Weekend and Summer Camp Options For Boy Scouts(Post 3)

For regular readers:

WARNING: This is not intended to serve as a actual continuation post for this "Camping Options" series but will be related to that subject! 

Well now that I got that warning out of the way I just wanted to update readers on why this has series has gotten the attention it deserves and it basically comes down to 2 different reasons with 1 being a reasonable excuse and the other being a excuse that is just truthfully not a valid excuse. First off i will start off with the poor excuse for the excuses of not covering the series more regular is that it plain and simple comes down to me being to lazy to actually figure out where I wanted to head & determine a more specific course that will better help narrow and focus the series. I beginning to think though that this may be a dead end situation with really no hope of covering the information that was originally intended to be covered but for right I haven't made up my mind yet, so more or less you should go under the assumption right now to probably not look for a completion to this series but instead I will still cover some of this material listed in post 2 but they will just be randomly interested single post series.

I guess you could say that some of that explanation is logical & not just about being lazy but really thats probably stretching that a little to far but know for this point it actually will I hope to you will be reasonable like I believe it is. As such the excuse is that lately with both of the Troop's I work with in Anchorage, Alaska have been needing me to focus or spend the majority of my time on covering aquatics material, so I thought that sense the Troop I was working with was doing a aquatics theme I decided that this would help me to determine what I know and what I don't know when it comes to explaining and teaching SSD.

Theres the two reason look for sometime in the next week or so a update about where I will be heading next with this camping options series. Please be patient as this transition occurs and after this last major hurdle it will go back to my blog not having as many corrections or making you think that I am going to continue the series and then not follow through with what I said. More or less the point I'm trying to make is that during the last 2 months or so I have been experimenting with how to create a wider target audience and a bigger readership but obviously some of my ideas have not gone on as planned.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part H: Post List 3

Even though this may seem repetitive the purpose is to keep people up to date and informed about where I currently am in regards to moving through my post series that is all about SSD. Before I start rambling again as is habit heres the official list of posts now and they include:

1. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part A
2. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part B: Qualified Supervision (Part 1)
3. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part C: Post List 1
4. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part D: Qualified Supervision (Part 2)
5. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part E: Personal Health Review (Part 1)
6. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part F: Post List 2
7. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part G: Personal Health Review (Part 2)
8. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part H: Post List 3
1. (Current Post or the Post that include the list of all the post names)

Well thats all the current posts that have already been written, so I guess its time to share the name of the next up and coming SSD Series Post which will be titled like so:

"The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part I: Personal Health Review (Part 3)"

Thats about it for this post list update in order to not seem so repetitive and same old-same old before I update this post list in another additional post I will have written at least another 2 new posts starting with "Part I". Again please send feedback, it would truthfully and honestly help me help you to write the information you need or to ask questions so things can be clarified. 

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part G: Personal Health Review (Part 2)

For the first post of the "personal health review" principle in the SSD program we covered information forming a basic level introduction to the "Personal Health Review" principle and then gave examples of medical conditions that could depending on the situation require you as the qualified supervisor to adjust plans to ensure the adequate safety of all participants. That means that not just youth have to provide a health history but any adult going on the outing too must have a health history form completed & signed by the appropriate individuals. Because the health history form requires a detailed explanation that will be covered in a post later on after examining some of the major health conditions that can put youth at increased risk. Finally at the end of the post we discussed how and why their should be differences while presenting to a group of scouts or scouters. Group appropriate discussions are used based on the level of experience of the group, what the group is capable of learning, the items that must be covered because they are the vital points of the principles of SSD, and lastly making sure you as a supervisor emphasize the material in the SSD principles that are of particular importance to the aquatic activity your Scouts or unit are participating in.

Since the review of what has bee covered so far is complete we now need to get to the specific purpose of this new post which is giving the official language used to summarize the point and then giving the full official text as found in the "Aquatics Supervision Manual". After the official wording and explanation has been shown to you as the readers it will bring us to the last topic of this post which is to cover the specific medical conditions that are vitally important to mention because of the increased hazards to that member's health when participating in aquatic activities. So without a further waste of time its time to give the official text version for the summary point from the "Aquatics Supervision Manual" which is worded and stated as follows:

"A complete health history is required of all participants as evidence of fitness for swimming activities."

Well thats the summary of this second principle of SSD, so after looking at this it may seem simple enough or won't be the hardest part of the SSD principles to put into action but the problem is that in reality because of the increased level of involvement that is required of each parent of a youth member in the Troop it tends to be the one point thats mis-interpreted, only partially followed and put into action, or as the worse case the principle maybe briefly mentioned but no other action is taken which more or less comes down to the fact that you as the supervisor failed to take the principle seriously or to even think about or care about it at all. A summary of the principle is a good starting place but in order to ensure the point is getting across to you and your intended audience a detailed written version should be read through. As this is the next step the full official text from the "Aquatics Supervision Manual" is described and stated as:

"A complete health history is required of all participants as evidence of fitness for swimming activities. Forms for minors must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. Participants should be asked to relate any recent incidents of illness or injury just prior to the activity. Supervision and protection should be adjusted to anticipate any potential risks associated with individual health conditions. For significant health conditions, the adult supervisor should required an examination by a physician and consult with the parent, guardian, or caregiver for appropriate precautions."

Well for me that definitely sounded like and was just a complicated full length summary that is almost just as bad as trying to read and understand legal documents or documents that are official in nature. Complicated or not we as supervisors still have to know what it means, what its asking, what action we are supposed to take, and finally how to implement what actions or steps that are required to fully execute what this principle was intended to cover. Giving this official full version of the official text is different than just giving that one sentence summary because even though the summary sums up what is the most important their are still other major items to considered when looking through and actively putting into practice what you are training our youth to do. Remember this is definitely not the time to use this saying which is:

"Do As I Say; Not As I Do"

Many of you as parents are going to say that parents as adults are entitled to this type of privilege our the people that are furthest from knowing the actually truth. Saying this is not only offensive in regards to someones intelligence but its also straight-forward lie. As parents we can do whatever we want to our kids unless it is considered abusive in nature but when it comes to working with your kids and other parents kids their a simple idea that has to be followed which is:

"Treat the youth with respect but be sure to ensure that the rules are being followed as expected when involved in that particular activity and in return in general the youth members will show and give you the respect you deserve as well."

