Next #TrekOnTuesday, share your fundraising ideas to win high-adventure base gear

Each year, the Scout Life team looks forward to our special #TrekOnTuesday shows dedicated to the high-adventure bases. We’re preparing for our Oct. 24 show right now, and we’ve lined up some gear to give away for anyone who shares ideas during the show about one of the less talked about aspects of visiting one of these locales: the fundraising.

You could win a 4-pack of hats (one from each base) if you comment along starting at 2 p.m. Central.

Trekking at a high-adventure base sticks with Scouts (and their leaders)

I’ve only been to one high-adventure base — the Summit — as an adult, and it’s a milestone memory for me. But I can’t imagine how cool (maybe even life changing) it would be to see any of these four super-camps as a Scout.

During our livestreams,  I’ve gotten to hear about horseback treks through Philmont, learned what it means to “portage” when traversing the Northern Tier backcountry and even talked with the general manager of Sea Base about how Scouts can serve as staff (and make pretty good money) when they’re old enough.

I mean, if you’d known about some of these opportunities as a kid, wouldn’t you have been down to take a trek? And really, that’s never an issue. Scouts are pretty much always intrigued with the possibility of visiting a high-adventure base.

So what stops them? Most often, the challenge is finding the money to go.

Is fundraising actually fundamental to the experience?

During the planning discussions that happen for shows like this, I’ve been reflecting on how we can get more youth — especially those who don’t see it as feasible — out to the bases.

A recent conversation with the marketing manager of the Summit, Kevin O’Keefe, surprised me. He grew up in Scouting and visited one of the bases as a young person. He shared that when he reflects on the trip, the fundraising his troop did is just as much a core part of the memory as the trip itself.

My mind was blown. I always thought of fundraising as an obstacle or a way for units to solve a financial problem. I never saw it as part of the experience.

But O’Keefe made it clear — fundraising was interwoven with the memories of going on big Scouting trips. It was a given. And it was part of the lessons that prepared him for life, too.

You want something? You work hard and make it happen. And the first time you might be facing this on a large scale as a Scout is when you’re tasked with raising the funds to get your unit on the trek of a lifetime.

Let’s talk about how to get to Scouts on their dream treks

Since this is all new to me, don’t take my word for it. Instead, mark your calendar for 2 p.m. Central on Oct. 24, and join us for a live chat with Summit staff as we share the ways Scouts all around the country raise the money to get to the high-adventure bases. And if you’re busy at that time, don’t worry. This video will remain on the Scout Life Facebook page after the show ends

Tune in and share your fundraising ideas. And again, every time you comment, you’re entered to win one of two prize packs that include a hat from every high-adventure base.