We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Uncategorized

NCAC Service Areas Will Realign Jan. 1, 2021

by

NCAC is committed to providing a quality Scouting experience for all of our youth members and adult volunteers.  Due to a recent vacancy on our management team and recent promotion of one of our Field Directors, the National Capital Area Council volunteer and staff leadership discussed an opportunity to streamline our professional organizational chart.  The leadership of National Capital Area Council strongly believed in maintaining the size of our professional staff during COVID-19 to ensure our member families continue to receive excellent support in Scouting activities. To this end, we will be realigning our service areas over the next several weeks effective Jan 1, 2021. This change will not impact program at the unit or district levels, so most of our volunteers will not see any disruption, but it will allow the professional staff to align around naturally occurring groupings in our community.  This is will also help support both volunteer and staff development with the creation of a natural pipeline of leaders that can assume larger roles in our Council in the years to come.

Effective January 1, 2021, NCAC’s districts will be arranged into the following Service Areas:

Maryland Service Area:

  • Francis Scott Key
  • Potomac
  • Seneca
  • Patuxent
  • Western Shore
  • White Oak
  • USVI/Direct Service

Virginia Central:

  • Chain Bridge
  • Colonial
  • George Mason
  • Old Dominion
  • Patriot
  • Washington DC
  • Scouting CARES

Virginia South:

  • Goose Creek
  • Powhatan
  • Sully
  • Piedmont
  • Prince William
  • Aquia
  • Mattaponi

To find your District Executive please go to http://ncacbsa.org/staff. Our cheerful, friendly team of professionals are always happy to be of service!

 

 

Stars for Our Veterans

by

Post 2001 has partnered with the national Stars for Our Troops organization to send stars from retired American flags to veterans as a remembrance for their service. Cub Scout Pack 1500, which is sponsored by Post 2001, volunteered to help with the project.

Each Cub Scout was given one of the flags that have been sent to the Post for retirement. The Cubs and their families assembled in the Brambleton Middle School to cut the stars from the flags. By the end of the evening 3000 presentation packets were prepared.

One grandfather, who helped cut out the stars, was presented one of the packets by his grandson in remembrance for his service on the USS Coral Sea off the coast of Vietnam. We are so proud to honor those who have risked their lives for our safety and show our appreciation through this gesture.

 

 

Boy Scouts of America to Honor Kevin Phillips at Good Scout Technology Award Virtual Luncheon

by

The Boy Scouts of America National Capital Area Council will honor Kevin Phillips, chairman, president and CEO of ManTech International (Nasdaq: MANT) and a 2020 Wash100 award winner, on Nov. 17 at the 2020 Good Scout Technology Award Virtual Luncheon.

The virtual event will recognize Phillips’ commitment to advancing the technology industry while demonstrating the values of the BSA.

Tom Davis, former congressman and a partner at law firm Holland & Knight, will serve as event chair and emcee in tandem with Honorary Chair and Past Lifetime Achievement Honoree Mike Daniels.

The event will kick off with a VIP reception at noon and the award program will follow at 12:30 pm. The luncheon also aims to raise funds in support of NCAC’s more than 55K scouts and local youth serving programs.

Click here to register, donate or take advantage of sponsorship opportunities for the event.

Article Originally Published on GovConWire.

NEW Adult Live Training Guidelines!

by

Updated: 9/28/2020

Live Adult Leader Training is approved in NCAC in accordance with the following guidelines:

The health and safety of our Scouters, Scouts and their families is our first priority. If the county or state in which the training is presented has more restrictive guidelines, those guidelines shall supersede.

1.     Keep number of participants below 50 persons (including all participants and staff).

2.     Submit a Safety Plan to augment the BSA SAFE Restart Scouting Checklist to NCAC Enterprise Risk Management, NCAC Program Director, NCAC Training Chair, and NCAC VP Program Impact. (Use the Order of the Arrow Amangamek-Wipit Lodge #470 COVID-19 Protocol as guide) at least 1-2 weeks prior to the event and before it is advertised.

3.     Perform the event as planned and strictly follow safety guidelines

4.     Submit an After-Action Report (on safety lessons) to NCAC Enterprise Risk Management, NCAC Program Director, NCAC Training Chair, and NCAC VP Program Impact one week after each event. (after each week if multiple weekends)
For in-person training activities by a District or Council training committee, if a virtual option is available, like the Beta-Virtual IOLS, it is preferred that the virtual course is presented. If a virtual training option is not available or does not meet our needs, the guidelines listed above must be followed.

Plan to have FUN at the Webelos/Scout EXPO

by

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!

Troop 1577 Holds Socially-Distanced Court of Honor Outside

by

Troop 1577 held its first socially distanced Court of Honor this week – outside in our parking lot. Four Eagles had their Eagle Court of Honor as well.

The event took place in the evening as it got dark, so we had a campfire in a Solo Stove along with many lanterns and head lamps. A Scout broadcasted the ceremony over Zoom for families who preferred to attend virtually. A presentation showing the awards was projected onto the brick wall of Trinity Presbyterian.

Families were assigned a parking spot where they would sit together on blankets or in chairs they brought. As Scouts were recognized, they stood up in their parking spot.

During the Eagle Court of Honor, the Scouts spread out across the space. Their parents were invited up to receive their parent pins. Mentors received their pins on a piece of card stock. The Scouts received their Eagle staffs handmade and customized for them. A family brought enough packages of cupcakes for every family to take one home.

We introduced a new type of award called the Firestarter Award. This is to recognize the many innovations that people have contributed during social distancing. We hope this will encourage even more Troop members to get creative when things get complicated. The description of this award is “The Firestarter Award is for Scouts and adults to see something that can be improved about how we run our troop, and they create a special project to test ideas for how to make it better. They create a team of people to help. They invent something new. Their invention reduces work for Scouts in the future, makes Scouting more fun, or helps us learn something new. We call it the firestarter award because we view the Scouting program as the firewood – it has all the fuel we need to create a great experience for Scouts. But without a spark and a firestarter to get the fire going, the fire will go out.”

Recipients of the Firestarter Awards did projects such as completely cleaning out the equipment shed, reaching out to mulch customers when our mulch fundraiser was cancelled due to the pandemic, facilitating our first ever virtual First Year Scout program, redesigning our website, running swim tests for more than 40 Scouts and adults at a local outdoor pool in a socially distanced way and more. Of course the award took the form of – a bag of firestarters.

We are proud of our Scouts and adults who are finding ways to reinvent our processes can still enjoy Scouting together both in-person and virtually. We know it is making a big difference in the health of our Scouts so they stay “physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

Photos by Ed Medvid and Carla Brown