For me thats the way I think adults and parents should treat the youth of this generation but Im no parent and have never had that level of responsibility but from what I have seen & heard is that if both parties respect each other the relationship will grow and stay positive in nature. Obviously this isn't perfect or fool-proof but the point is that their are certain ways to interact and behave when it comes to your own children while for other youth you should understand the difference in expectations. Before I go on and on and on about treatment of youth using fair and appropriate standards lets get back to the main focus of the post. During this post we given the official wording but its now time to give a list of the important health issues that can pose a greater level of risk to the person while most definitely including the several different conditions that are covered on the online SSD training. In addition their are a few more medical issues that will be covered in detail and so the list of conditions includes:

1. Epilepsy
2. Allergies
3. Asthma
4. Diabetes
5. Developmental Disorders
6. Physical Disabilities that result in impaired movement or conditions that can pose a greater risk to that particular person
7. Eye problems
8. Neurological Problems
9. Other Health Conditions

Well so now it should be obvious that this section devoted to this particular principle of SSD is going to take a fair amount of time to cover in order to do a reasonable job of explaining concerns and items/steps that can be taken in order to make the activity safer in order for a more diverse group of people to maximize the number of youth and adults that can participate in the program. Beyond those conditions towards the end their is a need to discuss temporary medical issues or conditions that must be taken into account & finally how to most effectively use and get the most information from the health forms that are filled out and turned in. Remember that according to fully follow the SSD principles and the G2SS Annual Health History forms must be filled out completely. 

Well thats it for now, more or less we have finished all of the introductory material or information that is covered by this SSD principle, so I guess its time to finish the post and then next SSD series post will be carefully examining the important details of the "Personal Health Review or "Medical" principle of SSD. Thanks for your patience and please continue to read, comment, give feedback, and share with as many fellow Scouts and Scouters as possible.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part F: Post List 2

So in order to keep up and continue updating my regular readers I am posting another list of posts that are in the "Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense" series. So without wasting any further time or another long drafted explanation heres the list of posts including this 1 as of Tuesday March 27, 2012. Well here it is:

1. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part A
2. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part B: Qualified Supervision (Part 1)
3. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part C: Post List 1
4. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part D: Qualified Supervision (Part 2)
5. The Easiest way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part E: Personal Health Review (Part 1)
6. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part F: Post List 2

Just as a Heads up the post listed below will be the name of the next post in the series and it will continue expanding on the second point of SSD which is known as "Medical" or "Personal Health Review" and its title will be as follows:

"The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part G: Personal Health Review (Part 2)"

Now that you know what to look for my estimate of when I have written and published this post will be by this coming Friday March 30, 2012. Thanks for reading as usually and I hope you enjoy the post just before and all of the posts in the SSD series as well.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part E: Personal Health Review (Part 1)

After covering the first foundational point of the SSD principles next up is that of "Personal Health Review" or according to the "SMALLBAD" nemonic it is known as "Medical". Many people really question why the health review or medical evaluation are a critical point to ensuring a as safe as possible aquatic outing just doesn't make sense, seems to cause too much of a burden, looks like overkill. Yes its not easy getting all the paperwork done in order to fully follow this point of SSD but because of how society is doing in regards to personal health and the continuing decline of people with few medical issues it has become even more necessary than ever to know the hidden medical conditions & symptoms as well as how to appropriately respond to that medical emergency. More or less a couple of quick examples of conditions that poise more concerns than in other activities include conditions like:

1. Epilepsy: A Seizure Disorder is a disorder in which people have regular seizures that are not because of a prior or already existing medical condition that has seizures as a sign or symptom of the other condition.
2. Asthma: Especially sports-induced-asthma are at a higher level of risk because its very easy to become overwhelmed, be in a state of shock, or to cause breathing problems  such as hyperventilation, irregular rhythm, or other changes that do not seem normal for the person based upon their physical condition and what they are participating in.
3. Allergies: In regards to allergies its true that all allergens can result in serious medical issues or even death. For those who don't always have life threatening symptoms should still treat the condition as a medical emergency. Besides minor reactions that result in complications or even possibly death. Death for allergic reactions don't occur very often but when they do their tends to be a lot more dissemination of the information around the news
4. Others: These are just three of the medical conditions or issues that are known to cause enough concerns to be specifically mentioned in the SSD material.

Well for right now thats pretty much it when it comes to what I wanted to cover in this post today but in regards to the next 3 or 4 posts I will be taking all of the conditions that are mentioned in the SSD information section in the "Aquatics Supervision Manual" and exploring what it is, the body's reaction, how does it occur and what potential safety hazards that should be considered when making a determination about whether it is or isn't safe to participate. Beyond that at the even of this part we will do a walk through of the Annual Health Record Form and some administrative & policy information for the form.

