Hurricane Lessons

Lessons learned during Irene:

☁ Camp coffee pot should be packed in the go bag, not with the camping gear.
☁ Hot water is worth more than gold in the survival economy.
☁ Fill the freezer with water bottles. Transfer to cooler when power dies. Use for water or ice as needed.
☁ Have as many laptops charged as you can. Great way to recharge cell phones.
☁ Hurricane coffee. Like cowboy coffee only cooked on the outdoor grill.
☁ It’s tough to feel unprepared with a well planned go bag and a ShelterBox in your living room.
☁ It helps to trust in the maker of your house but if you can’t, don’t lose faith in YOUR maker.
☁ Always have a good novel to read.
☁ Be prepared to keep your children entertained. And entertained. And entertained.
☁ As much a you prepare for mother nature you’re still at the mercy of her whims. When in doubt, Karma.

 

The Razor’s Edge

Why I'm thinking of resigning as Scoutmaster and why it may be a good thing. 

Yes you read that right. The man who for the past almost 8 years who has bled khaki, is thinking about hanging up the expedition hat. This weekend at our campout I told my Scouts that if things continued as is I was resigning as Scoutmaster and would help anyone interested to find another Troop.
For at least six months now we've been having a problem within the troop of repeated infighting. For the most part it's been arguing or bickering and on occasion physical, though never to all out fisticuffs. At the center of the conflict, two patrol mates that a few years back were best friends but unfortunately no longer so. The other patrol members that are usually in attendance aren't much better and if not direct contributors are often guilty of adding fuel to the fire. If I had to sum it up I'd say that it's really a lack of respect for each other. 
I don't mean to paint these Scouts as bad young men. They all have good hearts and their Scoutcraft skills are strong, each having one if not more skills that they excel in. But when it comes down to intra-patrol relations they are all failing. We are a small troop - barely 8 strong and of those only half are regular attendees whether at meetings or monthly campouts. I cannot separate them to different patrols to put a healthy edge on the competition as there are barely enough to run one patrol to begin with. At least half a dozen meetings have been interrupted by the fighting amongst the Scouts. At summer camp things came to a head with one Scout expressing thoughts so negative I had no recourse but to advise his parents that counseling at a level of experience much higher than I could provide may be in order. We've sat down a number of times to talk through their conflicts. It seems to help and on a number of occasions and their parents have said things along the lines of "I don't know what you said to them but it seems to have made a big difference" - unfortunately that doesn't seem to stick. 
At this past weekend's campout things erupted once again and I brought the Scouts together and told them that if things continued like this I was going to step down as Scoutmaster. It's not fair to the adults who give up their weekends to have to act as referees every time we get together. It isn't fair to the other Scouts that every time they are together their adventures have to be interrupted with these "counseling sessions." Every once in a while I could see, but not nearly every time we get together. I told the Scouts to gather their chairs and bring them to a section of the campsite outside my view and hearing. I told them they needed to do some soul searching and decide what they wanted to do as far as the future of the troop. They need to work together peacefully and as a team and have a way to work out their conflicts when they inevitably occur. If that wasn't something they could all agree to do and do consistently then I would be calling the head of our chartering organization and telling him that I was done. In February there should be another group of Scouts crossing into the troop. The behavior they've been demonstrating is not how they should be setting the example for the new Scouts. How could they expect to lead a new group when they can't work together amongst themselves without constant fighting. 
There's a good chance that my stepping down could mean the folding of the troop. It's up to the CO if they would replace me, but I know any of the few active adults in the troop aren't looking to step into the position. Another parent who's been with me on most of the outings agrees that this unhealthy quarreling has gone on far too long. And while the Scouts are respected and appreciated by the community (primarily from the different civics organizations we've served in the town), the town parents fail to see the value of Scouting and are more concerned with the .00001% chance that their child may have a future as a professional athlete. It's their choice to make. Very few I expect will understand that I am looking at leaving Scouting because I love it so much. What would this mean for my own son? I would gladly (and very strongly encourage) him to join another troop. At first I thought I would at least join the committee of whatever troop he chose but I'm not sure about that either the more I think about it. For eight years now he's lived with his Scout leader. While I've tried to keep a balance between my role as his father and his Scout leader, that line has always been blurry. I will support him in his Scouting as his parent in whatever ways he needs, but maybe it's time that he get more of the independence that scouting fosters and to step out from the protection of his father being a part of every scout experience. We can always camp together in leisure and focus on OUR time together without Scouts being a factor. 
As far as my own involvement in Scouting that's still to be determined. I'm looking more and more to taking a lesser role. Anyone who's been following the blog knows that my involvement with ShelterBox has been becoming more and more of my focus. While the details haven't been determined yet I was recently asked to be part of a national committee to foster the relationship between Scouts and ShelterBox. Being a full-time volunteer for both organizations is taking more time than I have to give. It's taking more and more time away from my family, and considering that neither org involves a salary, there's my day job to be considered as well. I think I would still like to stay on as a merit badge counselor, likely for Emergency Preparedness and Wilderness Survival if accepted by our District. As of right now I haven't made a decision 100%. We'll see how things go over the next week or so. Other than my ASM who was with me on the campout I haven't shared my thoughts with any of the other parents yet (though some I believe do read the blog from time to time). A conversation with the District Director and our CO is in order as well depending on how things go. I believe in Scouting and what it has to offer young men and women. That's why it's so important to me that these boys, my son especially, have the environment where they can take advantage of all it has to offer. Providence has brought me this far. I believe that God has a plan for each one of us and maybe this is his way of pointing me to a new path. 
So continues the Scouter's Journey… Your comments are appreciated.

