Adventures of Pack-Man and Newbie – Camp Site
Public Health Merit Badge in the COVID Pandemic
To be perfectly honest, when I signed up for the online Public Health Merit Badge, I only wanted to get another merit badge towards Eagle. I thought “well, I suppose I’ll do it. I want more merit badges”. The funny thing is, sometimes the merit badges you think will be just something to earn end up being the most interesting. First of all, I had an awesome merit badge counselor. Unlike the other merit badges I earned, she seemed genuinely interested in my class learning, not just going through the motions. She encouraged us to research questions for ourselves and share information and ideas about our experiences and knowledge in class.
Second, we learned outside of what was required. We learned all sorts of things in class including (but definitely not limited to) how water spreads disease, the difference between immunization and vaccination, and about diseases like gonorrhea, West Nile virus, Zika, botulism, influenza, syphilis, hepatitis, emphysema, meningitis, herpes, and lead poisoning, to name a few. I also learned about the health drawbacks of water, air, and noise pollution. I had no idea there are so many!
One thing I learned that I hadn’t even thought about is how racism, especially systemic racism, is a public health crisis. If systemic racism forces some American minorities to have fewer economic and social opportunities than white Americans, this can put minorities in less than ideal living conditions and can lead to a decline in their physical and mental health. It made me think: The fact that people live in conditions like these at all is not okay, and the fact that systemic racism is an underlying cause is even worse. It is un-just to have people suffering when what makes them suffer is the unfairness of others.
This merit badge also taught me more about Covid-19, both in a public health way and a personal way. I 
learned about the spread of diseases like Covid-19 and even made this about staying safe during the pandemic video , but I also learned that you can still go to interesting places and learn new things during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the one plausible option for requirement 5, you have to go to a solid waste management operation. Normally during non-Covid-19 days we would go on a “field trip” in class, but this time we went by ourselves. I went to a transfer facility, or as many call it, “the dump”. Even though we had to wait in line to get in, it was definitely worth it. I had no idea what a dump looked like, and it was really interesting to see what people brought to the dump. I even saw a wagon in the pile and the pick-up truck in front of us dropped off a mattress!
I think that one of the main lessons to get out of this is that there is always time for learning, and that often scouts enjoy the merit badge more if their counselors seem excited and make an effort to teach scouts outside of the requirements. I really enjoyed this merit badge, and I think the others in my session did too.
Stay home! Stay safe!
Written by Scout Evelyn
Basecamp at Goshen Home Camping!
I would like to give a huge shout out to the Goshen Home Camping staff and support personnel. I know it was a lot of hard work and challenges to put this all together but your passion and dedication really showed.
While maybe not in the mountains of Goshen Pass, we still was able to transform our dining room into our own basecamp. This far exceeded our expectation and kept my Scout active and engaged.
Avoided a mess on the floor from tie/dye and Adventures in Science!
To learn more about Goshen Home Campng or to sign your Scout up today please visit gotogoshen.org.
Eagle Project District Review is COVID-19 Proof!
John Drisco, my George Mason District Eagle representative, met me at my church’s Fellowship Hall to discuss and improve my Eagle Project proposal. Normally this is a simple matter of contacting one of our district Eagle reps and setting a time and place to meet. But we all know that nothing has been simple since the pandemic started for all of us in the NCAC in March!
I first had to review BSA guidance, local restrictions, and our church safety standards and then plan the room preparation after getting approval from several different groups! My dad and I arrived early with our masks, wipes, and hand sanitizer. Set up an eight-foot table, some chairs, and wiped everything down. A Scout is prepared.
But despite all the challenges, it was a great meeting and experience. Mr. Drisco provided input on tracking hours, planning and budgeting costs (don’t forget pizza to feed scouts and adult helpers). To clearly state the benefits of the project, and how you measure success. Oh, that last one might have been from my Life to Eagle Coach? Take before and after pictures. Keep good notes in the planning notebook and notify the beneficiary, troop leadership and my district Eagle representative if anything changes on the scope of the project. Do not put off writing it up your project once completed, or you will forget details. Then once you have written everything up, review your notes one last time and type it up to make it look professional. Be proud of your work because it will be read by the board of review, the district, the council and at National!
As we all stood up to go, we were reminded that Safety will be a big factor on future Eagle projects. Plan for how to keep Scouts and adults safe. Have a checklist and remind Scouts on how to be safe while helping. Have masks, gloves, wipes, hand sanitizer and plan for social distancing! As we wiped down the table with Clorox wipes and returned the table and chairs to storage, I felt my mask, remembered to use hand sanitizer, to keep my distance and waved thanks to Mr. Drisco. Now to the next step on my journey to Eagle. Good luck to all the Life Scouts working hard on Eagle Projects in the Pandemic! We can and will make a difference.
Bobby Humphreys
SPL Troop 345
Free Leadership Seminar July 9th at 5pm EST
Join us for our third Seminar for youth leaders this Thursday, 7/9 at 5pm, delivered by youth NYLT staff. The topic for this seminar will be titled, “Mastering the Art of Improvement.” Scouting provides opportunities to try new things and take on new roles. But few people are instantly good at something they’ve never done before, like cooking over a fire, or holding a new position of leadership. Learn the tools Scouting gives us to improve after each experience.
An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest | Adventure Talks Webinar
In the summer of 2018, I was one of several Eagle scouts chosen to participate in the NESA World Explorers program. I travelled to the Amazon to participate in a two-week research experience at Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), a part of the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador. On Tuesday, July 14, 2020 I’ll share a presentation in the Adventure Talks Webinar Series about my experiences while on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure to one of the most remote places on earth.
I will cover some information about the research that is performed at TBS, what we did to help document and map Jaguar populations in that part of the forest, and what it was like to live at TBS. I’ll highlight some of the most amazing plants and animals we encountered while hiking; and I’ll tell you my wildest stories about the forest – including being chased by a pack of peccaries! At the end of this presentation, I’ll be able to answer your questions about the NESA World Explorer program and how to apply!
My Bio : I am currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology at Boston University. I earned my Eagle Scout award in 2015 and five Eagle palms. I’ve been a volunteer Merit Badge counselor at BSA Camp Airy for 7 years teaching the Ice Skating and Pioneering merit badges. In addition to participating in the NESA World Explorer Amazon Research Experience, I’ve completed a Philmont backpacking trek in 2015; I’ve sailed Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island with Sea Scout Ship 59 in 2016; and competed in the Sea Scout Koch Cup in 2018 in Galveston, TX.
I also volunteered as a scout at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2012 and President Trump’s Inaugural parade in 2017. Personally, some other adventures I’ve undertaken include hiking the Appalachian Trail through all of Maryland, parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, living in France for 6 months, and skiing through the Alps, Colorado Rockies, and parts of New England.
Tune into Evan’s presentation and join him for a conversation on July 14, 2020 at 7PM in the Adventure Talks Webinar. Register here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks