We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouts BSA

Registration is OPEN for Camp Snyder Scouts BSA Specialty Week 2022 !!!

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In 2021, 138 Scouts BSA earned over 500 Merit Badges from 45 different offerings, including Eagle required Merit Badges at the Camp Snyder Scouts BSA Specialty Week.

Specialty week will be offered again in 2022 during the week of July 17 – 23. New for 2022 will be rank advancement skills training and knowledge instruction for obtaining Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks. Perfect for new Scouts!

Camp Snyder has some amazing facilities. Among those are the Woodshop, STEM facility, swimming pool, archery and air rifle ranges, Scouterhorn climbing tower and amphitheater. We have created a Scouts BSA Specialty week with the activities Scouts expect from a summer camp. Want to earn your Woodworking or Woodcarving Merit Badge? Want to learn about Drones and spend some time in the STEM lab? Or, learn the basic Scouting skills needed to advance in rank, like how to start a fire, prepare an outdoor meal or safely use a knife and axe? Come out and spend a week of your summer at Camp Snyder!

Combine your interest in merit badges and rank advancement with camping, dining, swimming, boating, and many other summer camp favorites. Scouts can participate as units or individuals, as day campers or as overnight campers.

Registration for Merit Badges and advancement training will be in spring 2022. Only 150 Scouts will be able to participate in this special week at Camp Snyder, so sign up now to reserve your space at https://www.gotosnyder.org/summer-camp/specialty-week/

Let’s Get Camping Webinar Series: Scouts BSA Camping Options

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April 1, 2021: Scouts BSA Camping Options

Missed the webinar? You can view a recording of it below.

In this webinar, we go over the different summer camps available for both Troops and for individual scouts (aka provisional scouts) at the various places in NCAC – from Thurmont, MD to Haymarket, VA to Goshen, VA. We go over how camping and program are going to work at the Virginia camps, given the Governor’s order concerning COVID-19 protocols.

Download the slides from the webinar here: Scouts BSA Camping Options slides [PPTX]

Get more information on the various Scouts BSA Summer Camps:

Stay up to date on the camp COVID protocols:

Find the whole series of Let’s Get Camping Webinar recordings on our playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5x999ziTZaU6Kr1lqS6tbNqgYTzjcBRf

SIGN UP – Seeking Counselors for March 2021 NCAC MB@Home

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NCAC is looking for Merit Badge Counselors for the March 2021 session of the MeritBadges@Home program.

Counselors will conduct remote instruction for Scouts through the Zoom and collaborate through the Basecamp platform between a period of March 15-April 3, 2021.

If you are interested in serving as a counselor, please follow the link below to learn more and sign up. The counselor registration deadline is Monday, February 22.

March 2021 MB@Home Counselor Registration Form (https://forms.gle/TsvZK1PuFhnQTay88)

Feel free to share these links with your Scouting and professional colleagues.

Camp Snyder Scouts BSA Merit Badge Week Is Coming!

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Join us at Camp Snyder for the FIRST EVER MERIT BADGE week for Scouts BSA for the week July 18 – 24, 2021!

We will offer a wide range of Trail-to-Eagle and Outdoor Merit Badges (like Cooking, Swimming, Soil and Water Conservation, First Aid, Archery, Rifle Shooting, Geocaching and more) and Specialty Merit Badges (like Woodworking, Aviation, Search and Rescue, Photography, Weather, Archeology and more). Classes will be small (10 scouts maximum) and up to 50 Merit Badges will be offered.

There are two ways to participate. Individual Scouts or Units can:

  1. stay at Camp Snyder all week and camp overnight or
  2. be a day-only participant while staying overnight at home.

The entire program, to include dining, camping, merit badge classes and fun activities (like the swimming pool, climbing tower, air rifles, craftwork and campfires) will be conducted using strict COVID-19 virus precautions.

Sign up now at https://www.gotosnyder.org/summer-camp/specialty-week/ to RESERVE YOUR PLACE, since the number of participants will be LIMITED to 100 campers and 50 day-only participants. Units can sign up one adult leader for FREE for every 5 paying Scouts. Sign-up for specific Merit Badges classes will be later, during Spring 2021 once the class schedule is finalized!

Final Winter Leadership Seminar on Tuesday Jan 26@5pm

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Winter Seminar: Strengthening your Program

Tuesday, January 26th @ 5pm
Free Registration – click here!
We’re going to talk about steps youth leaders can take in their Units to create fun and effective programs. We’ll explore character development through themed campouts and talk about making the most of youth leadership roles.

More info:
Leadership Training is one of the four Aims of Scouting. Through these seminars Scouts will have an opportunity to continue their leadership development despite the cancellation of NYLT this winter. Each seminar will be fast-paced and last about 50 minutes. Content is delivered by NYLT staff and is designed to help Scouts develop as leaders. It is recommended, but not required, that participants hold positions of Unit leadership and have attended ILS(T/C/S) or NYLT.

FAQ

Q. Is this an “Online NYLT course?”
A. No. NYLT is a 6-day practical learning experience. We are offering this webinar to help Scouts who have attended NYLT (or are thinking about attending NYLT) focus on a few specific leadership topics in a fast-paced online format.

Q. Who should attend?
A. Scouts from Troops, Crews and Ships in positions of leadership will find it most helpful. There are no prerequisites for the online Seminar. All welcome.

Q. Will you offer this session again?
A. This is currently the only time we are offering the seminar.

Q. Is there a certificate of completion I can share with my Unit Leader?
A. All Scouts will have an opportunity to receive (via email) a certificate of attendance.

Q. May Scouts who are not in NCAC attend this activity?
A. Of course. We will advertise within NCAC primarily but welcome Scouts outside NCAC who wish to explore leadership concepts.

Q. Will these webinars be placed on YouTube?
A. Not likely.

Q. Last summer NCAC also produced online Leadership Seminars. Is the information from those webinars still available?
A. You may download the course notes from any of the Summer Leadership Seminars at: https://www.ncacbsa.org/national-youth-leadership-training-seminars/

Q. When is the next opportunity to take NYLT in NCAC?
A. We are planning our 2021 calendar now. When dates are confirmed and registration opens we will announce on our website, Facebook and over email.

Question? email contact@myNYLT.org

What Is the Arrow of Light?

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The Arrow of Light is both a rank and an award. It is the highest achievement in Cub Scouting, and the only Cub Scout Award that can still be worn once a scout enters ScoutsBSA. Adult leaders who earned the Arrow of Light Award may show their achievement by wearing a special square knot on their uniform.

The award design is a yellow arrow with a rising sun. There are seven rays in the sun that represent wisdom, courage, self-control, justice, faith, hope, and love. The symbolism of the award peaks to the heart of scouting – like an arrow, scouts travel a straight path. Achieving the award is not an end, but like a new day is just a beginning. The values represented by the sun are those that form a well-rounded person. Other interpretations of the badge say that like the sun, Cub Scouts should be a light for those around them. Also, the seven rays of the sun represent the days of the week, and serves as a reminder that Scouts should do their best every day.

Very often a Webelos earns the award at the end of their time in the pack, so the awarding of the AOL coincides with the crossover to a troop. These crossover, or bridging ceremonies, recognize the Scouts commencing a journey into Scouts BSA.

No matter how you interpret the award, it is worthy of its own ceremony. There are many different ceremonies developed over the years by different packs. Each is tailored to meet the time of year, and the needs of the pack. My favorite ceremonies have featured campfires, candles, and a reflection on what it took each scout to get to that point. It is a recognition of a lot of hard work, both from the scouts, and the leaders and parents that helped them get there.