How is it almost over?

 First an update:

https://scoutingevent.com/311-fallwb2024

August 23-25 and September 21-22, 2024. 

These dates are fast approaching. How fast?  When Scouts BSA camp ends next week, the deadline to have sufficient participants is just a few days away. There is a minimum number to run the course, and while they are nearly there, we aren't. You can scroll to past blogs to learn the importance of Wood Badge training. It is a win for Scouting for you to be trained, but more importantly, it is a win for you as an individual to receive the training. If you aren't Wood Badge trained, you should be.

This morning, I woke earlier than usual. Not sure why. Did not need to, as the store is not open this closing day of Webelos Weekend. Probably the realization that when I wake up next Saturday, it will be the last day the store is open for summer camp. When I was getting around, looking outside, I realized the sky is not as light as it was, and the days are getting shorter. How did we get to the prologue to the last week of camp?

Last night was Arrow Path, a program for Webelos Scouts, to encourage them to make the jump from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA. I realize how important this transition is, and yet feel that I am not giving it enough emphasis. Simply put, it is far easier to recruit into Scouts BSA from Cubs than it is to go into Middle Schools and convince kids and parents that as busy as they are in their activities, they need to sign up for Scouts BSA and its commitment. Make no mistake, the values emphasized by Scouting are critical to families, our nation, and the world, but there is so much noise in everyone's life that sometimes we cannot allow anymore, even if it would be what we need. 

Arrow Path is an introduction to the Honor Camping Society at Camp Geiger tailored to Webelos. The Tribe of Mic-O-Say, that program, stands without peer in its ability to advance Scouting and retain youth into their late teens and beyond. The percentage of Eagle Scouts in the Pony Express Council (and Heart of America Council, to be fair), is far above the national average. The numbers of older scouts, providing invaluable leadership to younger scouts in the Pony Express Council also stands above ALL others. At Camp Geiger, the youth staff, paid a pittance compared to other camp staffs, is on average far older than any other. The number of Eagle Scouts on staff without peer. So what does Arrow Path do?

It introduces the pageantry of Mic-O-Say to Cub Scouts. Mic-O-Say introduces the values of the Scout Oath and Law to Cub Scouts in a setting that teaches them at a far deeper level than could ever be done in a Scout meeting. How many have gone through and reviewed with Scouts at all levels, the Oath and Law, in those meetings, and wondered if anyone was getting it? The ceremonies of Mic-O-Say dress up those important subjects in pageantry that reinforces those values in a way that impresses for life.

How important is the pageantry? Let me cite an example. Every summer, Camp Geiger hosts troops that have come from many locations around the country, and like last year, the world. Many of these troops, from near and far, call Camp Geiger home. Some are newcomers. This year, we hosted a troop that attends a different scout camp every year, and their intent was to come to Geiger, and experience the camp, and then move on. The ceremonies of Mic-O-Say had such an impact, that it is quite likely that the troop will return, and maybe call Camp Geiger home. The boys loved it, the leaders loved the camp and were not deterred by the several hour drive. That doesn't just happen, and it is not just ceremonies and costumes, it is the program provided, the staff administering the program, and the facilities. 

Next year is the 90th Anniversary of Camp Geiger, and equally important, the Centennial Anniversary of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. While much celebration of those milestones will occur, it is the success of the programs that have led us to this point, as Scouting America attempts to reach out to youth desperately needing its values, the vehicle that draws youth in is more important than ever.

In the mean time, I look out, and see the sun rising, knowing that the camping season is nearly over, and wonder where the time went. It seemed but an instant, on the hills above the river...

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