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Scouting At Home

Good Turn Weekend Aug. 1-2

July 10, 2020 by Aaron Chusid

In this time of medical emergency, economic loss, and social distancing, it is more important than ever that Scouts show their commitment to helping others. Just as Scouts served in times of world war and those calls for sacrifice by the American people, Scouts and Scouting can now demonstrate their devotion to community service. Join us on this special weekend, and year-round.

The present need for social distancing will require many special precautions in carrying out any project, and all Scouts and Scouting units should follow local regulations and recommended safeguards. Wear your uniform. Help others while keeping safe.

POSSIBLE PROJECTS

Food Drive

Local food banks are being overwhelmed by demands prompted by empty store shelves and the lack of resources by families, many of whom do not have emergency financial resources or the ability to stockpile food. Call your local food bank to ask how you can help – they will need money as well as donations of food, paper goods, and other items.

Your help does not require face-to-face contact – it can be done through asking neighbors on a list-serve or leafletting the neighborhood to donate food by placing it on the front porch for you to collect and deliver (or to place it in your curbside box), by encouraging monetary donations to your local food bank’s link through social media, or by going to help the food bank itself. You could also set up a canopy and sign near a grocery store. Decide how you can help, make a plan, and enlist others.

One example of a social distancing food drive:

  • Prepare door hangers/flyers to drop at everyone’s doorstep/doorknob announcing the time and date of your pickup. Include your name and unit; list the items most
  • All donations should be in a bag or box on their porch/doorstep, or in your curbside
  • Scouts and their adult driver wear disposable gloves when they pick up donations. Cover the car/truck storage area with a plastic sheet before
  • Drop donations at the food bank without going inside, or as they instruct. (Of course, call them first for instructions and an )
  • Dispose of all bags, gloves and plastic liners

Blood Drive

Blood supplies are sorely taxed these days. Scouts may not be able to donate, but they can sponsor, promote, or otherwise support a community blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross or a local hospital.

Community Outreach

Many of our fellow community members are restricted to home or to the institution where they reside. Why not reach out to the homebound or the elderly at home or in senior homes to see what they need or just to socialize? Lots of them could use a letter, email, text, or video chat, or maybe they could use grocery, medicine, or meal delivery. These activities can be done by a Scout Zoom group, Scout families, or by individual Scouts.

If you know seniors in your neighborhood or have a senior home nearby, try contacting them and asking what they need. If they need food or medicine, perhaps you can shop for them or pick up an order for them and deliver it to their front door. Perhaps you can write letters or emails to be distributed by a senior home administrator. Organizations that prepare meals for the elderly or other needy populations may also need help in preparation or delivery. Use your imagination!

Showing Thanks

Essential personnel, emergency workers, and others who must remain active in public are the most at risk and may have special needs. Find out if there is any way to help them, or to show your gratitude. Send food or treats. Send a thank-you message to a local hospital, caregiver, or first responder. Remember our military personnel, too. Even signs or chalk drawings can tell the workers and the public that we appreciate their efforts.

Sewing and Construction Projects

Mask-making, face shield construction, and other projects are easy to do, with plenty of instructions online. Make sure your intended recipient confirms their need and that you understand their requirements. Some have also made blankets, quilts, pillows, and dolls.

Litter Collection

Every neighborhood street and park has a litter problem and collecting it can be done separately or as a small group. If you have not already done so, you can register your project as a Messenger of Peace international project. This is an easy way to show that you care about your community.

Conservation Projects

Get outside! Some projects may also help with advancement and merit badge requirements. Some examples:

  • virtual tutoring to Cub Scouts or local groups about the importance of “conservation” or Leave No Trace guidelines.
  • building birdhouses or bird feeders
  • planting trees or gardening at home or for a neighbor
  • helping elderly neighbors with their yard care
  • removing invasive plants in a park
  • stopping soil erosion near waterways or in parks
  • helping at a zoo, wildlife sanctuary, or nature center

Historic or Civic Event Participation

Find out if there are any civic celebrations in your area and volunteer to serve as a color guard or usher. Some charitable events need help in distributing water and other goods, or in directing crowds. Remember that Scouts may not participate in political events except in very limited capacities, so check with your local Scout executive if you have questions.

Charter Organization Service

Many of our scouting charter partners have extraordinary service needs right now. Contact them directly and ask about helping.

