Here are some ideas for Summer of Service projects

Scouts help other people at all times, and after a year of staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them are excited to start serving their communities like they did pre-pandemic.

If your Scout has read this month’s issue of Scout Life magazine, he or she would’ve seen senior editor Aaron Derr’s story on BSA’s Summer of Service campaign. It’s pretty simple to be part of it. Do a project or Good Turn and let the BSA know. That’s all there is to it.

It’s a time to remind our country of the good Scouts do on a daily basis. We all can participate in service, whether it’s completing an extensive Eagle Scout project or an impromptu helping of a neighbor with yard work. Make sure projects adhere to BSA standards and guidelines, along with COVID-19 guidelines for your area.

The campaign runs through October. Share your Scout’s or unit’s service here and on social media by using the hashtag #SummerOfService.

Some ideas

If you follow BSA guidelines, any service project can qualify to be part of Summer of Service. It must benefit others, rather than Scouting. But a Scouting event can spur service ideas, like cleaning up a park during a campout.

If you need help brainstorming ideas, here are a few:

• Repair bicycles and teach bike safety to neighborhood children  
• Wearing appropriate gear, disinfect playground equipment in your neighborhood park 
• Make and donate face coverings to schools and churches in your area 
• Take a trash bag and gloves with you on your next run or family walk and pick up any trash you see 
• Beautify the school grounds or community public areas 
• Commit to using fewer plastic bags 
• Perform an energy audit of your home 
• Set up a recycling system where there isn’t one 
• Do a chore for someone who cannot easily do it themselves:  mow a lawn, rake leaves, fix a mailbox, etc. 
• Following COVID guidelines in your area, check in on an elderly neighbor 
• Collect school supplies and backpacks and donate them to your local school 
• Collect supplies to donate to domestic violence shelters in your area 
• Donate a portion of your weekly allowance to a homeless shelter 
• Foster a shelter animal or offer dog walking services 
• Return carts for people at the store for an afternoon during a rainy day 
• Write “thank you” notes to men & women in the military, first responders, healthcare workers 
• Take treats to a local fire station 
• Assist a community library with their annual book drive

For more project ideas, check out these resources via Scout Life:

Or see others along with these FAQs on the Summer of Service page.

Recognition

After participating in the Summer of Service, you can order a patch to hang over your front right pocket or a ring to sew around the World Crest. You can also print out a certificate for your Scouts.

Tune into TrekAt2

For more on the Summer of Service, check out Scout Life‘s TrekAt2: Cub Chat Live Facebook Live broadcast on May 21 at 2 p.m. CT. Kaleen Deatherage, executive board member for the Cascade Pacific Council, will be joining the broadcast.

If you miss it, you can always watch it on Scout Life or Scouting magazine’s Facebook pages.