INDIAN WATERS COUNCIL
Boy Scouts of America

Council #553 serves central South Carolina: Bamberg, Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland and Saluda counties.
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Scoutreach Program Download Brochure (pdf)

Scouting Programs for all Youth
All youth should have the opportunity to participate in Scouting programs, regardless of economic or geographic circumstances.  Scoutreach delivers the same quality Scouting program to disadvantaged and at-risk youth and provides economic assistance, where needed, for the Scouts to participate.

Benefits of Scouting:
National Boy Scouts of America studies, conducted by Harris Interactive in 2005, demonstrate that boys with at least five years of Scouting are more likely than those who have never been Scouts to:

• Assume leadership roles in clubs and school organizations
• Have higher self-confidence
• Resist negative peer pressure
• Consider the needs of others first

• Youth in low income families often have decreased parental involvement, due to single-parent homes or parents working multiple jobs.
• Youth are at-risk for failing grades, truancy and possible high school dropout.

• Adult mentors:Providing quality Scouting programs, led by a caring adult mentor
• Teaching youth valuable life lessons and decision-making skills enables them to be better prepared to handle life’s challenges.
• Creation of a Scoutreach Emphasis District:  serves concentrated areas of youth in Richland County.   
• Program specialists, many being off-duty police officers, are hired as part-time unit leaders in areas where there is not an adult available to take this role. 
• Council-wide, Scoutreach units are started in underserved, low income neighborhoods and Scoutreach youth participate in typical units as identified by unit leaders. 
• Special Assistance is provided in the form of financial aid to low income youth to pay for uniforms, camp and activity scholarships, badges and other items as deemed necessary by the Scout leader to make the program possible for the Scout. 

• Twenty-two Scoutreach units have been formed in the eight-county Council
• 2,007 youth and adults are being served as of the end of 2006
• 1,062 youth and adults received special assistance funding in 2006. 
• New programs were started at Riverside Apartments located off of Broad River Road; Allen-Benedict Court, off of Harden Street and Hyatt Park Elementary School, near Columbia College.
• The Scoutreach District celebrated its first Eagle Scout in 2006.
• Scouting programs were started at the Department of Juvenile Justice.
• An all-Hispanic pack and troop were chartered
• Scoutreach programs contributed hundreds of pounds of food to the Scouting for Food Drive in 2006, food that was delivered to Housing Authorities where Scouts lived.

• To increase the number of Scoutreach units and youth served throughout the Council by partnering with local community organizations.
• To increase the number of volunteers serving in leadership roles in existing and new Scoutreach units.

• To increase funding for the Scoutreach program in order to continue to support existing units as well as grow the program Council-wide.