As a reminder teaching the youth what needs to be known about the SSD principles is much simpler than having to provide all this information thats being covered but as leaders and supervisors in the unit we must be ready and able to respond correctly and quickly to as many questions as possible without having to look up each questions answer should be.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Blog Corrections

Ok so since I made the decision to expand on the Boy Scout Campout and Scout Summer Camp series I should probably correct some titles in order for things to make sense so there will be several different posts that need to have their title changed in order for me to clear up a mess of a series. These changes will be posted tonight and will immediately go into effect. First we need to change the Cub Scout post about summer camp to something more relavent but before that I should tell you the original name which is as follows:

General Typing of Scout Camps For Cub Scouts(Part 1)

After this post it will be referred to as the title listed below:

Summer Camp Options For Cub Scouts

Okay that is definitely going to be the least amount of change when looking at the overall meaning of what is being said. Next we come to the first of the Boy Scout posts that I need to correct with the biggest change being that the above Cub Scout post will not be in the same series as the Boy Scout section originally intended to be all clumped together. After the original part 1 post the title for the second post is that of:

General Typing of Campouts and summer Camps For Boy Scouts Introduction (Part 2)

Since this is not just about Summer season Scout Camp this title is just not relevant and way too long but in some ways it still matches what the original intent of the series. I know this seems like overkill and it most likely is but Im one of those people that has to correct mistakes when I notice them and then point them out to others. Back on topic before I get too carried away, the title for this first part of the Boy Scout camping options series will be:

Weekend and Summer Camp Options For Boy Scouts(Post 1)

next after that comes the third post in the series which was named:

General Typing of Campouts and Summer Camps For Boy Scouts Weekend Camping (Part 3)

Basically the title is going to be a title thats very similar and matches the first part very well, so without wasting any more time the title will be:

Weekend and Summer Camp Options For Boy Scouts(Post 2)

So now that we have taken on the issue of correct titles next it becomes necessary to continue on to the next part of the series, which will be posted within the next several Days. Also by the time the weekend is over look for another post about the first point of Safe Swim Defense.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part D: Qualified Supervision (Part 2)

Ok so up to this point about the first principle which is Qualified supervision we covered a introduction to Qualified Supervision what it is and why its important to keep your awareness level high and also to continue further learning about what safe swim is all about. In this next post we will be covering the qualifications of a "Qualified Supervisor: as defined the in "Aquatics Supervision Manual" and why some of these qualifications exist.

We've now talked about what were going to do in the post. Since thats been cover we should list all the the short-hand standard as is found basically in the Boy Scout Handbook. In the handbook this is more or less equivalent when its compared to the brief version found in the aquatics manual. Ok, so heres the overall statement and it states the following:

"All Swimming activities must be supervised by a mature and conscientious adult 21 or older who understands and knowingly accepts responsibility for the well-being and safety of those in his or her care, and who is trained in and committed to the eight points of BSA SSD."

After covering the overall statement of this first principle of SSD we now come to the exact qualifications that are required to be a adequate qualified aquatics supervisor. Some of these qualifications have already been stated in the overall summary statement this principle is so important b/c in underlies and is a foundational part of SSD in which the other part of the foundation of these principles is Discipline Qualifications include the following:

1. Understands and knowingly accepts responsibility for the well-being and safety of youth members in his or her care.
2. Is experienced in the particular activity
3. Is confident in his or her ability to respond appropriate in an emergency.
4. And finally is trained and committed to the nine points of BSA Safety Afloat (SA) and/or the eight points of SSD.

A item worth mentioning is that the person who is the instructor that is confident in his abilities and also knows and understands how to respond to emergencies on an as needed basis does not have to be the same person as the SSD trained adult. Reasoning behind this is for a couple of different reasons including:

1. Is that the more people you have trained in SSD points makes and allows to have more flexibility your unit is participating in any activities that are covered by SSD points as outlined in the Aquatics Supervision Manual, SSD points, and the Guide to Safe Scouting.
2. A greater number of adults qualified in SSD leads to a more safe environment when covering activities that are covered by the 8 points of SSD.
3. Your unit has an increased level awareness for parents who are not going on the outing to make sure we are using the right person for the right role

Mentioning this point of the two different adults allows to have some or all of the above benefits in order to encourage and teach about how Scouts including youth and adults can even outside of scouting become committed to having and knowing how to raise the level of awareness when doing aquatics related activities.

Many people are uncomfortable and are slightly confused on the various levels of training available to youth and adults are able to take depending on what level you are at in the Boy Scouts aquatic program. Basically it ranges from just awareness training all the way up to being able to be a Aquatics Director according to the National Camp School(NCS standards which all Boy Scout owned camps or summer program activities must be certified to on a annual basis. Really the part on the NCS probably doesn't really need to be included to reach my intended audience but I mentioned it just to show that the BSA aquatics program is a multi-tiered program. Plus in addition to that it shows that the BSA has lots of experience when it comes to making sure aquatics activities are run safely and its a key factor in limiting or eliminating the amount of risk possible from these activities.

Awareness training which is the first level of training which is basically designed to help leaders learn and be aware of how the BSA guides Scout Units on how to run aquatic activities. It also introduces to the less experienced parent or leader some of the basic safety reminders that youth commonly forget. 

After that we come to the group of people who are experienced in a certain area of aquatic activities, which even with experience these parents or leaders must realize that the BSA standards are slightly different than how most families would conduct aquatic activities that to them would be considered safe. Really the idea behind training those who have experience is to show and introduce the BSA program guidelines. Along with that its to remind people who have experience in aquatics activities to help remind them of some of the very common safety mistakes that happen in the Scouting environment that they might not have thought of during this type of activity. 

Finally even though youth can not be the overall qualified supervisor they can and should be involved with the planning and executing phases of conducting safe aquatic activities so the youth don't think that you as a adult aren't just rambling on about some pointless sense of safety points. Including them helps them to realize, follow more closely the SSD points, and to be more willing to comply with the guidelines and understand why your telling him to stop or do a certain behavior that would promote a safer environment. 

