7 Sustainable Practices In Action At The Jamboree

7 Sustainable Practices In Action At The Jamboree

Another cool article about what the Summit & the 2013 Jamboree is going to be about!. Make sure to check out this article and see other awesome and interesting facts, details, and stats about the Summit aka SBR aka Summit Bechtel Reserve aka permanent home of the BSA National Jamboree aka site of the 2019 World Scout Jamboree being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Heres just a brief snippet from the article itself:

"Sustainability is a big part of the Summit experience, and Scouts who attend the 2013 jamboree will get to take part in it. While some of the sustainability designs will be front and center, there will be others that may be a little harder to spot. See if you notice these seven features when you get to the jamboree......"

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

Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Troop 669

So on Monday April 2, 2012 I was given the opportunity and invited to a Eagle Scout Court of Honor (COH) for a member of Troop 669 which ended up being a fantastic ceremony in which I got to say a few words about the new Eagle Scout, not really focusing on me but I should have prepared a short set of notes so I would be able to not ramble and focus on making my congratulations remarks much more organized but that really isn't important. What was important was that the new Eagle Scout got a lot of wisdom from the 8 or so adults that spoke about their experience with their own Eagle Scout Journey and what they believe is now expected as a Eagle Scout within their community and also in the global community. So before I get too much further I should probably say who it was which was a person of TD and the reason why Im using initials is that I did not get permission to specifically mention the persons name.

So in all the time that I have known about TD is that it was always interesting how he balanced his school-life, home-life, Scout-life, and finally his sports-life. Now many believe that balancing sports and Scouts is something that just doesn't work at all. Well people I hate to tell you this but thats usually not the truth at all and while I say that I also recognize that some people just don't know how to balance all the obligations or have different priorities in their obligations. Really though the obligations balancing act even though its important isn't a make or break deal for showing, knowing, and understanding what being a Eagle is all about. So the reason I found the obligations balancing act interesting is that in truth (WARNING!!! NOT A SUPER POSITIVE THOUGHT) he definitely was not on top of my list for becoming a Eagle Scout but that just goes to show that their are many different people with a very wide range of personalities and characteristics. Especially when I run into a Eagle Scout that I didn't think would make it, it just makes me more proud of that particular Eagle Scout. I guess what I saying is that TD should be even more proud because he first beat the odds to becoming a Eagle Scout. Second he showed that just because you don't always show up to meetings on a very regular basis doesn't mean that you aren't capable of becoming one of the few people to earn his Eagle in the BSA.

Hopefully people won't take that negatively but I guess I just wanted to show you that not all Eagle Scouts earn or have their Scouting journey as many expect would happen in regards to those who become Eagle Scouts. Beyond that when I was working and seeing him directly when I lived close enough to Troop 669 from 2007 to 2009 was that he developed a strong set of leadership skills and really didn't have a motivation problem when it came to working on and finishing advancement requirements.

My final words of this topic is to remind TD and every other Eagle Scout out their that one of the most important sayings that a Eagle Scout should understand, remember, and not take lightly is that of the following:

"Once A Eagle; Always A Eagle"

Personally Im not exactly sure what this means and even though I understand on a more basic level than I would like to Im just not sure if I will be given the opportunity to come as close as possible to a full understanding. Again congratulations to TD and may he always keep showing the Spirit of Scouting in his everyday life. As a Eagle TD is encouraged to become a person who has the knowledge and respect that is to be expected of a Eagle Scout and know that this is a responsibility that is obligatory in nature. Finally TD, may the Spirit of Scouting and the World Wide Brotherhood of the Scouting Movement always be with you until you depart from this world and the last thing is to remember that even though Scouting is so radically different in many different places in the world you are part of the largest Brotherhood and Sisterhood of youth in the world.

Just one last thought about Scouts and the Eagle Scout is that no matter where you are more than likely you are very close to one of your 27,999,999 brothers or sisters in the world you just have to spend the time to explore and look at the world carefully.

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 I: Personal Health Review (Part 3)

All Scouts & Scouters even your youth or the the parents that are not definitely in a primary leadership role within the Troop should most definitely be encourage to do so. Really you aren't asking for someone to give too much time out of their day to do the online training thats available 24 hours a day 365 days per year usually for most it can be accomplished in less then 45 minutes. Heck you could do it watching TV during the commercials in within just about 2 hours worth of TV. The nice thing is that you can pause play or replay that particular section as much as you want. So the medical conditions that are specifically mentioned in the online training course include the following 4 conditions:

1. Epilepsy
2. Diabetes
3. Anaphylaxis
4. Asthma

Obviously these are not all of the medical conditions that need to be known about but usually these 4 conditions cover the majority of Scouts who would have a higher risk when it comes to aquatic activities in your Troop. Other conditions besides these 4 will also be covered in addition to all the common medical issues except epilepsy will be covered in future posts.

