Here's my most recent Patriot Press article. Every year we camp a lot of boys, but there are always boys who slip through the cracks and don't attend a summer camp. I think we can always do a better job of getting boys to camp:
Patriot Press, May 2009:
As we near the summer, the rubber hits the road, so to speak, when it comes to Scouting. Our youth join the Scouts because they want to go outdoors. And summer is when the best outdoor programs happen.
When I was a youth I did a lot of learning in the classroom. I did some of it on the wrestling mat and on the soccer field. But a really special kind of learning happened for me in Philmont, New Mexico and Boy Scout Camps in Alabama and Wisconsin.
I want to make sure that every youth in our community has the opportunity to experience the special learning that happens in nature. Thoreau tried to do this for himself--by himself--and recorded his experience in Walden. These days we have a couple of guys that have captivated the public on television shows: Survivorman and Man vs. Wild.
I like Survivorman the best. The less popular of the two survival shows. It's more psychological and spiritual than physical, which is a lot like Thoreau's Walden. They went into this physical hardship and found out it was more psychological and spiritual than anything else.
But I can't make sure that this sort of learning happens alone. I need others to help me make sure that every boy has the opportunity to go to camp. I need leaders to make it a priority to get as many boys as possible to camp. I need volunteers to give the leaders the information they need to encourage boys to go.
In the Patriot District, our Packs, Troops, and Crews do a lot of camping. But we could still do a better job of making sure that more of our boys go to camp. I don't know the magic formula to make this happen. Ideas?