 

GENERAL

Scouts are pledged to “help other people at all times”, and this is our time to step forward. Scout units can coordinate a project or Scouts can act alone, and it is important that every project be clearly defined, have a clear purpose and impact that is easily understood by participants, and be run by youths as much as possible. We should wear the Scout uniform in public while serving, and always observe the prescribed precautions by social distancing, wearing masks when appropriate, avoiding large groups, washing and using sanitizer on hands, and staying away if you are sick or have been exposed to the virus. This is our time to showcase the best of Scouting.

 

REPORTING

Reporting of service hours is now done through the unit’s Scoutbook account, even if your unit does not use Scoutbook for other management purposes. This is the official reporting location for Journey to Excellence purposes.

Please brag about your projects by posting stories and photos at the council blog and share your good ideas with the rest of us!

Filed Under: Scouting At Home, Scouting Programs Tagged With: Good Turn, Service Project

Public Health Merit Badge in the COVID Pandemic

July 10, 2020 by Sara

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

Filed Under: Scouting At Home Tagged With: merit badge, Merit badges at home, public health, scouting

An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest | Adventure Talks Webinar

July 8, 2020 by Evan Dann

Fellow World Explorer, Gabriel Burgos (left), and Evan Dann (right) holding up the NESA World Explorers flag while out for a hike through the forest searching for the best spot to set up wildlife cameras.

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’m sitting in the front of a canoe as Gabriel and I are birdwatching on a small lake in the forest.

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!

A downed tree on which a trail crosses a ravine. When it rains the water level in the ravines can rise upwards of 10 feet!

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.

A saddleback tamarin spotted climbing on the trees just outside of the station’s laboratory.

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.

 

 

Photo 5 : I’m standing in the station’s lab and library that me and Gabriel used in the evening to learn more about the animals we encountered during the day.

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

Filed Under: Adventure, Scouting At Home, Uncategorized

Learn Python Coding with Ayiti Analytics, a Data Science Lab!

July 7, 2020 by NCAC STEM

Exploring is a BSA affiliate program focused on career exploration and development.

Ayiti Analytics is a Data Science Lab formed by a former NCAC Scout based in Haiti that is advancing analytical capacity through education, consulting and research.

Ayiti Analytics is forming virtual NCAC Explorer Posts and you are invited!

In their first cohort, Ayiti will will offer a series about Introductions to Computer Programming in Python. This is a series of six 90-minute sessions in which Ayiti will teach:

  • Python knowledge: introduction to computing
  • Shadowing at a Data Science Company: as a bonus, Ayiti will also provide students who complete the Introduction to Computing Course with an opportunity to shadow their virtual Data Science Lab for an afternoon; the goal is to show you what a real working day at a Data Science Company looks like!
  • Nova Award: for those who are registered Scouts BSA, they will have the opportunity to earn requirements 3-8 of Nova Award – Hello World! Please note however, that you do not need to be a Scout to become an Ayiti Explorer.

The first cohort kicked off in June, and the second cohort will begin this Saturday, July 11th. This session will run on Saturday from 10:00AM – 11:30AM on these days:

  • July 11, 2020
  • July 18, 2020
  • July 25, 2020
  • August 1, 2020
  • August 8, 2020
  • August 15, 2020

Read more about Ayiti Analytics and register here!

This program is brought to you by a former White Oak District Boy Scout, Morgan Mendis!

Filed Under: Scouting At Home, Scouting Programs, Uncategorized

7/7 at 7PM Webinar: Philmont Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks

July 7, 2020 by John Blackwell

 

Our very first feature in Adventure Talks will be live on July 7, at 7PM and will feature a Philmont Panel!

Our excellent panelists have stories about the Philmont Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest Treks. They’ve participated as Philmont Ambassadors, Scouting U Faculty, Camp Directors, Operational Staff and participants in their youth – and aim to offer you a glimpse of each role and how you can participate too!

At the end our panelists will open up to questions from you– please sign up for the ZOOM to join the Q&A session: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks

Panelists: Tom Giugni, Jay Oakman, Sam McGrath and Arden Dougan

Moderator: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko

Read their bios in the photo gallery above and be sure to tune in at 7PM!

Filed Under: Adventure, At Camp, Scouting At Home

Adventure Talks

July 3, 2020 by John Blackwell

Join us every Tuesday at 7PM as we host conversations with adventurers!

