{"id":5399,"date":"2026-06-18T11:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/?p=5399"},"modified":"2026-06-18T11:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:24:10","slug":"greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting: Turning Curiosity Into Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greater St. Louis Area Scouting<\/a> (STLBSA) brings Scouting to tens of thousands of young people across 63 counties in Missouri and Illinois, with programs reaching kindergarteners through 20-year-olds in both rural and urban communities. From Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA to Venturing, the organization’s nearly 8,000 adult volunteers partner with hundreds of chartering organizations to deliver hands-on leadership, outdoor, and STEM programming at every stage of childhood and adolescence.<\/p>\n

Within STLBSA, the New Horizons District serves families across the St. Louis metro area, with volunteer leaders working to grow membership and keep programs strong at the local level. Whether a Scout is earning their first badge or working toward the rank of Eagle, the goal stays the same: build the kind of confidence and character that carries young people well beyond their years in the program.<\/p>\n

STLBSA received a Kars4Kids small grant<\/a> in recognition of its reach into underserved rural and urban communities and its emphasis on youth-led growth, where young people take on real responsibility rather than simply following along. We put some questions to Field Director, Greater St. Louis Area Scouting Ben Brennecke.<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: For readers who may not be familiar with Greater St. Louis Area Scouting, can you tell us about the young people you serve\u2014their ages, backgrounds, and some of the specific communities you reach?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: We serve 28,135 Scouts from grades kindergarten through age 20. Our council serves 63 counties in Missouri and Illinois. Our programs also serve economically disadvantaged youth from rural and urban communities serving nearly 6,000 Scouts. Nearly 8,000 adult volunteers help serve in our community partnerships with 531 chartering organizations operating 793 Scouting programs.<\/p>\n

\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: Scouting spans a wide age range, from Cub Scouts as young as five years old all the way through Venturing and Sea Scouts in their late teens and early twenties. How does Scouting adapt to meet young people where they are, as they change and grow?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: Scouting adapts to each stage of growth by providing age-appropriate activities, from family-centered, hands-on learning for young people to increasingly youth-led leadership and skill development for teens. As participants grow, the program gradually expands their responsibility, independence, and opportunities, ensuring they are challenged and supported at every level.<\/p>\n

\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: Greater St. Louis Area Scouting describes its mission as “turning curiosity into confidence.” Can you walk us through what that looks like on the ground? How does a young person who joins a pack or troop grow into someone with a stronger sense of who they are?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: Turning curiosity into confidence starts with giving youth a safe place to try new things\u2014whether that\u2019s hiking for the first time, leading a small activity, or speaking up in a group\u2014and encouraging them every step of the way. Over time, those small experiences build skills, leadership, and self-belief, helping each young person discover their strengths and grow into a more confident, capable version of themselves.
\n\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: The Scouts BSA program is designed to be youth-led, with Scouts themselves taking ownership of planning activities and events. What does it look like in practice when young people step into that kind of responsibility, and what does it teach, that programs directed by adults, cannot?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: In practice, a youth-led Scouting unit means Scouts plan meetings, organize campouts, lead activities, and make decisions\u2014with adults stepping back to mentor rather than direct. This hands-on responsibility teaches real leadership, accountability, and resilience in a way adult-run programs cannot, because Scouts learn directly from their successes and failures.<\/p>\n

\"Greater
\nKars4Kids: The Eagle Scout rank is Scouting’s most celebrated achievement, requiring a Scout to earn at least 21 merit badges; demonstrate leadership; and complete a significant community service project. How do you support Scouts along the Life-to-Eagle trail, and what does it mean to a young person\u2014and their family\u2014when they reach that milestone?
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: We support Scouts on the Life-to-Eagle trail through mentorship, check-ins, and guidance from experienced volunteer mentors who help them set goals, develop leadership skills, and successfully plan and execute their service projects. Reaching Eagle Scout is a great milestone\u2014it reflects years of perseverance and growth, giving young people a deep sense of accomplishment and confidence, while their families take pride in seeing them develop into capable, service-minded leaders. Only about 4% of Scouts achieve this rank.
\n\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: Greater St. Louis Area Scouting places a strong emphasis on STEM programming, from merit badges in engineering and inventing to hands-on STEM camps at university campuses. Is STEM a relatively new focus? How do you connect the Scouting mission and traditions to the pursuit of STEM careers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: STEM has always been part of Scouting\u2019s foundation through hands-on problem solving, outdoor skills, and learning by doing\u2014it\u2019s simply been expanded in recent years to include more pathways like engineering, robotics, and technology-focused merit badges. We connect STEM to our mission by teaching youth to be curious, resourceful, and ethical problem-solvers, helping them see how their skills and values can translate into meaningful careers and real-world impact.<\/p>\n

