Conclusion

Whether or not one agrees with my interpretations in the Discussion section, this study has brought some empirical facts to light. Scouts Canada's membership is falling, not because of a lack of membership recruitment, but because of low levels of membership retention. These low levels of retention are the result of poor quality troop programs. While many troops have excellent programs, too often, this is not the case. Scouts Canada's new marketing slogan is ``Bring on the Adventure''. In too many cases, the question can legitimately be asked: Bring on what adventure?

Most important, there are things that can be done right now that will increase membership retention. There is no reason to either stand by and let membership decline, nor is there any basis for taking Scout programs off in unfamiliar directions in an attempt to make Scouting ``cool and relevant'' for today. Increasing the number of outdoor activities and the level of Scout autonomy will quickly have a positive impact on membership numbers. While there is certainly room for much more research on Scouting and this research should be done, these are changes that can be made now.