[cubscouts] A note about Boy Scout Summer Camping

[Dpsimmons at aol.com]

This is from the Chairman of Pelathe District. Thought it would be nice for 
 all Scout parents to see. David
 
 
 
Pelathe is off to a great start of the summer camping season, with the  
successful completion of the Cub Day Camp last week for 274 young boys.   Over 
the next 8 or 9 weeks, virtually every Pack and Troop will be  sending boys 
to camps Naish and Bartle for Bear and Webelos Camps, and  resident boy 
Scout summer camp.  Several troops also will be attending  camps out of council. 
 In addition, some of our troops and crews  will be attending one or more 
of the National High Adventure Bases such as  Philmont, Double-H Ranch, 
Seabase Florida or Northern Tier Canoe Base - the  pinnacle of Scouting fun!  We 
even have five Boy Scouts attending  Brownsea National Youth Leadership 
Training this month - the youth equivalent of  Wood Badge.
 
The summer camping season should be the highlight of the entire year  for 
our Scouts, whether it's their first camp away from home and  sleeping in a 
tent at Naish as a Bear Cub, or their 8th and last year as a  Boy Scout 
camper, waiting to hear their name called for additional paint  responsibilities 
in Mic-O-Say at Bartle - just a few weeks before leaving  for college.  
Scout camps are special because they are all about  building character, 
increasing self-confidence and self-reliance,  and finding productive ways to have 
fun.   
 
Summer camp attendance requires a commitment from not just the Scouts, but  
from their parents also.  There are many potential conflicts - sports  
competitions, family vacations, church camps, music camps, Boy's State or  
sports skills development camps.  Each of these are important and help  to 
develop the Scouts into well-rounded young people, and each  require financial and 
time commitments from  the families.  Again, however, Scout camps are 
special, and it's  good that you appreciate that fact! 
 
I want to thank every parent of our Scout campers for making  attendance at 
Cub or Boy Scout camp a priority for your son this year, so  he may benefit 
from the entire Scouting program.  This is where he  will forge those 
special friendships that will last a lifetime, learn new  skills that could pique 
a choice of a career or hobby, gain  confidence in his ability to survive 
and have fun away from home and its  (electronic) comforts, and observe up 
close the wonders of nature that  we too often shut out of doors during our 
busy lives.
 
If you as a parent have the opportunity to attend part or all of Scout camp 
 with your son, you also will benefit from seeing him grow in his 
relationships  with his friends and see his involvement in the Scouting program in 
more depth  than you normally experience at regular meetings or even weekend  
camp-outs.  It's great exercise, and you also can duck the emails and text  
messages for a few days and learn to really relax and enjoy the moment.
 
For our Cub Scout packs, an active Summertime Activities program will help  
to keep your boys involved with Scouts while you're not holding regular  
weekly den and monthly pack meetings.  Whether it's a bike rodeo, a hike at  
Clinton Lake, a swimming pool party, a walk around the KU campus, a  barbecue 
competition, a visit to a museum, a movie night downtown, a stream  
cleanup, South Park band concerts or one of the dozens of other activities  
available - keep the boys busy and in contact with all of the other Scouts in  your 
pack.  
 
Be sure to continue to send in those great pictures and articles to the  
Journal-World about your Scouting adventures.  Have a great summer at  camp!
 
Frank Wright
District Chair

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