Beyond this without going into details that aren't really even close to be relevant to this my inclusion on youth when it comes to point one of the SSD principles is that of having to train in aquatics activities, be willing to follow SSD guidelines, and be able to get rank advancement requirements signed off. The focus of aquatic skills development is first taught during Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class requirements  and then in addition when moving through the upper remaining ranks are able to demonstrate, explain, and help to teach safe ways to conduct safe aquatic activities. Another reason behind this thinking of involving youth in the process is allow them to enjoy aquatic activities without having a adult have to interfere on a regular basis to correct a behavior. Finally for the next 2 levels of BSA aquatic training earning these particular certifications and training must be fully trained in SSD.

Well thats it, I know that this probably seemed to take too long but I am one of those persons who wants to thoroughly and correctly pass on information to my followers and regular readers of my blog when it comes to any Scouting topic. Next up in this SSD post series is all about the second point in the official order of principles as laid out by the BSA is that of "Personal Health Review"

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part C: Post List 1

Ok so in order to make this safe swim defense series make sense I decided to change a few minor things about the what the titles of the post are setup. First Off I change The first chunk of the title to have parts in order to ensure that people have the idea that these posts are all part of a extended series of post all about safe swim defense. I admit that this is going to cover lots of details and require many more posts to be able to adequate cover the subject matter that applies to developed outdoor swimming areas, developed indoor swimming areas, indoor water parks, outdoor water parks, river swimming, wading, or lake swimming. So more or less each one of these have slightly different points to mention in order to completely explain and explore some of the reasons why behind these standards.

Again safe swim defense doesn't always seem practical or easy to do but the reality is that this program has saved lives and it can continue to do so if we as unit leaders make sure that:

A) We follow the standards without alteration or adaption in order to fit the units needs.

B) Adult leaders must follow and set the standard because if we don't follow these rules why would I have to as a youth member. The saying "Do as I say, not as I do" is absolutely stupid really all it does is ask for problems when it comes to youth behavior. Im not excusing the youth from all responsibility but remember even if you don't think your being watched you are being watched all the time.

C) It also makes sure that the adults that are serving as aquatic skills instructors can adequately teach the requirements.

D) Finally you don't understand the guidelines or agree to abide by them especially when unexpected situations come up it can possibly make the situation worse than it already was to begin with.

Finally we come to the list of posts, so after every couple of posts I will state all the posts that are in that series up to that point, so here it is (since I'm writing another post in this series today I will be including in in the list.)

1. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part A
2. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part B: Qualified Supervision (Part 1)
3. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part C: Post List 1
4. The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part D: Qualified Supervision (Part 2)

Well so thats the list and as time goes on it will continue to grow larger and larger as the series and length of posts demands so.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Journey to Life on the Road: Seven Ways to Get Out of Work and Go Camping

Journey to Life on the Road: Seven Ways to Get Out of Work and Go Camping:

Not copying the whole thing as all rights belong to the original author but I just couldn't resist not sharing this one. So check it & if ur brave enough maybe try one of these on your boss if he would be the type of person to take life as it comes.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you

are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to

do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter

Amazon.com: Trail to Eagle: Appstore for Android

Amazon.com: Trail to Eagle: Appstore for Android


Check it out awesome App 4 Scouts + its only 99 cents well yeah it costs something but thats still a great price 4 a mobile App.

Its available on android windows phone & Apple iOS

heres the android version available on amazon.com!!!!!!! Check it out sounds pretty cool & I will definitely try it myself in the near future

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter

App Store - Trail To Eagle

App Store - Trail To Eagle



Check it out awesome App 4 Scouts + its only 99 cents well yeah it costs something but thats still a great price 4 a mobile App.

Its available on android windows phone & Apple iOS

heres the Apple App Store version

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter

Trail To Eagle

Trail To Eagle


Check it out awesome App 4 Scouts + its only 99 cents well yeah it costs something but thats still a great price 4 a mobile App.

Its available on android windows phone & Apple iOS

heres the windows phone version

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter

Trail To Eagle - Android Apps on Google Play

Trail To Eagle - Android Apps on Google Play

Check it out awesome App 4 Scouts + its only 99 cents well yeah it costs something but thats still a great price 4 a mobile App.

Its available on android windows phone & Apple iOS

heres the android version

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part B: Qualified Supervision (Part 1)

All of the following items and information come directly from the BSA Aquatics Supervision Manual, Safe Swim Defense materials, Safety Afloat Materials, the BSA Scout Handbook, and finally the BSA Fieldbook. Now that I've covered a introduction and a good teaching tool to use with your Scouts to assist them in remembering all 8 points of safe swim defense. Plus for even those adults who have trouble memorizing or just don't have the time to do so this "SMALLBAD" method works great. Yes the words aren't exactly the same or in the exact order that the BSA has determined but really in reality as long as you remember the 8 points and know that Qualified Supervision and discipline are what makes the SSD program actually work in real life.

Don't get me wrong their are some situations in which SSD causes trouble but ultimately these principles were designed by the BSA National Council Health and Safety Committee to help ensure that the BSA has a record of less injuries or fatalities when youth and adults are participating in aquatic activities. So what do you think about the question of, "Do only the youth have to meet the guidelines and regulations of the SSD program or do these principles apply to both the youth and adults participating in the unit's aquatics program?"

Now even though when looking at this from a wide & general view doesn't mean that adults are completely exempt from following the guidelines and regulations. Yes, its true that theirs a little more flexibility when it comes adults participating in aquatic activities but then again does it accomplish what your trying to accomplish using the Patrol Method and the Methods of the BSA, no it doesn't for several different reasons. First, is the mantra of "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" a appropriate way to act as parents and adult leaders in the Troop. If this answer is hard for you or if you question why this statement is totally disrespectful and inappropriate for a adult to demonstrate, then maybe you really need to look at how you are participating in the Boy Scout program. I'm not giving parenting advice or telling you that you must absolutely change because I realize that I can't change other people but that doesn't mean that saying something like this is totally wrong. If more leaders, adults, parents, and adult community members did not follow this mantra this would lead the young person to wanting to respect you more and be willing to cooperate with you. Again this doesn't give your kid the right to be rude to you as his parent but what it does create is a relationship that is more open and less secretive.

