Articles

Troop 1650 Webelos Crosses Over in the Canopy

October 1, 2020 by Devon Williams

Former Webelos of Washington, D.C.Pack 1650, A. Harris, officially crossed over from the Pack to the Troop and is now on his way to ranking up in Boy Scouts. Mr. Harris also earned Arrow of Light- Cub Scouts’ highest distinction. A. Harris joins his brother C. Harris in the Troop. Mr. Harris was honored in a Court of Honor ceremony celebrating the many achievements and advancements earned by the Scouts over the summer. The occasion took place at The Adventure Park in Sandy Springs, Maryland. Known for aerial obstacle courses and zip line features, the park was a perfect backdrop to recognize the Scout’s accomplishments. The day also marked the first outdoor, in- person, meeting for the Pack and Troop since March. After the Court of Honor, and an initial orientation, the Scouts spent the next 3 hours scaling new heights and overcoming challenges high in the canopy of the trees. The Scouts helped one another and pushed each other to reach the various levels of the course. A good day was had by all. Many of the Scouts even said they would like to return to the park soon!

From US to Afghanistan: Scouts Celebrate International Day of Peace

October 1, 2020 by Autumn Dunlop

Afghanistan. A country torn for decades by conflict, where thoughts of peace seem to drift ever out of reach. Yet, in the eyes of PARSA Afghan Girl Scout Troop 2 and Afghan Boy Scout Troop 36, hope of peace is alive. Hope is thriving in fact, as their passion for peace drives their unwavering energy to provide a wide range of social outreach and service projects in their communities.

On September 21, 2020, PARSA Afghan Scouts Troops 1 and 36, and Burke VA BSA Scout Troop 1345 met via Zoom under the banner of International Peace Day. The groups have met once before. They initially came together through the outreach of Marine Lieutenant Colonel Natalie Trogus who built bridges with the young women of Troop 1 while deployed to Kabul Afghanistan. LtCol. Trogus has a daughter in Troop 1345G.

Both troops were excited to attend the meeting, even as they navigated the challenges we’ve all faced lately…getting a stable internet connection. Their meeting covered four key topics: “What does peace mean to you and your country?”, “Can sports be a bridge to peace?”, “How has covid-19 impacted your world and scouting?”, and “How has scouting impacted what your passions, views, and leadership skills look like?”

Carter H, the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 1345B shared a vision of peace where citizens “rely on each other and support each other through the good and the bad things.” The Afghanistan Scouts shared their vision of a peace, where everyone comes together and assists in shaping and rebuilding their country in a climate of mutual respect. The Afghanistan Scouts routinely take on service projects to provide food and other necessities to those in their community that need assistance.

Autumn D, the Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 1345G, found this opportunity incredibly important because, “I got to see a different story of Scouting, one on the other side of the world. Seeing girls in the Afghanistan troop like me was inspiring. Learning about their challenges, how they lead in a difficult time, and how much service was at the center of their scouting experience, I found it truly special.”

Burke Troop 1345 and PARSA Afghanistan Troops 1 and 36 are committed to building bridges with each other even if those bridges cross electronic pathways. Both troops are committed to spreading peace in their communities.

A New Home for A Turtle

October 1, 2020 by Major L

For my Eagle Project, I built a turtle enclosure at Rust Sanctuary, a nature sanctuary in Leesburg, VA. I’ve always loved animals especially after previous work with Rust. I had done a service project for their nature trail a couple of years back and so I asked if they help with something I could do for an Eagle project, and luckily they had a turtle who needed a new habitat.

My first step was to take a look at the old habitat and decide whether to build in the same place or find a new spot. I eventually decided to tear down the old one and build it in the same spot because of the natural light angle. I then created a virtual model of the habitat on Sketchup, a 3-D modeling app. Then I made a list of the materials we would need and bought them. Finally, I built the habitat and planted turtle-friendly plants.

Now looking back on this project, I found the most difficult aspect was trying to find volunteers as many could not help due to the pandemic. But it was all worth it in the end, to look at the structure I had built after months of hard work.

