What we lost when we lost the Indian Guides
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TL;DR
- For decades, American boyhood was characterized by the presence of numerous male mentors outside of family through organizations like Boy Scouts and Y-Indian Guides.
- These programs provided a vital social infrastructure for sustained, voluntary, and intergenerational time with men for boys.
- Institutions like the Boy Scouts of America have seen a steep decline in membership, from 6.5 million in 1972 to 1.12 million by 2020, and later around 762,000 after bankruptcy.
- This decline is not exclusive to the Boy Scouts, with other organizations like 4-H, CYO, and the YMCA also experiencing reduced participation.
- The thinning of this social infrastructure means boys are having less regular, low-stakes contact with non-familial men around shared activities, impacting male mentorship.