We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Eagle of the Week

Blankets for Our Furry Friends

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When I was thinking about what I wanted to do for my Eagle project, I thought about possible career and future paths that I am interested in. Veterinary Medicine has been a significant interest of mine since I was young, and this interest inspired me to do a project that could help animals. So I decided to look into different shelters in my area and what they needed from me. That’s how I found the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA). I decided that I would help make blankets and snuffle mats (a type of ripped blanket that dogs like to play with), and collect any items they may need.

I decided to split my project into two sections: making blankets/snuffle mats and collecting other material donations. I began by recruiting Scouts from my Troop by emailing them to see if they were interested. Then I had them help make blankets and snuffle mats, and asked Troop families for donations such as cat and dog food, unused toys, litter, among other things. When COVID-19 became a reality, I had to put my plans to a halt temporarily. So I ha to adjust my plan to work online, and I brought supplies to each volunteer’s house before a Zoom session and picked up completed mats and blankets afterward. In each Zoom session, I used the EDGE (explain, demonstrate, guide, enable) method to demonstrate and teach volunteers how to make the mats and blankets. During this time, it was quite challenging to get supplies from stores and then get them to each individual’s home. Luckily, I had my driver’s license for my project. Still, the time it took to get enough supplies before each session, cut them into the correct sizes for each volunteer, and then drive to each person’s house to deliver and pick up was a tricky part of the project. My favorite aspect was seeing the Scouts over Zoom learning how to make the mats or blankets. A few of the girls in my Troop came to two sessions to learn how to make both mats and blankets, and some even asked for more materials after the first session so they could independently apply what they learned again! It was exciting for me to see their enthusiasm both for helping the animals through my project and continuing their skills outside of the learning sessions.

By completing this project, I learned the difficulty of organizing groups, primarily digitally, to work towards a common goal. I didn’t expect how hard it would be to get schedules coordinated, but by the third session, I realized how much easier it was for me to plan compared to the first. I grew as a leader; I learned more about using the EDGE method and applying it to real situations. I gained more experience in finding the flaws in teaching plans and adapting them over time.

Bikes for the World

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Dhruv S. of Troop 1983 in Oakton, VA, is an avid biker. He knows how great a bike can be not only for leisure but also for practical uses such as transportation. So when Dhruv heard Bikes for the World was looking for volunteers, he jumped at the opportunity. Bikes for the World is an organization that collects, refurbishes, and ships bikes to impoverished communities around the world. He loved volunteering at their warehouse and seeing the pictures of people enjoying the bikes they had received. Dhruv wanted to contribute more to that happiness when people received their bikes, so for his Eagle Scout project, he decided to hold a bike drive with a goal to collect 50 bikes.

Dhruv began by designing flyers to reach out to his community about the collection drive. He posted them throughout his town and in nearby shopping centers. He also shared a digital version of the poster on Nextdoor and Facebook to reach even more people. Then Dhruv began to receive messages. Some people were able to drop off their bikes during the scheduled collection time. For those who couldn’t, he picked up their bikes ahead of time and stored them in his garage. On the day of the drive, Dhruv and some friends transported the bikes from the garage to the site at Vale United Methodist Church, his troop’s sponsoring organization, and the bike drive officially began. It lasted for five hours, and Dhruv managed to collect 130 bikes! They collected so many bikes that the truck that came to pick them up couldn’t contain them all. Dhruv quickly taught his volunteers how to disassemble the bikes so they could fit in the truck.

Having completed his project and sent these bikes to their new homes, Dhruv said, “ I enjoyed leading and teaching my friends how to disassemble the bikes, and I heard from them that it was a rewarding and satisfying process. I learned the value of time management by setting timelines and schedules for myself to make sure I was on track. I also learned the value of good communication through teaching my volunteers effectively how to prep the bikes. All in all, I think it was a successful project!”

A Brand New Gaga

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David W. of Troop 291 in Gaithersburg, MD, has always loved playing Gaga, a type of dodgeball game. He especially enjoyed playing at Westleigh pool, but when he heard that they were losing members, he wanted to help improve the facility to help attract new members. So after consulting some board members David began work on creating a new Gaga pit.