2020 Scouting For Food Update!

September 30, 2020 by Eric Smith

The fall NCAC Scouting for Food Drive is ON! We are now experiencing an historic national emergency that has created extraordinary needs. Just as they did in times of world war and those calls for sacrifice by the American people, Scouts and Scouting can demonstrate their devotion to community service by helping to meet the greatly increased food demands while keeping themselves safe. Local food banks are being overwhelmed by requests from families that lack emergency financial resources and have not had the ability to stockpile food. They need donations of shelf-stable food, toiletries, and other items.

Units and Districts can and should conduct food drives now, and in November in particular. We will not be using bags or stickers that restrict us to a single date, and, with safety paramount in our minds, our methods must change. Any Council Scouting for Food drive must be completed within local and council guidelines, including those governing small group size, glove and mask use, limited contacts, and social distancing. A 2020 Scouting for Food Safety Protocol has been reviewed and approved by the council Enterprise Risk Management Committee and shall be reviewed and followed in all stages of any drive. All unit safety plans shall be submitted to their district Scouting for Food chair and District Executive; district safety plans shall be submitted to the District Executive for review and approval.

Running a safe food drive. There are many ways to collect food and maintain social distancing, like “front yard” collections and drive-through food drives (see some examples at https://weownadventure.com/star –scout –organizes –no –contact –food –drive/ and https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/04/24/with –front –yard –and –drive –thru – donations scouts –keep –scouting –for –food –going/. This year the council will not allow Scouts to solicit donations door-to-door, and any group sizes shall be kept to 6-8 persons, perfect for dens and patrols. Other options could be to utilize a large empty parking lot, park, or well- traveled street for drop offs, to set up near a grocery store, or to work with a food bank to accept donations directly. Be creative! Scouts, Scouters and helpers who staff drop-off sites shall not do any sorting and packing inside a building, only entering one to use the bathroom. Drivers bringing donations to a drop-off site, and their passengers, are encouraged to wear face masks.

Promoting your local food drive. In November, the council will provide wide promotion in its social media accounts, website, and by email, but local drives may also use neighborhood, church, and school list serves, roadside signs, emails, social media posts, and stories submitted to www.weownadventure.com – our Scouting blog. Remember to identify your unit!

How to start and operate:

It is especially important that units and districts first contact their intended food or feeding agency recipient to ascertain their needs, requirements, and procedures. Some cannot accept food now, lack resources to sort or pick up food, have special requests for packaging, or limit drop-off periods.
Make a plan that conforms to all state, local, and council guidelines. If you have questions about safety protocols, please review the 2020 Scouting for Food Safety Protocols and the FAQ section. Your event safety plan shall be submitted to your district Scouting for Food chair and District Executive, who can also answer questions.
Make sure that you take this opportunity to educate your Scouts on the value of what they are doing and their duty to help others through community service – this is part of the ethics of Scouting and will enhance their experience.
Units should let their district Scouting for Food coordinator know what they are doing, when their drive will take place, and what help they need. Districts may either choose to coordinate unit food drives as they have in the past or they may allow units to run them independently.
Create promotional materials, distribute them in your area in both physical and virtual space, and use available council promotional resources.
Perform your food drive safely and deliver the food as directed by your food agency.
Report your results (food quantity, hours of service, and number of volunteers) to your district Scouting for Food Coordinator.
Report your unit’s service hours in your Scoutbook account.

This is a time for Scouting to show its commitment to helping others. Individual Scouts or entire units can help, so decide how you can safely proceed, make a plan, and enlist others. Stay safe, and thanks for your part in making more caring community.

There are a variety of ways to conduct a safe, legally compliant, socially distant food drive to serve the community. In Scouting our priority must always be the safety of our Scouts and any other event participants. To this end, group sizes shall be kept small and the following protocols shall be followed in planning and executing community food drives.