Next, do you know anyone who would be willing to cooperate and follow rules/procedures when their leader is not doing so themselves. Personally for me even if the person had a position of responsibility over me I would not as easily do things as I would normally do because its disrespectful and also it shows that your a "boss" and not a "leader". Yes there's a huge difference in what these two words mean plus these two descriptors easily cause confusion and makes the person of responsibility to subordinate relationship that much harder to when it comes to a change in person or the addition of new people. More or less to sum up this point it isn't about "Kissing Up" to another person to get their cooperation but its about developing a superior to subordinate relationship better and more able to adapt to change. Of course superiors should still maintain independence that allows them to tell the subordinate the way when, and how certain things should be done but what that doesn't allow the person to do is to be rude or give assignments or jobs that you as the superior wouldn't be willing to do himself.

Finally these guidelines are there to protect you and your son to the best of our ability to do so. I only say that this way because promising perfection isn't something that can be guaranteed and for me to guarantee something that something should not be given up on until I've succeeded. Also besides protecting yourself as well you and the other leaders protecting your son you as a adult have a responsibility to other youth in the Troop. Besides personal protection when it comes to injury or harm of a youth it helps to make sure that litigation can't easily been brought against you assuming you follow the appropriate guidelines and procedures as laid out in the safety documentation that is easily accessible for all leaders to see. Finally the last thing to remember is that as a adult in regards to your adult application and Tour Plans you agree to know, understand, and use the safety guidelines set out in the Guide to Safe Scout, the Youth Protection Guidelines, and finally any other documentation that the BSA sees fit to use when it comes to safety in various different activities and programs in the BSA.

To summarize what we were discussing in this post it basically covered why adults should follow the same guidelines to which the youth are subject to as according to the SSD Principles. SSD principles aren't just arbitrary guidelines designed to make life difficult for you as adults but instead their designed to prevent as much as possible emergencies or dangerous incidents to happen when participating in the aquatics portion of the BSA program for Boy Scouts.

During the next post I will be discussing the specific details of what adults should know about the Qualified Supervision point of the SSD program. SSD may seem like its useless or not relevant but in reality it provides a framework on which to build a safer aquatics program. After this upcoming post more than likely I will have finished the Qualified Supervision point and will end up moving to health and fitness concerns or as stated in the "SMALLBAD" system it will be covering some of the major medical and fitness concerns when it comes to conducting aquatic activities that aren't always as important to think about when it comes to participating in other types of activities.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter 

Dedication to Scouting Part 2: Series Wrap-Up

Because of the fact that this topic has gotten so far off the original topic of the conversation/post I was typing about I have decided to discontinue the series due to the above reason and because in order to continue with this series of dedication to Scouting i would have to start from the beginning.

Eventually I will return to this topic but it will be about dedication and participation in scouting. These two ideas are not similar in nature as most would assume. In reality these words have two different meanings but both come down to your level of activity and knowledge you have in that particular topic.

Well I apologize for not having the best quality of work but I am not a person to take down a post unless its completely wrong or inappropriate as based on the information I receive from my followers. Even though it wouldn't allow me to continue the series in a better format the fact remains that theres a importance difference between participation level and dedication to Scouting. After looking at these two terms its very easy to move through your community Service and your Scouting Service and how to apply the descriptions of dedication and participation to those two areas of service.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Walk the line? After review, the BSA gives slacklining a (qualified) OK « Bryan on Scouting

Walk the line? After review, the BSA gives slacklining a (qualified) OK « Bryan on Scouting


Heres one of the newest activities that has been approved for Scouts to do in the Troop, District, or Council settings and well this activity is known as slacklining which was recently done during the Super Bowl by a Eagle Scout.


Source of article is from:


Bryan On Scouting:
A Blog for the BSA's Adult Leaders




So check it out and tell me what you think. I personally think that its a really cool activity but its surprising to me based on previous healthy & safety issues brought before the Health & safety Group which determines which activities are approved and if their approved helps to provide guidelines about how the activity should be conducted.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster/2012 Summer Camp Chairman

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Weekend and Summer Camp Options For Boy Scouts(Post 2)

Before we dive into long term and summer camp types we need to review the concept of the weekend outing. Weekend outings have always been a essential part of the Scouting since its creation in the United Kingdom. While there are many many many options for what you can do on weekend campouts, Troops all across the country still rely on using just a few different weekend outing purposes and themes. For this post I will be showing some more options beyond what is normally thought of for a weekend outing. Typical weekend outings include:

1. First Class/Second Class/Tenderfoot Advancement Outing: A type of campout where the primary focus is to help your Scouts below First Class Rank get rank requirements signed off in a manner that doesn't end up taking meeting after meeting after meeting to cover this material that your other Scouts have already covered. 
2. Winter Campout Outing:
1. Camping during the winter while its snowing, possibly a light blizzard, sleeting, strong winds, below freezing, negative temperatures, and in snow covered country.
2. Winter Outings will be covered in greater detail later on in another post.
3. Scout Craft Outings
1. Outings based off a certain theme or set of Scout Craft Skills
2. Examples include:
1. Pioneering
2. Camp Tools
3. Cooking
4. Wilderness Survival
5. First Aid
4. Weekend High Adventure
1. Weekend outings that give the opportunity for Scouts to participate in adventurous weekend experiences and skills. Basically getting outdoors and experiencing nature as it was meant to be explored.
2. Canoeing
3. Whiter Water
1. Rafting
2. Canoeing
3. Kayaking
4. Rafting
5. Cycling
6. Backpacking
7. Hiking
5. Sight Seeing Outings (Camping Type Outings Only)

So I think you got the idea that there are many different themes, activities, and purposes for weekend outings. Remember weekend outings are only limited to what you youth leaders can dream of and put into action. This type of outing primarily is 1 to 3 days in length and occurs usually on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday basis with the possibility of extending to it beginning on thursday and ending on monday when there are extended weekends or days off assuming you can provide and have adequate adult leadership during the outing. Usually weekend outings do not extend pass 4 days. If its 5 days or more these outings are best labeled as long term outings due to the increased demands in regards to the outings complexity and the amount of planning required. Even when outings are 1 to 3 days long though planning can be a intensive process that requires a serious amount of preparation, knowledge, and willingness to move forward. 

