Scouting and the Outdoors

Dear Scouts, Scouters and Friends of Thomas,

 

Since Thomas’ accident, I have had an opportunity to talk with many of the Scouts and adult leaders of our Troop.  It is only natural that, during these conversations, we have talked about the vital role the outdoors plays in the Scouting program.  For many boys, Scouting is the only activity they engage in which gets them into the natural outdoor environment.  Many Scouts and Scouters have told me that over the years, it was the Scouting program which first taught them that they were capable of much more than they first thought.  Baden Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts calls the outdoors one of the Methods of Scouting.  He meant that the outdoors is one of the key components of Scouting which helps our youth discover who they are, and aids them in their transition to manhood.

 

Troop 77 has always had a strong outdoor program, and we intend to continue this program in the future.  We believe, as Baden Powell did over one hundred years ago, that there is something magical about the outdoors that has a profound effect on the development of the adolescent.  Besides – the outdoors is really fun!

 

As we go through our lives, sometimes things happen to us or our friends.  Some of those things are good, and some of those things are bad.  This is a natural consequence of living our lives actively.  And just as surely as eating nothing but hot dogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner is bad for us, so too is engaging in extremely risky behavior or activities.  But on the other side, sitting alone in our room playing computer games all day long is an extremely unhealthy activity as well.  We need to find a balance so that we can be actively engaged in living our lives, and at the same time, recognize that every activity we engage in has some risk associated with it.

 

In the Scouting world, we have a book called the Guide to Safe Scouting.  This book represents the accumulated knowledge of over one hundred years of Scouting in the United States.  It lists many different activities for Scouts, and the guidelines to be followed when undertaking these activities.  For us, this book helps to strike the balance we seek in running an exciting, engaging Scouting outdoor program.  It is often said that, if you take the ‘outing’ out of ‘scouting’, there is almost nothing left.  

 

While Thomas’ accident was very serious, and while we continue to pray for Thomas’ recovery, you should know that the Sowells encourage the Troop to continue its long tradition of running a strong and engaging outdoor program, and we intend to do just that.  Virginia asked that I add the following:

 

“I wholeheartedly support the outdoor part of scouting.”  “Thomas LOVES this aspect of scouts and will hopefully participate in it again.”

“Even when a facility doesn't require certain safety measures, the scouts always go the extra mile. Helmets for rafting and snow boarding aren't always common (and aren't required at the Nantahala nor at Cataloochee), but Troop 77 has always required the added protection. Scouts in general, and our troop in particular, is safer in so many ways than other, non-scouting programs.”

Yours in Scouting,

Brad Gilmer

Scoutmaster – Troop 77