Scouting for Food Safety Protocols

Before the Event

Make sure you understand state and local guidelines for your event – they must be followed. Check the latest advice from the NCAC and get permission from your chartering organization for the event. Consult the BSA’s Restart Scouting Checklist as you plan your event (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680 –pdf). And do not forget the all Youth Protection guidelines must always be followed (e.g., two-deep registered leadership at all times, no one-on-one contact, etc.)
Ask prospective participants to exclude themselves and stay at home if they (a) are at high-risk for COVID-19 under CDC guidelines (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, or any heart or lung condition), (b) have a fever, cough, loss of taste, headaches, or breathing irregularities, (c) have had a recent exposure to someone with COVID-19, or (d) have had a recent positive test for the virus (the “Health Risk Conditions”.) See the Model Pre-Event Medical Screening Checklist (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680 –pdf ) and the list of symptoms in the Restart Scouting Checklist.
Confirm that you have Parts A and B of the BSA Annual Health and Medical Form for each participant.
Assemble needed safety materials: masks for those who may not have one, hand sanitizer, a handwashing station (if feasible), and cones/tape/ropes or other ways to mark proper distancing.
Prepare and distribute a permission slip which acknowledges the inherent risks of participation in any activity and asks parents/guardians to assume the risk (just as you would – hopefully – for any campout or activity.) You may use the suggested BSA form (https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/19 –pdf ) or a similar one that includes the same or similar language and an acknowledgement that any participant must obey the special requirements and instructions of the leaders or they will be asked to leave.
Designate a safety monitor to take charge of and ensure compliance with all protocols.

During the Event

Upon arrival at the event site, all participants are to (a) deliver their permission slip, (b) confirm to the safety monitor that they do not have any Health Risk Conditions on the Model Pre-Event Medical Screening Checklist, (c) have their temperature taken (either at the work site of by a parent at home and confirmed by them), (d) be instructed in and confirm that they understand the safety protocols for the event, including maintaining a proper social distance from all other participants and properly wearing a mask.
Group sizes shall be kept small (8-10 maximum.) Greater participation can be accommodated with proper scheduling and timed entry and exit.
Masks shall always be worn. Use and provide effective (no bandanas), that tightly fit over the mouth and nose.
Hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) shall always be available, and a handwashing station set up if practicable. Both the sanitizer and the handwashing shall last at least 20 seconds and be done frequently if handling food products. The safety monitor shall recommend and supervise use when appropriate.
All participants shall strive to maintain a social distance of at least six feet, using planned operations that minimize close and person-to-person contact. Visitors, such as those dropping off or picking up food, shall similarly be kept at a safe distance as a part of the event plan.
There shall be limited or no sharing of items such as tools, but if they are shared, they shall be cleaned with antiseptic wipes or alcohol between users.
If food and drink are needed, they shall be self-contained, such as self-packed lunches, personal water bottles, disposable utensils, and separately prepared and packaged individual portions.
Any participant who exhibits any symptoms of COVID-19 during the event shall be immediately separated and isolated, and arrangements made to send them home or for medical care.

After the Event

All participants shall monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after the event and report to their leaders if they experience any such symptoms. During this time, they should avoid contact with high-risk individuals.
If there are any participant reports of symptoms or a positive test for COVID-19 within 14 days of the event, leaders shall complete an Incident report (scouting.org/health and-safety/incident-report /) and contact their District Executive. Further instructions for this form can be found at https://www.scouting.org/health-and- safety/incident report/covid-19-incidents-exposures-supplemental-instructions/.

FAQ

Can non-family members ride in the same vehicle?

Only family members may be in the same car. If there are families that are doing a bubble (e.g. two families may have a bubble where their family members can be together) they can also be in the same car. Parents of Scouts that intend to have people outside their family in their car must notify the leader of their unit in advance and if the unit of their leader does not think this is safe, the unit leader can forbid this.

What about Scouts who are sick, disabled or excluded because of COVID-19 exposure?

Unit leaders should take into consideration and Scouts or Scouters who are medically vulnerable or who have members of their household who are medically vulnerable. It would be helpful to find a way for those Scouts to participate. For example, they could assist the SFF coordinator of their unit or district remotely by helping to promote the drive.

