Check out the UK Scout Association’s newest recruiting video

I love what the Boy Scouts of America’s Marketing team has done with its new recruiting materials. (If you haven’t seen them, drop everything and take a look.)

But my BSA pride doesn’t preclude me from pointing out the latest bit of genius from our Scouting friends across the pond.

It started with an e-mail from Elis Matthews. As Senior Editor of the UK version of Scouting magazine, Elis, at least in his job title, is the British version of me — or am I the American version of him? Either way, we’ve never met, but he and I have exchanged e-mails whenever our magazine duties require. So when I get an e-mail from him, I take notice.

Today, Elis sent me the video seen below. It’s an unorthodox recruiting video, but I think it’s subtly brilliant.

The video speaks to parents of young people when it concludes: “This should be the best years of their lives. With your help we can make that happen.”

Through beautiful images, strong music, and almost no dialogue, the six-minute video shows how Scouts reject the misguided ways of youth and build solid relationships to become better people. That’s as true in the U.S. as it is there.

A Web site for the video states, “Young people who have participated in a youth or sport club are less likely to drink or smoke, more likely to participate in physical activity, [and] more likely to have a good relationship with other adults.”

Again, that could be said about American Scouts too, right? In fact, that statement sounds a lot like the findings outlined in the Eagle Scout study I told you about in April, doesn’t it?

Check out the video below, and thanks to Elis for passing it on!

What do you think?

How effective was this video in sharing the message of Scouting? Leave your thought below.