The leaders of Scouting (both volunteer and professional) promote the wearing of the correct, complete uniform on all suitable occasions.
Just as a sports uniform identifies a boy or a girl with a team, the Scout uniform identifies a boy or a girl with the largest voluntary youth movement in the world.
The complete Scout uniform tends to diminish the importance of a person’s financial, social, and ethnic background, while clearly showing each individual’s scouting accomplishments. By dressing alike, Scouts show they are equals. As quoted from the Handbook for Boys, 3rd Edition, 1927; “….putting on the uniform does not make a fellow a Scout, but putting on the uniform is a sign to the world that one has taken the Scout obligations and folks expect Scout-like acts from one wearing it.”
There are MANY benefits to having our Scouts in complete BSA uniform. The Boy Scouts of America has always been a uniformed body. Its uniforms help to create a sense of belonging. They symbolize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Wearing a uniform gives youth and adult members a sense of identification and commitment.