Many people do not know what the word epilepsy means, so a easier to understand term when talking with Scouts or parents who've never heard about this is that of "seizure disorder". Now even then a fair amount of people don't know what is exactly mean't by the term seizure disorder. Instead of understanding these multi-word medical conditions their is a very high likely-hood that a person understands what a seizure is and what some of the symptoms are for a person experiencing a seizure.

One minor problem though is that most people think that full body seizures also as grand-mal seizures are the most common type of seizure that occurs. This is partly due to the medical community explaining it the easiest way possible without covering too much detail but its mostly due to how hollywood displays medical conditions in a very narrow and very extreme light. More or less the other 2 major seizures that a qualified supervisor should be able to recognize is that of petite- and absence seizures. More or less the petite type of seizure is only where certain parts of the body are experiencing jerking movements and finally the last one we come to is that of absence seizures which theirs really no jerking movements but is characterized by spells of staring off into space which makes this the hardest seizure to identify in people because its more often than not described and looked at like a person is just staring off into space.

Before we get to much detailed or on system overload lets move onto the other more important issues to cover. Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder are defined as 3 or more seizures that can not be a symptom or be correlated to another medical condition. The best person to talk to is the parent because they usually know the most of their kid who has Epilepsy. Activity restrictions are generally not needed except when one of the following occurs:

• Scout forgets or runs out of medication
• A change in Neurological Status
• Any pre-seizure activity or potential pre-seizure behavior
• One aquatic activity that is allowed in Boy Scouts is that of SCUBA Diving but can not or will not be allowed to happen or even get certified in it.

Pretty much the SCUBA Diving item listed above is all that needs to be covered but for the other 4 items a explanation is needed. Several of these situations are call emergency services immediately while some of them do not require emergency services but ultimately it is up to your Troop nurse which basically is the adult with the highest level of training available or when the primary supervisor just isn't comfortable or just a little bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Scouting takes place in the outdoors and more often than not Scouts get into front-country or back-country that would result in serious problems if something were to happen to this youth member. For the majority of the time though this probably won't ever be a issue but then again that isn't always true. Two conditions that would be cause for concerns is the person who for some reason or another experiences their first seizure in their life or the situation where a currently diagnosed youth or adult gets injured in some way or the person may experience another medical condition where their is a possibility of that condition resulting in a seizure. For the majority this won't ever be a issue because many parents, adults with Epilepsy, or youth with Epilepsy tend to be fairly good at knowing in general when theirs concerns about any epileptic activity or control issues.

Forgetting the medication or for some reason the Scout runs out or the medication is lost or destroyed their are basically 2 different ways to handle this depending on whether cell reception is available or not. If theirs mobile coverage immediately contact the parent and let them decide exactly what to do because in some cases not leaving early is a option or it maybe leaving early the best decision. ultimately unless the the parent is present and says yes he can stay but if the parent isn't their you ultimately have to take the action you are most comfortable with. Secondly if theirs no reception and the parent can not be contacted immediate evacuation of you, your group, and the member that had a seizure.

Since Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain any change in the persons neurologic status should result in action being taken immediately. First evaluate the member's signs and symptoms to see if their could be another reason for the change in status such as heat related emergencies, headaches, migraines, dehydration and many other conditions. This is where the parent if present decides what he thinks is the best option but if the parent isn't there its up to you to make the decision with choosing the solution you are most comfortable with.

Next we come to the pre-seizure activity which is normally a neurologically related issue or behavior. Some of the more common behaviors or symptoms of this activity include:

• Aura: Seeing flickering or solid spots
• Hearing Sounds that aren't their
• Seeing stuff that isn't their 
• Headaches
• migraines
• Feeling of increased pressure with in the brain or skull
• Confusion
• dizziness
• Poor coordination
• Slurred speech
• Problems talking
• Disorientation
• Staring off into space
• Failure to answer or respond to his name or ask a question

This is most definitely not a complete list and just because its a symptom listed here or that other people with epilepsy experience doesn't mean that it will happen to the person under your care. Also showing one or two of these signs or symptoms doesn't mean the person is having a seizure but it means that the person should be monitored more closely by a adult. So as you can see theirs a-lot of information to know and understand so two of the best ways to help you know how to deal with this problem is communicating with the member if its a adult or when its a youth it would be appropriate with the parent present to try to figure out what exactly happens or what you should look for and getting the highest level of first aid/emergency care that you are willing to do so.

At a minimum their should be at least one person with a wilderness first aid or any training level above that. Since Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is required by National High Adventure Bases that is the reason I suggest that as a minimum level of training but the higher level of trained medical professionals you have can have s serious impact upon the level of care you have available. Beyond that though I think that every youth over age 14 and every adult present at the activity should at least get their WFA certification and also get as many youth from the time they start Boy Scouts to the time they become 14 trained in at least standard first aid. Yes I admit that Boy Scouts younger than 14 have the ability to understand a fair amount of the WFA material but normally most agencies that offer WFA have a restriction that you have to be at least 14 in order to earn your WFA certification.

