Five years after LDS departure, local Scouting stakeholders discuss ways to increase membership
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IDAHO FALLS — Stakeholders with the Grand Teton Council and other local community leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss ways of increasing membership for the Scouting program after a massive drop in numbers five years ago.
The Grand Teton Council is part of Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, and covers eastern Idaho and parts of western Wyoming.
Since 2019, the Grand Teton Council and Scouting America have struggled to maintain and grow their membership after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped using the organization in lieu of starting its own youth program.
“We lost 95% of our membership, and along with that was a lot of adult leadership,” Grand Teton Council District Director Elias Lopez said during the meeting. “We retained 1,500 out of 23,000 (youths).”
Along with the LDS departure, Lopez said their financial support also disappeared.
Lopez said they are on track to meet their membership numbers to maintain their charter with the national program, but they lack the ability to create new Scout units and find financial support.
“We can still do it, but we need everybody’s help to do this,” Lopez said.
Part of the discussion involved where and how Scouting can be used to help kids and adults who struggle with mental health or addiction within the community.
Idaho Falls City Councilman John Radford expressed concerns about a crisis of loneliness in the community and how groups like Scouting America can combat the problem. He said the growth of eastern Idaho has created more opportunities for people to become involved in the organization.
“One of the things we’re most concerned with in the city is that our youth are in crisis,” he said.
Radford asked Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse about suicide rates, and Hulse said that the rates of suicide in the younger generation have been higher, and attempted suicides by juveniles have become almost a weekly occurance.
Audrey Preston, vice president of membership for the Grand Teton Council, said this issue also affects those on the opposite end of the age spectrum, and that Scouting could help them out by offering them leadership or mentorship roles.
She asked Hulse what he’s seen, and Hulse responded that Idaho typically ranks in the top 10 for suicide rates, but specifically, those over 70.
Hulse referenced the works of Thomas Joiner, a psychologist focused on suicide rates. He said one of the main factors for suicides in the older generations, specifically men, is losing a sense of purpose or belonging.
“It’s prevalent in the male population, and we would love to say that with all the emerging resources we’re seeing that drop, but we are not. We do see it exponentially and continue to climb,” Hulse said.
Radford and Preston pointed out that Scouting is a possible avenue to help those members of the community.
“They need us, and they need to be involved. There’s so much power in knowing that you have people depending on you, and just those connections make a difference,” Preston said.
Radford said growing up as a Scout helped him learn to be a good kid and exposed him to the lives of other community members.
He said his Scoutmaster was a nuclear engineer, which allowed him to learn that people could get that educated.
“I could seek a master’s degree or a PhD,” Radford said. “Scouting is that for us right now.”
Lopez said it’s vital for the 1,500 currently in the program to know that they have access to these community leaders. One way they have access is through programs like the Explorer’s Post through the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. The program allows, Scouts to learn about become a law enforcement officer.
Hulse said those teens learn the reality of becoming a deputy and about the profession, which helps to keep them out of trouble.
“I do think scouting is one of the things that we’re getting right, and we’re so thankful for our Explorer scouts,” Hulse said.
For those wanting to learn more about Scouting America or the Grand Teton Council, contact Lopez at (208) 522-5155 or visit tetonscouts.org.