A bankruptcy judge earlier this month approved a $2.5 billion reorganizational settlement plan to compensate 80,000 men who claim that they had been sexually abused while children by scouting leaders — another day of bad headline news for scouting on top of many previous stories regarding sexual abuse perpetrated by scout leaders, controversy regarding policies about the role of homosexuals leaders and scouts in the organization, various issues related to the addition of girls to their ranks, and the high profile withdrawal of Mormons among others. For the casual observer, scouting seems to be on their deathbed with a terminal prognosis.

Do not count scouting out. Even with all of bad news about scouting, a closer inspection suggests that scouting might actually be one of the most critically important activities for youth during these remarkably challenging times.

Research from the American Psychological Association’s yearly Stress in America studies, among other quality research, has indicated that there is a mental and physical health tsunami among youth now. The Surgeon General released an unprecedented advisory last December highlighting the exploding mental health problems plaguing the nation. Anxiety, depression, suicidality, lack of resiliency, self-centeredness, too much screen time, chronic frustration with stress leading to aggression such as gun violence and much more are on the rise among youth. The negative impact of social media and most recently, COVID-19, makes matters worse.

Scouting helps to buffer these challenges by providing a safe, non-competitive, inclusive, accepting and low-cost extracurricular experience that teaches leadership and outdoor skills, ethics, resiliency and a variety of important life skills. It welcomes youth of all ages. The highest rank in scouting, the Eagle Scout, is something that is on the resume of almost every astronaut and military general. Most people are honored by this achievement throughout their lives.

Frankly, I was skeptical of scouting when my son expressed interest 20 years ago. Several of his friends were involved and he was interested in the camping and outdoor activities offered. My wife and I both had no experience with scouting and believed many of the stereotypes that it was a right-wing para-military organization, was homophobic and retro. My son joined and took to scouting like a fish to water.

Now, at age 26, he just completed a master’s degree in geology at UCLA after his undergraduate degree in earth sciences at Dartmouth. Scouting was a transformative experience for him. Life and leadership skills, passion for conservation and the outdoors, ethics and a “can do” spirit that he enjoys all had their origins in scouting. Scouting directly impacted his desire to pursue higher education in earth sciences. Whenever I text him I include an emoji of an eagle to remind him that he is, and always will be, an Eagle Scout and that he should behave like one. His response? “Always!”

Like all large organizations, scouting is not perfect. It has had its share of challenges and even scandals. Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Scouting provides youth an opportunity, rarely found elsewhere, to engage in healthy, productive, life affirming and non-competitive activities teaching life skills with a focus on ethics and the common good.

Certainly policies and procedures for child protection that are evidence-based best practices are readily available and are now used to keep youth safe with adults in scouting and other youth focused organizations moving forward. We need scouting perhaps more than ever in our increasingly challenging world, especially for today’s stressed out youth and families.

Thomas G. Plante is the Augustin Cardinal Bea, SJ University professor, professor of psychology, and by courtesy, religious studies at Santa Clara University and an adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. He maintains a private clinical practice in Menlo Park.