Lastly Im going to cover a topic that many Scouts, Scouters, parents, & medical professionals consider a controversial topic. This does not necessarily go with the feelings of the majority of people in the world but from what I have seen and experience is what has lead me to form this opinion. Again this is not ENDORSED  BY THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA OR ANY MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BUT IS JUST WHAT I THINK IS APPROPRIATE AND REASONABLE. ANYONE USING THIS INFORMATION DOES SO AT THEIR OWN RISK & DOESNT MEAN THAT IF YOU DID SO THAT I WOULD FULLY SUPPORT OR BE LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU USING THIS INFORMATION BELOW UNTIL I GO BACK TO THE REAL FOCUS OF THIS POST!

In order to make my point and opinion clear I will first start out with a example related to this controversial topic. As scouters and adults we all know that no matter how hard we try to ensure that we watch every single youth at every single minute of every single day its just impossible to do so. Many times the first person to notice a problem is the various other buddies and members of the Troop that witness what just happened to their peer or friend. Most people say that with any medical emergency the most important thing that can be done is to recognize and respond to the medical emergency as soon as possible. Again that group of people tend to be the youth so telling them what to look for and what to do until a adult gets over to the youth that is injured. One of the more rare awards out their is the Lifesaving or Meritorious Action Awards which include the following:

• Honor Medal With Crossed Palms
• Honor Medal
• Heroism Award
• Medal of Merit
• National Certificate of Merit

So you may be asking why in the world would I be talking about the Lifesaving or Meritorious Action Awards in a series of posts all about SSD. Even if you don't believe me at first I can assure you that by the time I finish this post the reason will become very clear. Basically the connection between getting youth able to recognize and respond to a emergency carries a central theme that is obvious in all of these Lifesaving or Meritorious Action Awards has a direct relationship between the two points Im making about youth be able to recognize and respond to emergencies. So, the theme is that all of the Scouts in some way, shape, or form is that of the training in first aid and responding to emergencies that are essential to the Scouting Program.

Everyone earning these Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards took their knowledge and training in first aid and emergencies to a level that many people even if given the opportunity to do so would not take interest or spend the time necessary to perform at that level of service to their fellow man. Everyone even if they don't earn one of the Lifesaving or Meritorious Action Awards has the responsibility to help every person they can to the best of their ability. Do not take this the wrong way or think Im promoting in Scouts to put themselves at risk of personal injury or in situations that could result in their death because that is the furthest thing from the truth.

More or less the reason for mentioning this is for me and the youth to break-down and eliminate the stereotype of youth being lazy, unmotivated, not helpful, or not respectful is to show that the youth are more capable and intelligent than many adults give them credit for. This isn't something you can apply to every youth and the stereotype does exist in some youth but remember that you:

• Were just like them at some point in your life
• Were told the same thing by your parents
• Felt hurt when your parents did these things to you
• Swore you wouldn't do the same thing as your parents did
• Know somewhere in your mind is the thought of "If I just gave them a chance, who knows maybe they could surprise me?"

By the way I'm the furthest thing from being a perfect angel to my parents but we all do mean things to our parents so it isn't like this is a brand new thing that just started in my generation. The issues maybe different and the ways teens go about doing them may change but theirs always a certain major issue during that time while during this time its something totally different.

I think thats enough of a explanation and a rambling for today but to recap their are many important things to think about here which include who you can get the information from that you need to be aware of as the primary supervisor, the signs and symptoms of epilepsy, the three major types of seizures, what to do in various different situations, why youth can be a great resource when it comes to recognizing and responding to a emergency, and finally giving a explanation of why the stereotype about teens and youth aren't as wide spread as you think.

Next up in the "Personal Health Review" Section of the Easiest Way to Cover Safe Swim Defense Series is to discuss the issues and concerns surrounding the medical condition known as Diabetes. So thats item but as you can see the "Personal Health Review" Section of this particular series is go to end up being quite extensive in nature.

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 3

So March ended about 5 days ago and lets just say I was pretty shocked to see the number of hours I spent on Scouts. But then again it really didn't bother me that much because of the fact that I pretty much on a very regular basis for the month of March had too much time on my hands. Having too much time available is somewhat of a interesting thing that can be taken both negative and positively depending your outlook towards the whole situation.

Well before I waste time rambling on the positive and negative effects that having too much time available  to work with I guess I need to move onto the real purpose. So here without further rambling the total number of hours spent on Scout Projects for the month of March in the year of 2012 is that of:

266.75 hours

Another more meaningful way to break this down is to share the bowling is to state it as a ratio of hours per days and that ratio is as follows:

8.6 hrs/day

Now that is definitely a large number based upon the month that just finished but in reality I would've thought that even that number of hours wasn't enough to do justice to all the posts on the blog, organized Scout activities, or various other Scout Projects that I felt I should've spent more time on in order to have made more progress. Obviously, I realize most people wouldn't have the energy or time to commit to that level. Instead what I ask is that a Scout or Scouter spend the time required of them to be beneficial to their unit.

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 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.