More or less outings in general including weekend outings have much more flexibility than most think and would limit themselves to. Remember the better your program, the more variety you have, the bigger mixture of purposes for outings, willingness to expand horizons, and finally to look beyond what most would consider to be a good program the more Scouts you can get to join your Troop and the more likely a older Scout is willing to stay active even after he has earned his Eagle.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster/2012 Summer Camp Chairman

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

trusting Our Youth

Trust its such a interesting and complex word that takes years to develop a true level of trust with another individual but can also be completely or at the very least partially lost in a matter of seconds. Its so short that you probably wouldn't even finish this word:

Super-Cali-Frag-gulious-itschy-alli-do-schous (Ok I can spell it but you get the idea its from the really long word in the Mary Popkins movie.

Ok well maybe not that fast because that would be pretty impressive but the idea is that it usually happens a lot quicker than most would like to think. But it instead it develops quickly and tends to have a large impact. So really what do we mean by "Trusting Our Youth" and why is this important especially Boy Scouts in order for the Troop to have the highest quality of program possible? Its important because it helps to form and nurture development of the character and leadership ability of our youth members. In addition it demonstrates how well or not so well your Troop utilizes the Patrol Method. As always just a reminder that the only way to have a true Boy Scout Troop program is through the use of the Patrol Method.

Many would believe that their isn't a lack of trust from the adult leaders in the Troop but when carefully examined many would see that trust is a huge problem between youth leaders and adult leaders. This problem comes down to two major points but that isn't to say that theres a lot more reasons than the 2 reasons I will be covering in this post. In this post the two points I will be covering is level of motivation and also the leadership style used with the adult to youth and vice versa leadership relationship.

Motivation as many have seen in this day and age is a huge problem with our youth with many not having the motivation to step up and provide actual leadership to their peers. Youth in regards to lacking motivation have this attitude because of the demand for instant results and the adults portraying a view of are youth being just flat out lazy. Demanding instant results in leadership is only effective if you choose only to show a boss persona but this persona isn't at all effective it instead makes the followers want to disrespect you more because you aren't respecting them. Yes its important to have the expectation of producing results quickly but demanding something too quickly leads to the destruction of a team. Finally we come to how the adults behavior of portraying the youth as lazy and incompetent just further pushes the idea that you as a youth do not have the ability to produce fantastic results due to a lack of confidence.

So we have now covered the motivation the next point we come to is the style of leadership that the adults use to develop confidence and leadership skills, which is a style of leadership that doesn't allow youth to fail or really give the youth a chance to solve the problems with each other before having to have the need for a adult to intervene. Failing even though it hurts so much is more than likely in the end to teach a person a lesson than any lesson that can come from a book or a person. I'm not saying that books and people are horrible resources but the learning of these skills take on a deeper meaning when the Scout experiences the teaching and learning opportunities given to him by himself. For you adults out there remember back to when you were a young kid in your primary school just learning about what conflict resolution is and how to go about doing it in a way that doesn't cause a lot more damage to the relationship than the person needs to experience. What I trying to say is that effective conflict resolution is a skill that can only be learned using a direct hands-on method. Hands-on learning requires the learner aka the youth member to try things out on their own without the adult leaders jumping in and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Really people, when has a third-party person that has jumped into the conflict and tells you what to do to work it out. Yeah in the short run it may improve the situation but because of the lack of connection to the resolution since it isn't their own can eventually cause the problem to become worse than it already was. Even though I'm saying in the sentence above that third-parties are not always the best solution, I should probably clarify this by saying that many people try to serve this mediator role without experience and education in regards to this role is the part of the role that I was referring to above. But in reality mediator's with proper training and execution can effectively have the two parties reach a resolution that the parties involved can share ownership in. The problem is that a lot including myself don't always have the recognition to or patience to properly use mediation even though I already have some of the skills and have practiced these skills I need to be a good motivator.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

The Easiest Way To Cover Safe Swim Defense Part A

Ok so over the years I have learned that for many Boy Scouts concepts like safe swim defense even though the rules are great still isnt the best way to teach them. Heck which adults could rattle off without referring or peeking in their training resources the exact order that the 8 points of safe swim defense are. I know personally for me it just wouldn't happen don't get me wrong I understand everything about it and I am able to teach the information its just that I prefer to do things in a slightly different order to make things easier for myself and the youth. And no this isn't bending or twisting the requirement like your not supposed to do its just a easier, faster, and more efficient way to cover the material. I know it works because I've seen Scouts after just reviewing once get all eight points across yeah there not using the exact same words but then does that really matter, for me personally that doesn't bother me because if you look around the education and training community you will see acronyms, sayings, songs, poems, or phrases to assist in the memorization of the information that is being taught. And on a final note the retention rate when teaching it in the words or order the BSA uses just doesn't seem to stick or get the concept across to the youth.