Adventure Talks are a webinar series to bring the illustrious and exciting adventures that Scouts take to you! Scouts have explored the deep ocean, the corners of the earth, and space. This series of talks features presentations and panels about Philmont, the Appalachian Trail, research in Antarctica, biking across the USA, Scouting Jamborees, and more. The first two presentations are described below, and you can read more here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks

July 7: Philmont Talks:  Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks

A panel of Philmont Ambassadors, Rangers and Camp Directors take you on this virtual adventure!

Panelist Tom Giugni: He first experienced Philmont as an adult advisor for a 7 day trek in 1997. Since then, he’s trekked two 12-day treks and one Autumn Adventure trek. He attended training at the PTC and served as faculty and course director for NAYLE and Philmont Leadership Challenge and served as volunteer coordinator for NAYLE and PLC at Philmont. He’s worked as seasonal staff in Logistics at Philmont Scout Ranch as a Trip Planner in 2011 and 2012 and as the Logistics Manager in 2013-2018 (the Ute Park Fire occurred during my last year as manager.) He drove commissary trucks in 2019 and was schedule to serve as camp director for Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp before Philmont cancelled the 2020 camping season due to COVID-19.

Panelist Jay Oakman: Jay is currently the Central Region Area 5 Camp Assessment Chair. In the past 40 years he has held positions in Unit,(Pack, Troop, Ship and Crew) District, Council, Area, Regional and National. He severed on 27 National Camping Schools for Day Camp Administration, the last 18 as a Course Director. At Philmont, Jay has been on Backcountry treks, a participant at the Training Center, and been staff at Basecamp and well as faculty at the Training Center.

Panelist Sam McGrath: Sam is currently the District Executive of George Mason District in the National Capital Area Council. But before he joined us, had worked at Philmont for 7 seasons, including a fall and a winter, and in 3 different departments!

Panelist Arden Dougan: Dr. Arden Dougan is a Philmont Ambassador and has earned the Master’s Track Knot. She has been on faculty at the Philmont Training Center 7 times. She co-developed the 2016 STEM/Nova and 2010-2011 University of Scouting conference and has served on faculty for Boy Scout Roundtable conference. She was a Crew Advisor on a Philmont Trek. Her Eagle Scout Son and Venturer/Girl Scout Gold Award daughter have enjoyed the Philmont Training Center family program. She has been an avid Unit District, Council, Area, Regional and National Scouter, and she has staffed the National Scout Jamboree and the World Scout Jamboree. Arden is the VP of Program Impact on the Executive Board at the National Capital Area Council, and the ideator behind Adventure Talks!

• Moderator Julia Mae-Shen Lesko: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko’s love for Philmont began in 1983, when her father took the family to Philmont Training Center, and Julia spent a memorable week on a Mountain Woman Trek.  She serves as the current national Wood Badge coordinator for Scouting U and Northeast Region Wood Badge coordinator.  Julia has served in many leadership positions at the unit level (pack, troop, crew) as well as district, region, and national levels. A member of the National Capital Area Council, Julia currently serves as an Assistant Council Commissioner (Commissioner College Dean) and as one of the council’s Philmont Ambassadors.  She has served as a conference facilitator and trainer at the Philmont Training Center, Florida Sea Base, Summit Bethel Reserve, and National Order of the Arrow Conference.

 Julia is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow and recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, Silver Antelope Award, Silver Beaver Award, District Award of Merit, Philmont Masters Track Knot/Device, and other training knot awards.  Julia resides in Gainesville, Virginia, with her wonderfully supportive Scouter husband, John. Although this summer’s trip to Philmont has been delayed due to Covid-19, the newlyweds can’t wait to get to Philmont soon!

July 14: An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest 

 NESA World Explorer Evan Dann shares his experience at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador!

Speaker Evan Dann: Evan is currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology at Boston University. He earned my Eagle Scout award in 2015 and five Eagle palms. He’s 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, he has completed a Philmont backpacking trek in 2015; he’s 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. Evan also volunteered as a scout at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2012 and President Trump’s Inaugural parade in 2017. Some other adventures that Evan has 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.

 

 

The Adventure Talks are brought to you by the NCAC High Adventure Committee and Summer WOW Task Force! We hope you have a WONDERFUL time tuning in with us every Tuesday at 7PM!

If you want to share your adventure, please email the High Adventure Committee Chair: john.blackwell@goosecreekdistrict.org

Filed Under: Adventure, Scouting At Home Tagged With: adventure, High Adventure

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