Just as David was about to begin, COVID-19 struck and he had to put his plans on hold. So David and his dad decided to prep some of the work needed for the pit, doing as much as they were able to in their garage. Once he could back out to the pool, he was able to touch up the paint on the wood for the pit and begin digging and filling holes to place the sixteen posts that would outline the pit. Unfortunately, once they got near the end three of the posts did not line up. He had to adjust all three beams so they’d be aligned properly.

Once the entire project was completed, David was glad to see everything fall into place and to have had the chance to work with all his volunteers. He felt as if he learned quite a bit, saying, “I learned I am a lot more equipped from my time at Scouting than I thought. Leading up to it, I was very nervous, but once Scouts arrived and we began working, everything fell into place and was extremely rewarding.”

Maryland Teen Joins First Female Inaugural Class of Eagles

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On October 28th 2020, BSA Troop 1268 of New Market, MD celebrated its first female Eagle Scout. Ashlyn Cooper of New Market, MD became one of the first class of female Eagle Scouts in the country after successfully completing her Eagle Scout board of review. She joined BSA the very first day that BSA opened up their Scouting program to female youth in February 2019 and completed her Eagle rank work in Sept 2020. She has embraced the program with 100% passion, having logged 48 camping nights, 160 miles of hiking, 200 service hours, 39 merit badges, 5 summer camps, serving as the troop’s first Senior Patrol Leader, attending and then joining staff for the BSA’s National Youth Leadership Training, and being inducted into the Order of the Arrow. Through all of this, Ashlyn’s excitement about sScouting only continues to grow and become infectious to others in the troop. This journey for Ashlyn is not over at Eagle. She plans to continue to earn Eagle Palms, having already earned 3 and has a goal of 60 merit badges by the time she turns 18. She will also now be taking on a bigger role within the Troop as a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, and will be encouraged to become an even stronger leader.

Ashlyn comes from a long lineage of Scouting. Her grandmother was the first female leader for her uncle’s BSA Troop many years ago when he was in Scouts, her grandfather was a Sea Scout leader, her father is Scout Master of the Scouts BSA troop 268 linked to her Scouts BSA Troop 1268G and her older brother is also an Eagle Scout.

We congratulate Ashlyn on all she has achieved and will continue to help her to achieve more.

For more information on our program, please visit www.troop1268.org.

 

Eli Glickman’s Eagle Project for the Library of Congress

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Eli Glickman’s Eagle Project is so innovative and interesting that I wanted to submit it to Scouter Digest so others could hear about it. Here is Eli’s own description of his project:

“Personal stories are a treasure trove of information, they offer perspective, reflection, and first-person experience. That’s ultimately why I selected oral history as the background for my Eagle project. I had heard about another project done in my Troop by a Scout who has since graduated, Scott Burns, where he interviewed World War II veterans about their experiences in the War. I wanted to focus less on actual wartime and more on the process of returning home that veterans undergo. I felt that this was part of most veterans’ stories that is seldom discussed in society and that it deserved attention. I then got in touch with the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress which was the ultimate beneficiary for my project. After that a group of Scouts and I reached out to several veterans whose contact info we received through Troop connections; I later reached out to the American Legion to get a complete 10 veterans to interview, their help in coordinating and establishing these contacts was tremendously beneficial to the success of my project. After that the Scouts and I coordinated a plan to conduct the interviews, focusing on hearing as much of each veteran’s story as possible and learning about their reflections on their experiences. The result of the project was incredibly rewarding, the Scouts and I learned not only stories from these veterans but how to better empathize and interact with veterans we see on a daily basis.”

DES Pride

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For Jack R. of Troop 1094, Darnestown Elementary school brings up many fond memories for him as he attended it from kindergarten to fifth grade. Now being a bit older, Jack wanted to help out his former elementary school. He decided for his Eagle Scout Project that he could provide the school with a more beautiful front.

Unfortunately, after getting his project approved, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Yet being a good Scout, Jack adjusted his plans to fit safety guidelines, and he began his work in July. Jack and his volunteers started by getting rid of any stumps, weeds, and dead plants near the mulch beds in front of the school. He then trimmed the bushes and trees before planting some more bushes and grass. Jack then created a “DES” sign (Darnestown Elementary school), which was then placed at the front.

After completing this project, Jack felt satisfied with the results. He was also incredibly proud of how hard the work he and the volunteers put into helping Darnestown Elementary School.