Visual Storytelling Workshops back in action this summer

30 April 2013

Shameless plug: Join me at Wood Badge this summer at Philmont

10 April 2013

Wood Badge + Philmont = Happy Land

I interrupt my regular blog programming for this important Wood Badge Wednesdays announcement…

I’m staffing Wood Badge this summer at Philmont Scout Ranch, and there’s a spot on our course for you and your Scouting friends.

The course, officially called S2-571-13-3 but known here as Wood Badge 106, is held August 19 to 24 at Philmont. It’s hosted by Circle Ten Council but is open to Scouters from any council in the country.

When I took Wood Badge as a participant last summer, I had no idea the level of planning that the staffers underwent to make our week so life-changing. But now that I’m on staff and have attended two all-day staff-development sessions and a few evening meetings with my fellow troop guides, I’m seeing first-hand just how much work goes into a typical course. Continue reading »

What’s the most positive decision your Scouts could make?

20 March 2013

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For teens, it just might be saying no — to tobacco, to drugs, and to alcohol.

And now, courageous Scouts and Venturers who pledge to remain tobacco-, drug- and alcohol-free have the opportunity to to win an all-expenses-paid trip to any of the BSA’s high-adventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch, Northern Tier, or Florida Sea Base. Everything is included — roundtrip flights, ground transportation, program fees — for an enviable prize valued at $3,000.

The sweepstakes is brought to you by Boys’ Life. In other words, sorry, but adults aren’t eligible to enter. It’s solely for registered Boy Scouts or Venturers between the ages of 14 and 17 at time of entry.

So, leaders, send your Scouts to the Trail of Courage contest page to enter. All they do is take the pledge and submit their contact information. It’s simple, but hurry — the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 31.

The drawing will yield just one randomly selected winner, but I think all would agree that any Scout or Venturer who takes the pledge to steer clear of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol is winning at life.

Spread the word: Help send Scouters to conferences at Philmont Training Center

12 March 2013

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philmont-ambassador-patch There’s another side to Philmont where training, not trekking, takes center stage.

The Philmont Training Center, the BSA’s national volunteer education facility, hosts more than 5,000 Scouters and family members each summer for its signature weeklong courses.

But even though everyone’s heard of Philmont — aka “Scouting paradise” — not everyone knows about the conferences designed to educate volunteers in all areas of the program, from Cub Scouts to Venturing.

That’s where the new Philmont Training Center Ambassador program steps up. This council-level volunteer is responsible for promoting PTC training opportunities within his or her council.

What’s in it for you? And how do you become your council’s PTC ambassador? Read on… Continue reading »

A stunning look at Philmont through the eyes of a Ranger

5 March 2013

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Tucker Prescott, the mind behind the video.

What’s it like to spend a summer as a Philmont Ranger?

Incredible seems too weak a word, and amazing doesn’t quite cut it either.

When words fail, try video. That’s the approach Tucker Prescott took with his magical, transcendent short film called “Philmont: A Ranger’s Summer.”

It manages to be both understated and powerful by sharing what one Ranger’s summer looked like.

Enough words; just watch: Continue reading »

Philmont’s turning 75! So what’s in it for you?

20 November 2012

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It’s OK to stare.

Feast your eyes on Philmont Scout Ranch’s droolworthy 75th Anniversary Arrowhead patch.

As if 10 days at Philmont weren’t great enough, anybody who takes a trek in 2013 gets one of these eye-catching patches to hang on their right pocket.

In 1938, Waite Phillips donated his first gift of land to the BSA. Seventy-five years later, Philmont plans to celebrate this initial donation and the continuing legacy of the BSA’s hiking high-adventure base in New Mexico.

To get one of these patches — and the unforgettable Philmont experience that comes with it — register for a 2013 trek soon. Spaces are still available, but I wouldn’t procrastinate too long.

Photo from Flickr. Some rights reserved by Dan_Trew

Chill out! Philmont’s open in the winter, too

26 October 2012

PhilCast’s second season takes you deeper inside Philmont

10 July 2012

For the first time ever, Philmont offers Wood Badge in Spanish

24 May 2012

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Todos los Scouts se merece un líder entrenado.

In other words, “Every Scout deserves a trained leader.”

The statement is true in any language, and now, Scout leaders who are more comfortable speaking Spanish can take the highest level of adult leader training, Wood Badge, at a first-of-its-kind national Spanish-language Wood Badge course taught at the Philmont Training Center in Cimarron, N.M.

The course, held in conjunction with the Asociación de Scouts de México, takes place July 29 to Aug. 4, 2012. Read on for all the details.

Getting away and giving back, Philmont style

16 May 2012

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Give and you shall receive.

At this fall’s Volunteer Vacation at Philmont Scout Ranch, participants give a week of trail service and receive an unforgettable adventure in the captivating Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northeast New Mexico.

The American Hiking Society and the Boy Scouts of America joined forces to craft this trail stewardship event, which will take place Sept. 23 – 29, 2012.

It’s a perfect combo. You do a Good Turn for Scouting, meet like-minded Scouters and Scouts, and spend a week at Philmont.

Here are the details: