We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

Scouts BSA

2021 Jamboree, THE MOST EXCITING JAMBOREE EVER!

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Scouting’s flagship event is a gathering of thousands of Scouts and Scouters that showcases everything that is great about the Boy Scouts of America. Over the course of 10 days, once every four years, the Boy Scouts of America gathers together. Scouts and Scouters who attend will participate in many adventures—stadium shows, pioneer village, hikes, sports and more! With 10,000 acres at the Summit to explore, there’s no shortage of opportunities to build Scouting memories.

National Jamboree is the best of Scouting rolled into 10 days of friends, fun and adventure! Get ready to Face the Challenge and sign up to attend the Jamboree!

Scouting’s PREMIER High Adventure experience! The experience of a lifetime including: whitewater rafting, rock climbing, bouldering, rappelling, zip lines, mountain biking, canopy tours, shooting sports, dragon boats, paddle boats, COPE courses, BMX racing, Pioneering, canoe slalom, kayaking and more. In addition to all of the things you’ve grown to love about the Jamboree, there is patch trading, SCUBA, arena shows, Technology Quest, and over 30,000 of your closest friends.

  • When: The 2021 National Jamboree is July 21 – 30, 2021
  • Where: Summit Bechtel Reserve, New Hope, West Virginia

SEEKING:

  • Scouts BSA: At least 12 years of age (or age 11 and have graduated 6th grade) by the first day of the Jamboree, and may not reach their 18th birthday by the last day of the Jamboree
  • Crew Member: Graduated the 8th grade or be at least 14 years of age by the first day of the Jamboree, but not have reached their 21st birthday by the last day of the Jamboree.
  • Adults: who are willing to apply to serve as unit leadership

Sign Up Now!!

You must have a my.scouting.org account in order to register. If you do not have a profile, please visit http://my.scouting.org and set up an account; you will need to attach your BSA ID to the account so be sure to have the number available.

HOW MUCH:

  • $1,500* per Scout or Crew Member ($200 due to complete registration)
  • $1,500* per Adult Unit Leaders
  • Camperships available to qualifying youth from households under 50% of the Area Median Income in the Washington D.C. area.
  • Fees include all food, insurance and equipment, as well as the use of a tent, cot, dining shelters, stoves, fuel and cooking utensils during your adventure at the Jamboree. Fees also include transportation to and from the Summit on motorcoach buses. There will be a shakedown campout prior to the Jamboree. No major additional costs. Just show up with your personal camping gear and Jamboree Uniform.

NCAC Contingent cost is $1,500pp. The national fee of $1,175 set by Jamboree Administration covers the expense of program materials, food, insurance, and equipment, as well as the use of a tent, cot, dining shelters, stoves, fuel, and cooking utensils. Additional Council fees cover transportation, bags, patches, and other fees.

Note on Unit Assignments: Youth will be assigned to NCAC contingent units in the summer of 2020. A maximum of eight (8) youth from one local unit will be assigned to a NCAC contingent Jamboree unit.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

  • $200 due upon registration
  • $500 due June 30, 2020
  • $500 due December 31, 2020
  • $300 due April 1, 2021

Download the flier today and get ready to Face The Challenge, Jamboree 2021!

If you have any questions please contact Program Director, Eric Smith at eric.smith@scouting.org. For more information visit https://www.ncacbsa.org/jamboree/.

 

Star Scout Organizes “No Contact” Food Drive

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With the worldwide pandemic, social distancing and quarantining many may have taken this opportunity to stock your cupboards, pantries, fridges, freezers and bathrooms with food to last you a few weeks or months. If you were able to do this, please consider yourself lucky.  There are plenty of individuals and families out there that rely on the good nature of others to put food on their plates.  In some instances, that food is coming from local food banks. 

Unfortunately during these crazy times, food banks begin to run dangerously low on supplies. In response to this Star Scout, Landon Hummel from Troop 1378 in Dale City, VA decided to organize a “no contact” food drive.  Landon contacted the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) and obtained information on how to get the food to them safely.  He then made a flyer, sent out an email to his Troop with instructions and all the information about the drive.

Sunday March 29th, the Landon and his mother drove around the Prince William County area to collect donations. They created a route using the addresses in all of the reply emails in order to give participants a time frame for pickup. They maintained social distancing by asking participants to leave their donations outside and just wave to us from the window. With the assistance of his mom, he collected 162 pounds of food for the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

To learn more about how you can give please visit the Arlington Food Assistance Center website. Items that they are specifically asking for are: canned tuna/chicken, canned soups, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, peanut butter (in plastic jars only), pasta and rice. 