Well so before I bore you with whats the right way and the wrong way to cover and teach Safe Swim Defense(SSD) I probably should list all 8 points. For this purpose in order to show the connections between the method I use and what the BSA has come up with I should probably list the the actual order so we can clearly see the connections because at first some of the words I use won't make sense unless I straight out tell it to those people who already know SSD. I guess then that thats over with I should probably list the points, so heres the list in the order the BSA uses to show and explain SSD is:

1. Qualified Supervision
2. Physical Fitness
3. Safe Area
4. Lifeguards On Duty
5. Lookout
6. Ability Groups
7. Buddy System
8. Discipline

Ok so before you panic about what I have down remember back to the SSD training where it teaches you the sandwich principle which refers to the fact that the qualified supervision and discipline points are the bread of the sandwich also known as the two most important points or the points that form the top and the foundation of all of the 8 points of SSD. for all six points inside yes theres definitely ones that are more important than the others but truthfully when you look at it, it probably isn't that affected by the order of the interior points. So in keeping with what the Boy Scouts want us to teach to the boys we will have supervision and discipline be the first and last points with the rest being in a slightly different order. The acronym that is used is known as "Small Bad" with each of the letters referring to a certain point as outlined below:

1. Supervision
2. Medical
3. Ability
4. Lifeguards
5. Lookout
6. Buddies
7. Area
8. Discipline

For the purpose of this post I will now just match together the "small bad" list to the original list which goes as follows with the phrase in the parentheses being the original point while those without refer to the "Small Bad" point list. Now without further complications or notes heres the list:

1. Supervision (Qualified Supervision)
2. Medical (Physical Fitness)
3. Ability (Ability groups)
4. Lifeguards (Lifeguards On Duty)
5. Lookout (Lookout)
6. Buddies (Buddy System)
7. Area (Safe Area)
8. Discipline (discipline)

One other note about this is with minor modification and small adaptations to the "small bad" method of explaining SSD can be used to cover Safety Afloat but thats a topic for a different post. So for now thats what Im going to leave you with when it comes to covering Safe Swim Defense but sometime soon down the road I will take each point of SSD into a individual post with the basic definition and summary of the point and then from there I will explore the point to a deeper level in each of those posts, so people just don't think that theres a lot more to this concept than what it originally appears. This is one of the primary reasons why so many different levels of training have been put in place in order to help leaders provide the best quality aquatic program to their youth.

Remember it isn't about you its about the youth, yes you as a adult matter and deserve respect but that isn't the only party that deserves that too. Instead its truthfully about taking the time to hopefully be able to inspire just a single youth to do great things thats the most rewarding part of my position and thats i why I continue to be involved in Scouts even though I am a adult and don't have a son in the program. Scouting as is taught in the Order of the Arrow but also applies to every Scout activity or meeting is that we as adult and youth leaders should always be striving to be a better servant leader.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM

Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Dedication to Scouting Part 1: Dedication Vs. Active Participation

So really what does "Im dedicated to Scouting" mean? Well when you actual look at dedication to any organization dedication is hard to give a specific definition to when each person in reality has their own standard of what they expect of themselves. Well here we are just going to look at a little bit of what dedication is and hopefully help you as Scouters or Scouts figure out what it means to you. This isn't something that can be standardized and applied to all Scouts. Now some of you are probably going to say "dedication is directly linked to active participation, so since when usually have standards for active participation why don't these basically the same concepts give the definition of you have to participate in X number of hours per week or the number of activities and meetings you attend in x amount of time?"

Well for me that answer isn't as simple as you might think and thats because when you look at these words definitions they are similar but do not mean the exact same thing. Basically what it comes down to is the fact that yes there are many words that are similar in nature but in general english was created in a way that doesn't give the exactly same definition for two different words. Now I realize that this doesn't apply to every word but in general this idea tends to work. So, why is it then that so many people treat these words as if they were exactly the same? Its because that they are pretty much as close as you can get when it comes to words being similar in nature without the words meaning the exact same thing.

If this is really true then it should be able to be proven and the only way to do so is by giving the definitions of each of these words. The dictionary I will be using to define these words is the online dictionary known as:

http://www.dictionary.com

Well then lets define our first term which is the word dedication and according to the dictionary it means the following:

Dedication is complete and whole hearted devotion to something. IE that something include a career, ideal, organization, or pretty much anything else that you are willing to spend the time required to work on achieving complete and whole hearted devotion.

Next in order to define what "active participation" means we must first examine the words separately and then combine them into a single definition. Yes the second part will be open to interpretation and I highly encourage everyone to define what these words truly mean to you because even when your using the dictionary there are many ways to define a word that could make the word mean something radically different than the definition you are using. Well since it makes sense to define the words in the order of which that phrase is currently put together I will first define the word "active." Active according to dictionary.com means the following:

For what the purpose of this post we will be use the definition that refers to how someone spends their time with X organization. So, active therefore means that you as a member of an organization participates regularly in the organizations activities.

After we have defined the word "active the next step in this process is to define what "participation" means. Again we are using the same resource to define these words to be able to say that we constantly used the same source. Therefore the definition of this word is as follows:

Well in order to continue using the same force we are going to use a dictionary that does not define the word as it is being used on a really good basis but for purpose the definition will work good enough. Its definition is its the fact of taking part as in some action or attempt.

Defining these two words obviously to some time so to combine them appropriately will take a couple of sentences to mesh these terms together into one definition. Warning: again I would like to repeat that this is entirely based upon my opinion and interpretation so if you think differently don't be offended but instead share what you think about the topic and after defining all the terms above we come to the point where we have to combine these words into a single definition, so here it is:

"Active Participation" means its the action or attempt of someone being involved in a particular topic, idea, person, place, or activity on a regular basis with a regular basis means the person is on a continual and regular basis is taking action or attempting the thing that the person is referring to.

so to some up dedication basically describes the relative number of times that a person commits to a certain thing when that persons does the thing more than several times. While active participation refers to a person that is acting or attempt the thing you are describing with these two words when its something that someone does on a consistent basis.