 

World Humanitarian Day

A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ALL, AND A BROTHER TO EVERY OTHER SCOUT, NO MATTER TO WHAT SOCIAL CLASS THE OTHER BELONGS.

Today is World Humanitarian Day, which focuses on the aid workers who put so much of their personal time and effort to helping those in need all around the world. In honor of today please consider the following appeal.  After reading the following if you would be so kind as to make a donation, please visit my fundraiser page at: http://www.tinyurl.com/shelterbox-scouter. If you would like to become a volunteer for ShelterBox, regardless of where you live, click here.

The drought affecting the Eastern Horn of Africa is the worst the region has seen in 60 years. Millions of families have been affected by massive water and food shortages, and the drought and ongoing conflict in Somalia is causing families to flee their homes, with thousands arriving at refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia every day.

The need for shelter is evident and ShelterBox is responding to help the most vulnerable. ShelterBox Response Team member Mike Greenslade, speaking from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, recently said, “The people fleeing the famine have only what they can carry and the need for emergency shelter is enormous. Plans and logistics are in place to move aid quickly to the worst affected areas.”

Children are particularly vulnerable to the famine. In Ethiopia, ShelterBox is working to provide shelter for refugee families fostering orphans and unaccompanied minors.

ShelterBox is working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kenya. The refugee camps in Dadaab, 100 km from the KenyaSomalia border, were originally designed to accommodate 90,000 refugees but the latest figures indicate that close to 400,000 people are living in and around the camps.

To date, ShelterBox has committed emergency shelter and life-saving supplies for up to 3,600 families in Kenya and Ethiopia and stands ready to continue helping those in greatest need.

In Libya, civil unrest has led to an urgent and growing humanitarian crisis. ShelterBox has formed a partnership with the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development and the Libyan Red Crescent Society to safely and efficiently deliver 150 ShelterBoxes and 300 tents to the people most in need. In addition, 50 boxes containing classroom equipment will be distributed in September to schools affected by the conflict to

ensure that they can reopen in time for the start of the new academic year. In addition to these ongoing humanitarian crises, ShelterBox is also responding following widespread flooding and landslides in the Philippines. Hundreds of families have been displaced in the Bicol Region due to destruction caused by Tropical Storm Juaning. Many families have lost their homes and belongings, and ShelterBox aid is en

route.

It is because of donors like you that we are able to respond to disasters like these. It’s crucial that we secure support for aid for families in these countries, as well as in preparation for the next inevitable disasters. We need your help today. Please consider supporting ShelterBox and our efforts to provide shelter, warmth and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable.