\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: Volunteers are the backbone of any Scouting program. What motivates adults to volunteer with STLBSA, and how do you ensure that your scouts still feel in control, even with adult involvement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: Adults are motivated to volunteer because they want to invest in the next generation\u2014sharing their skills, supporting youth development, and giving back to their community. We ensure Scouts remain in control by training volunteers to mentor and guide rather than lead, allowing youth to make decisions, take ownership, and learn through their own experiences.<\/p>\n

\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: Scouting has historically been a program associated with specific demographics, but Greater St. Louis Area Scouting now welcomes both boys and girls across its programs. When did you open your membership, and how have the boys adapted to having girls in their troops?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: In our Exploring program, young women have participated since 1971. In our traditional Scouting we began welcoming girls in 2018 at the Cub Scout level, with full integration into Scouts BSA troops following in 2019. In practice, youth have adapted very well\u2014sharing leadership, learning from one another, and building stronger, more inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.
\n\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: The district you represent, the New Horizons District, runs monthly roundtable gatherings where volunteer leaders share ideas, get updates, and build community with one another. Is that unique to your district? What role does peer connection play in keeping units strong and programs running well at the local level?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: Roundtables are a standard part of the Scouting program, not unique to our district, but New Horizons places a strong emphasis on making them meaningful and well-attended. These peer connections are critical. They allow volunteers to share ideas, solve challenges together, and stay energized, which ultimately keeps units stronger and ensures a more consistent, high-quality experience for Scouts. This program helps retain quality adults which in turn, serves as a tool to keep Scouts in the program longer.
\n\"Greater<\/p>\n

Kars4Kids: What’s next for the Greater St. Louis Area Scouting? What would you like families in the broader community to know about Scouting and its benefits? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ben Brennecke: Greater St. Louis Area Scouting is focused on expanding access and opportunities so more young people\u2014regardless of background\u2014can benefit from leadership development, outdoor experiences, and STEM programming. Families should know that Scouting provides a proven path for building confidence, character, and real-life skills, helping youth grow into capable, community-minded leaders.<\/p>\n

Studies show that Scouts are twice as likely to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree, make double personal income, are more likely to have exceptional credit scores, and more likely to move up in their socio-economic status. (Source<\/a>: Mahendra Gupta, Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management and Former Dean Olin School of Business Washington University; Jack Zhang, 4th year Ph.D. student in Organizational Behavior at Washington University 2020)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greater St. Louis Area Scouting (STLBSA) brings Scouting to tens of thousands of young people across 63 counties in Missouri […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSTLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"STLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kars4Kids Small Grants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T09:21:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T09:24:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/55295269184_6c2b305674_c.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"799\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"515\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Varda Epstein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Varda Epstein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/\",\"name\":\"STLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T09:21:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-18T09:24:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/6c2da790febfa970ee343ac421cb94f7\"},\"description\":\"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting: Turning Curiosity Into Confidence\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/\",\"name\":\"Kars4Kids Small Grants\",\"description\":\"Our Grantees\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/6c2da790febfa970ee343ac421cb94f7\",\"name\":\"Varda Epstein\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db165b8e8b06b67b8275d7561c74e0d8eef6544a23f79adacdacff3d49442503?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db165b8e8b06b67b8275d7561c74e0d8eef6544a23f79adacdacff3d49442503?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Varda Epstein\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/author\/varep\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"STLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois","description":"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"STLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois","og_description":"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/","og_site_name":"Kars4Kids Small Grants","article_published_time":"2026-06-18T09:21:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-18T09:24:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":799,"height":515,"url":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/55295269184_6c2b305674_c.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Varda Epstein","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Varda Epstein","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/","name":"STLBSA: Building Youth Leadership Across Missouri & Illinois","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-18T09:21:54+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-18T09:24:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/6c2da790febfa970ee343ac421cb94f7"},"description":"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting builds confidence and leadership in 28,000+ youth across Missouri and Illinois through hands-on Scouting.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/greater-st-louis-area-scouting-turning-curiosity-into-confidence\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Greater St. Louis Area Scouting: Turning Curiosity Into Confidence"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/","name":"Kars4Kids Small Grants","description":"Our Grantees","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/6c2da790febfa970ee343ac421cb94f7","name":"Varda Epstein","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db165b8e8b06b67b8275d7561c74e0d8eef6544a23f79adacdacff3d49442503?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/db165b8e8b06b67b8275d7561c74e0d8eef6544a23f79adacdacff3d49442503?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Varda Epstein"},"url":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/author\/varep\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5412,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5399\/revisions\/5412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kars4kidsgrants.org\/our-grantees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}