Since we have now defined all the terms for this series of posts next time we will focus in on what does dedication to Scouting mean and then finally we will examine and try to help identify the qualities of what active participation demonstrates to others.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster/2012 Summer Camp Chairman

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Next on ‘The Voice’: An Eagle Scout prepares for battle « Bryan on Scouting

Next on ‘The Voice’: An Eagle Scout prepares for battle « Bryan on Scouting

Check it out!!!!!!! A Eagle Scout has made it to the final audition round of the voice. I hope he gets into the competition but even if he doesn't hes still done a awesome job!!!!!!

Primary Focus of 2012: Summer Camp

Just as a reminder the focus of 2012 is going to be on anything that relates to Summer Camp. So just as a reminder I wanted to put together a list so far of all the posts I have created that relate to Summer Camp(Just a FYI some of these posts were created in late 2011):

1. Summer Camp Planning Series: Reviewing Last Year's Summer Camp
2. Why Summer Camp Is Important Part 1
3. Why Summer Camp Is Important Part 2
4. Why Summer Camp Is Important Part 3
5. General Typing of Scout Camps For Cub Scouts
6. General Typing of Campouts and Summer Camps Introduction(Part 2)

Well So far thats it for now but as we go through the rest of 2012 I will be adding a new post about which posts are the newest in regards to the primary focus of 2012 which again is Summer Camp.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Weekend and Summer Camp Options For Boy Scouts(Post 1)

Well after spending some serious time thinking about the best way to proceed with how to show the various types of outings I have decided that my original estimate is probably going to be a fair amount lower than I originally thought. So to clear up why this is happening I will be spending a fair sized chunk of this post about the various types or kinds of campouts that are available to Boy Scouts. Well to get started I just have to say that beyond Venturing pretty much Boy Scouts has the most different kinds of camping activities a Scout could go on.

Many people think that Boy Scout campouts come down to three basic categories which include weekend camping, summer camp, and high adventure camping. Yes in general these basically cover the majority of campouts Boy Scouts go on I would like to expand upon this idea to help leaders, youth, and parents see that there are many more camping opportunities than you think available for them to participate in.

Basically it comes down to one of the more basic principles that outline what Boy Scouts is all about. This is sometimes referred to as the activity ratio or the word "Scouting Ratio." Basically for our purposes I will be referring to this equation or concept as the Scouting ratio, so here is the definition of this concept that is crucial to how and why we do the things we do when it comes to having a active and large Troop is that Scouts should live outdoors. So the saying is that of:

"The word Scouting is 3/4 Outing."

So thats it thats the saying but now most people would think that this is a stupid saying that has nothing to do with the scouting but the truth is that this saying is one of a small groups of sayings that help youth and leaders to remember the foundations of what Boy Scouts is all about. To further your understanding I guess I should probably fully explain what I am referring to, so heres the actual definition:

"This saying when properly explained is one of the foundation principles that Boy Scouts is all about including the time all the way back to Scouting was first founded in the UK by Lord Baden Powell. Lord Baden Powell when asked about what scouting is all about is that its all about getting young men outdoors and teaching them to be productive active citizens in a time where the importance of being a good citizen was beginning to falter due to world events that were occurring around the year 1910." 

"So basically this saying states that the primary way to help accomplish the aims of Scouting and use of the Scouting Methods is to get boys outside and not just on a occasional basis. When looking at the work theres a prefix and another word that forms the word Scouting which is outing. More of less when looking at the word scouting comes down to meetings and activities."

"Currently the majority of time for Scouts is spent on Troop meetings which is the exact opposite of how Scouts is supposed to be about. Instead the majority of time should be spent on Scout outings. In order to help people come to a good ratio of meetings to outings it was shown that the best Troops that had the least amount of drop-out Scouts is that 3/4 of the Scout program should be spent on time devoted to outings that are in the outdoors not in buildings but truly in the Outdoors. With the remaining 1/4 being spent of meetings."

Well now that we got that out of the way we will return to the primary focus of this post which is showing the major kinds of Scout Outings there are. So heres the list:

1. Weekend Outing  

2. Summer Camp

3. Jamboree's

4. International Camping (Does not include international Jamboree's)

 5. Competition Outing's

6. Other Campout's and Outings 

 Thats it so basically more or less unless one of these six outing types become way to long to be put into one post you can expect that to finish this series of outings there will be at least 6 more posts. But thats not all we have to cover about summer camp, campouts, and Outings we need to cover, so the last chunk of this series of typing campouts will just briefly cover the summer camps and outings available to Venturing Scouts which is one of the two co-ed programs that are part of the Boy Scouts of America.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.

Scout Hours Update 2

Well so continuing my regular updates about the number of hours I spent on Scout related activities, projects, events, or anything else related to Scouting, I now have the total number of hours spent on Scouts for the month of February 2012. The total was definitely higher than January 2012 so my prediction based on the number of outings I have this coming month will probably mean that there will be another increase in hours. So before I just ramble on I guess I should probably share the total, so for the month of February 2012 the total number of hours spent on Scout related tasks or activities comes to:

131.75 Hrs

So the average number of hours per day breaks down to:

4.54 Hrs

Well I am beginning to realize that compared to a fair majority of people I spend just a little bit more time on Scouts when compared to other Scouts. To me though I think that I am just doing my share of the work for Scouts that is expected of me. Of course I would never expect someone else to spend as much time as I do on Scouts on a monthly basis but in reality if you have 4 weeks of meetings plus a campout or another day long activity then the total hours should come to about 30 hours or 6 hours worth of meetings plus on average 14 hours for the Scout weekend activity that is occurring during that particular. Yes since most Troops go camping pretty much 10 to 12 months a year the activity hours probably is a fair bit higher but I would just say that the number of hours spent pretty fairly represents the number of hours Scouts spend on monthly outings.

Yours in Scouting Service

Mark West

Assistant Scoutmaster

Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125

Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council

NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff

WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)

Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08

If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.