Where Your Help is Needed Most

Through the generosity of supporters like you, ShelterBox has been able to provide shelter and life-saving equipment to survivors of 150 disasters in 70 countries. Not only do we provide complete ShelterBox kits but also disaster-specific equipment—whether that be 10,000 sets of hats, gloves and scarves following

the Japan earthquake and tsunami or 20,000 water purification units provided to survivors of last year’s disaster in Pakistan.

Thank you for your consideration.  To donate: http://www.tinyurl.com/shelterbox-scouter

For more information on ShelterBox please visit: www.shelterboxusa.org

If you would like a representative from ShelterBox to speak to your organization please contact me.

 

 

The Purple Patch

A couple nights ago at our Troop meeting we had a Scout attend who hasn’t been able to attend for a couple months. While participating in one of the activities he made a comment about “I’m not a Scout…” as he was deferring his level of input to the other Scouts in attendance who’ve been progressing rock-steady with their advancement. I pointed his attention to the purple patch on his uniform worn above his heart – “Everyone who wears that patch” I said, “is a Scout – and so are you.”
It was nearly 2 and a half years ago that I started blogging. While I try not to be too obsessed with the statistics of visitors, it has helped me to get visibility into what topics attract the most attention. Last night I noticed a search query hitting the blog that was not in English. With the help of Google Translate I found out that what had been searched for – and landed someone here at my little soap-box, was a search (in Hebrew) for Patch of the World Scout Movement. Two things struck me – one, how the internet continues to be an amazing resource, and second was humility that someone searching on the icon that unites all Scouts worldwide, had found there way from across the globe – to me.
Of any of the patches on my uniform, the World Scout Emblem is the one I value most. I have a couple knots for service, and my “Trained” patch that I was proud to earn, but what matters most is being apart of the global family that is Scouting. I’ll be honest I get a real kick out of every time I see an episode of Man vs. Wild, where Bear Grylls wears the patch on his right sleeve at all times.

Bear Gryllls, Chief Scout and host/star of Man vs. Wild on Discovery.

Uniforms and “neckers” vary from country to country. The purple patch is one that is shared by all and represents what has been true since the founding days of BP, whether in Brooklyn or Benghazi “A Scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other scout, no matter to what social class the other belongs.”

 

Operation Cranford: Be Prepared

 

Last night was the culmination of a lot of hard work and planning and it literally paid off. Several months ago two Scout troops from Cranford, NJ started working together on a emergency preparedness event. What they pulled off was quite amazing and was a great benefit to the Scouts, to the community and to ShelterBox.
The basis for the event was that up to 40 families would volunteer to simulate families that were evacuated from their homes due to a local flood. The Scouts set up a tent city to house at least 160 people, not counting themselves, and provided food and entertainment to all the participants. As part of the entertainment the Scouts set up and manned stations where the guests could learn about different aspects of emergency preparedness like what to have ready for a “go bag” and planning a household escape plan. Keeping things fun there was a bean toss game that was an exact replica of the iconic green ShelterBox. If you completed a passport by attending enough stations you received a personal flashlight.
By working with the county, the scout troops were able to time their event to close out Union County’s annual Emergency Preparedness week. There were vehicles from police, fire, bomb squad, haz-mat, and the Fire Safety House
(http://www.njburncenter.com/community.html) a trailer that simulates a house fire, utilizing non-toxic smoke, and allows children to practice their home escape plan.
Attending dignitaries included community Freeholders, the president of the Cranford Rotary club and even the Department of Homeland Security came by to support the event. Patriot’s Path Council provided support and video equipment to document the event that will be edited and made available on YouTube.
When the troops started planning the event they also set a financial goal of raising enough money to fund the cost of a full ShelterBox ($1000). Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential life sustaining equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The cost for each box covers not only the materials but also the costs for storage, logistics and transportation to anywhere in the world within days of a disaster. The Scouts were so successful with their event and with amazing support from the community, they raised enough to provide a donation for TWO Shelter Boxes. The community got to learn how to better prepare their family for a natural disaster and the Scouts got to test their skills on how they could respond to and manage support for their community if called upon. A big Scout salute to the troops that participated and made it all possible, they did an outstanding job.