Service Project Ideas for Scouts BSA

Required or Not?

Scouts BSA are required to participate service projects for rank advancement.  Our troop encourages all Scouts to participate in service projects whether they need the hours or not.

Some Service Project Ideas

The chartered organization is a great source of service projects. And it is a nice way for the troop to give back to the organization. We are chartered by a church, so our Scouts often do

• Setup and cleanup for events like the big Fall Festival
• Serve as runners at fish fries
• Setup and clean up for blood drives

 Have your youth leadership check in with your chartered organization regularly and see if there is anything you can do for them.

Some other ideas:

• Local food pantries and thrift stores are also always looking for help. Scouts can sort and stock items.
• After spring floods receded, troop members helped a local youth organization clean up their ball fields. This was a good service project for teenagers.

Make It Fun

One time our troop was asked to help set up for a blood drive at our church. The only hitch – it had to be set up by 7:30 AM! Getting Scouts to arrive that early can be difficult. It’s not necessarily the youth who are the hold up either. Many of the parents don’t enjoy getting up that early to drive them up there. Their solution –  spend the night.

So the troop had a lock in in the gym the night before. Midnight basketball is always fun for boys that age. (This was a boy’s troop.) They also had the meeting rooms available, so they set up a TV and a Wii. There were also card games and board games. And plenty of snacks of course.

The next morning, they got up about 20 minutes before the blood drive people arrived. They grabbed a quick breakfast and were ready to go. The set up itself only took about an hour. They mostly needed the Scouts to unload the equipment from the truck.

So the blood drive was set up on time. The Scouts who needed service projects for advancement got them. And they had a lot of fun in the process.

Add Your Thoughts

What types of service projects do your youth like to participate in?

What Can Scouts Use as Service Hours?

What “counts” when it comes to service. Read some thoughts and add your own.

Service Project Ideas for Younger Kids

This article has ideas which are appropriate for younger kids in primary grades.

Tips for Success

Learn how to plan service projects and get the parents involved. Also see some ideas for follow up and reflection.