
BSA delegates met with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. last week to deliver the annual Report to the Nation.
The report is a nearly century-old Scouting tradition, carried on each year by a delegation of BSA youth members. These selected delegates gather at the United States capitol to share Scouting’s 2015 achievements with key government officials.
Scouting expert Bryan Wendell was with the delegates during this incredible introduction, and shares their encounter with President Obama in a recent Bryan on Scouting blog post.
The delegates reported BSA’s accomplishments in the past year, such as the 15.3 million service hours completed by the organization’s 2.3 million youth members and volunteers. The delegates also shared innovations in Scouting such as the STEM Scouts program, which encourages youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The annual report wasn’t the only topic of conversation in this meeting, however. The president also chatted with the group about their own achievements in Scouting, camping, and even merit badges.

National Venturing President Edward Abraham was among the delegates who met with President Obama and described the Commander in Chief as very personable. “There he was. Standing there, shaking our hands.”
Bryan reports youth delegate and Explorer Cynthia Garcia even got an executive fist bump from President Obama when he discovered they shared the hometown of Chicago.
“I never thought in my life that I would get such opportunities as I have in Exploring,” Cynthia shared with Bryan.
This event marks the seventh time in the last eight years President Obama has met with Scouts, and he’s surely given them an experience they will never forget.
Learn more about the annual Report to the Nation and the youth delegates on Scouting Newsroom, and be sure to read the full story by Bryan on Scouting to find out more about the Scouts’ meeting with the Commander in Chief.