How do I set up a drop-off station?

One way would be to create separate sub-stations within the parking lot or drop-off area, with vehicles directed to drop off donations at each sub-station (maybe without getting out of the car.) The sub-stations could be 20 feet apart and the perimeter of each sub-station marked with tape or chalk. Only two people at a time could be allowed to be at a given sub-station, and those people should try to stay 6 feet away from each other. Youth Protection Policies must be followed, and 2 adult leaders must be present at all times.

What should I do if I have a large unit that wants to participate?

Such a unit could either use a central location and assign volunteers to specific work times in order to limit the group size, or you could plan to let the dens and patrols run their own mini- drives either at the same or different times. One unit designed their food drive to be an individual effort and left the decision as to level of effort to each scout family.

Although we cannot do door-to-door solicitations, can we arrange to pick up food from front porches? How about going door-to-door to deliver food drive notices?

You may pick-up food from front porches because it does not require person-to-person contact. These pick-ups will probably be arranged by phone or email. The use of gloves when handling these food donations would be a prudent precaution. The council does not want you to deliver flyers or other notices door-to-door, however; there are other ways to run food drives.

What if the food bank in my area will not accept food donations directly?

If your food bank is unable to accept food donations directly, or your unit chooses to do so, please consider looking at your food banks’ options and consider other giving options. At the end of the Scouting for Food campaign, provide input on the total number of goods delivered by any means.

Should every unit make separate arrangements with their intended food agencies, or will the district or council do it?

Every unit that intends to collect food for a food agency needs to make sure that it can deliver it in the way that the agency desires. While the council will not make these contacts, it is highly desirable that the district Scouting for Food chair learn what the needs and procedures will be for any common agencies, and then let the units know. If the units wish to deliver food on a separate schedule, they should make their own arrangements.

Plan to have FUN at the Webelos/Scout EXPO

September 30, 2020 by Craig Weston

There will be guaranteed FUN for Webelos and Scouts BSA who attend the November 20-22 Exposition at Camp Snyder! The FUN includes family camping, program activities lead by volunteers and self-guided activities each family can do on its own.

Climb the Scouterhorn, shoot an air rifle, try your hand at archery, fly or drive a drone, create your own leatherwork article, build a toolbox or birdhouse in the Woodshop, or “walk on water” at the STEM station. Plus, learn all about the 2021 Summer Camps at Camp Snyder and Goshen Scout Reservation. And, on your own, roast marsh mellows at your personal campfire, fish (they’re biting!), bike (bring yours and a helmet), try a Nature Scavenger Hunt or find trinkets while Geocaching. There is more to do than you have time!

Don’t delay in registering because space is limited. We are limiting the number of campers and using an appointment system for the program activities as part of our COVID-19 virus precautions. Learn about all the virus health precautions we are taking when you register at https://scoutingevent.com/082-2020SnyderFallFamilyCamping

See you at Camp Snyder this Fall!

Eagle of the Week – Jack Doty!

September 29, 2020 by Jack D

Did you know over 2,000 youth are homeless or in poverty in Fairfax County? When Life Scout Jack D. of Troop 118 in Alexandria, Virginia, learned that he decided it was time to take action. He learned that many of these teenagers lack personal hygiene products; the ability to keep themselves feeling clean would allow them to have more confidence in going to school and participating in community activities.

Jack decided he would hold a personal hygiene drive for his Eagle Scout Service Project. First, he had to reach out to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and Coordinated Service Planning (CPS) Department and coordinate with his Troop’s leadership to create the plan. Unfortunately, just as his plan was being finalized the COVID-19 pandemic reached Fairfax. Being the resilient Scout he is, Jack adjusted his plan to reduce social interaction. With the power of social media, Jack alerted all those he knew, informing them the drop-off locations were.

Through his efforts and with the help of his Troop and his community, the drive was a success with about 1,000 items donated! While Jack found it rather difficult to hold this drive during a pandemic, looking back he stated, “I was doing something crucial for my community, especially in a time where every person’s health means safety and comfort in a stressful time.”