Troop 13 Virtual Family Campout

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After their first month of virtual troop meeting, and a scheduled campout on the way, Senor Patrol Leader Connor Gephart saw the opportunity to maintain troop spirit and believed Troop 13 was ready to take their virtual meeting experience to the campground. That Saturday morning, April 18th, wouldn’t see the usual start of the Troop 13 family campout. Instead of gathering at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and preparing to drive off to the beach, scouts and their families gathered in their living rooms with camping equipment in hand.


Members of the troop and their families set up tents in their yards, played games, went for hikes and explored local trails, built fires, and worked on rank advancement requirements. Including a Patrol Leader meeting virtually with one of his patrol members.


The Scouts and their family fixed dinner outside enjoying the afternoon spring sunshine, when around 8pm with family campfires burning and the sun setting the members of Troop 13 gather both around their own campfires and digital devices to join zoom and share their adventures from the day, just as thousands of Scouts have done for over 100 years before them. The Senior Patrol Leader lead the discussion asking the Scout about their adventures that the day had brought, and as the campfire was winding down Scouts participated in Thorns and Roses, where many thorns were about not being together and enjoying the fun of camping in the woods as a Troop.


After the Senior Patrol Leader closed the campfire Scouts and their families retired to their tents to conclude the Troop 13 annual family campout.

Troop 996 Organizes ‘Remote’ Food Drive

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When we started social distancing and businesses closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family and I thought of something our Troop could do to help others. I started to research food pantries and our Scoutmaster suggested we contact the one supported by our chartering organization, Aldersgate United Methodist Church. So I called Rising Hope and asked if we could do a food drive, and they said yes.

So, we sent out an email about the food drive to the Troop then a few days later my brother, my Mom, and I went to Aldersgate parking lot to wait for Scout families to drive by and drop off food. Then the next day my Mom and I went to Rising Hope and delivered the food.

I felt good about organizing this because the food will be given to people that need it and we live out the Scout Law (Helpful, Kind) even when we can’t have regular Troop meetings. A Scout is HELPFUL and KIND.

Troop 35 Scouts “Telecamping” Program – Can’t Keep Good Scouts from Doing!!

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Scoutmaster Kevin Huddleston of Troop 35, Occoquan District, recently earned his Wood Badge Beads as a successful graduate of NCAC’s Spring 2019 Wood Badge Course, despite the advent and disruption of CORVID-19. What great leadership! What great Scout Spirit! What a great example of Baden-Powell’s quote that: ‘A Scout whistles and smiles under any circumstance.’ You just can’t keep a good Scouter down!”

Scoutmaster Huddleston’s Scouts are following his fine example of Leading Change! Huddleston said that, “I held a Zoom Patrol Leader Council [PLC] meeting; my PLC hate that their parents are ALL telecommuting, as their parents are driving them (the Scouts) crazy. So my Senior Patrol Leader [SL] and two Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders [ASPL] came up with a Patrol Competition called ‘TELECAMPING’. We recorded our intro via Zoom. If you want to use this to keep your Patrols and Troop and Scouts connected, excited and sustained – use away. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”

Below is the YouTube video Huddleston made of his SPL and ASPLs in a Zoom PLC that was then sent to all Troop 35 Patrol Leaders and their Scouts:

We are all looking for ways to keep our Scouts actively engaged, moving forward and Doing their Best. Through youthful enthusiasm, imagination and creativity, Scouts will find a way, when given the opportunity by adults. Well done to the Adult & Youth Leaders of Troop 35!

A final thought from Baden-Powell: “The [Scout] is not governed by don’t, but is led by do.” Let’s keep the doing in Scouting!

Troop 440 Donates 220 Bag Lunches to Homeless Shelter

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On April 8th, in the day and age of social distancing, our Troop (individually and in their own homes) prepared 220 bag lunches for Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring, MD for “OPERATION SANDWICH.” 

Shepherd Table’s mission is to provide help to people who are homeless or in need by providing basic services, including meals, social services, medical support, clothing, and other assistance in an effective and compassionate manner.

Troop 440 had one Parent/Scout do all the shopping, sorting and delivering of supplies (to porches) and then another Parent/Scout collected the completed lunches from their fellow Scout’s porches the following afternoon and delivered the lunches to Shepherd’s Table. Almost 75% of our Troop families participated and the whole thing was completed in just over 24 hours! Remember a Scout is Helpful.