Movement, which currently serves 40 million kids around the world.
The Scout Movement provides a structured way to develop skills, build friendships, and contribute meaningfully to the community, all while instilling valuable life principles. The organization operates as Boys Scouts of America or Girls Scouts of America. However, Scouts Canada is a co-ed organization. Moreover, the age limit to start Scouting can be as young as 5 years old. They have special designated names for each age group such as Beavers (5-7 years), Cubs (7-10), Troops (11-14), Venturers (15-17), and Rover Scouts (18-26). The oldest youth that can participate is 26 years old.
Islamic Perspective on Community Service
Community service holds a special place in Islam, as highlighted in the Quran.
“Serve Allah and join not any partners with Him; and do ehsaan (striving for excellence in doing good) to parents, kinfolks, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companions by your side, the wayfarers you meet, and what your right hand possesses (servants and slaves).”
(Surah An Nisa, 4:36)
This verse emphasizes the importance of serving others, starting with one’s parents and relatives and extending to society’s most vulnerable members, including orphans, the working poor and destitute, neighbours, and travellers. Scouts BSA/Canada provide an excellent platform for putting these principles into action, encouraging young people to serve their communities while gaining a deeper understanding of their responsibilities to others.
Mission of Scouts
Scouting is renowned for its ability to develop physical, mental, and social skills while encouraging young people to explore nature and give back to their communities. According to their mission, it is to prepare youth to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lives. This mission is embodied in the Scouts’ Oath and Law, which emphasize character-building and ethical behavior.
The Scouts’ Oath reads: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
The Scouts’ Law further outlines the core values of the organization: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”
These traits provide a roadmap for personal development and align closely with the values upheld in many religious and ethical traditions.
Scouts and Islamic Values
For Muslim families, the values promoted by Scouts BSA/Canada are especially meaningful, as they mirror many principles found in Islamic teachings. Traits like honesty, kindness, and reverence are central to the Sunnah, which encourages Muslims to embody these qualities in their daily lives. This alignment makes the Scouts an excellent choice for families looking to nurture their children’s moral and ethical development while fostering a sense of camaraderie.
When I was searching for a program that would help my sons develop outdoor skills and build meaningful friendships, I discovered Scouts Canada. The fact that our local masjid had its own division made it an ideal option for integrating Islamic values with the Scouts’ principles. Through their participation, my children have learned valuable survival skills, such as bushcraft, while engaging in community service, which is an integral part of the Scouts' curriculum.
We had a special day called “Apple Day,” in which we gave out apples to the public and brought awareness to our organization. When I came across members of the community, many of them had shared their experiences of being a Scout while growing and how it positively impacted them. They had learned essential outdoor survival skills, made great friendships, became more confident, and were involved with their community. I was surprised by the great number of people who were a part of this organization. Many even showed interest or encouragement for Scouts Canada.
Along with community involvement comes an awareness of what issues people generally face on a daily basis and how best to deal with people, ideally in a morally upright manner. A touch of this kind of reality and sense of citizenship for our youth sparks their imagination on how they can solve people’s problems and make a positive impact. The wisdom gained from these experiences will hopefully, inshaAllah, God-willing, take our youth far in our quickly changing world where innovative ideas are needed for uniquely new issues we have not faced in the past.
Benefits of Scouting
After receiving formal training to become a Scout troop leader or Scouter—someone who leads younger Scouts of various ages—I was able to plan and organize numerous activities focusing on outdoor skills, play, exploration, and community engagement. Moreover, many campsites are available throughout Canada and the United States owned by Scouts Canada/BSA, which we can freely use to engage in outdoor activities and skill development while building camaraderie with other Scouts.
Scouts also learn to acquire bushcraft or survival skills such as shelter-making, fire-building, water purification, foraging for food, outdoor cooking, natural and compass navigation, trapping animals for food, using knives, and making different types of knots, which are useful for tying down tents or holding items together while trekking through the woods.
Lastly, Scouts can also receive Merit Badges for skills gained throughout the program. Some of those skills include archery, animal science, camping, citizenship in a community or society or even the world, cooking, forestry, signs and signals, search and rescue, many sciences (engineering, programming), and subjects (arts, architecture, electricity, aviation). A work ethic that involves working hard towards a goal and honing a skill is ideal for any future workplace.
In today’s fast-paced world, opportunities that combine community service, personal development, and moral guidance are rare. Scouting offers a unique blend of these elements, making it an invaluable resource for families. By fostering camaraderie, teaching practical skills, and encouraging service to others, the Scouts instill values that align with both universal ethical principles and the teachings of Islam. For parents seeking a meaningful way to engage their children in purposeful activities, Scouting provides an ideal path toward personal growth and community impact.
For more information, the websites for these organizations are available below:
Sumayya Khan is a homeschooling mother of three and a teacher. She has worked with several Islamic schools and organizations in the last 10 years. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, play sports, enjoy nature, and read books. She currently resides with her family in Toronto, Canada.
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