With summer upon us, camp is just days away. Here at Mid-Iowa our Mitigwa team has been working since the last camper left on July 23^rd of last year to prepare for the 2023 Camping Season. Whether your unit is attending one of our camps or another council or national adventure high adventure program, our Scouts’ safety should be at the forefront of everything we do.

One area in which we must remain vigilant is youth on youth abuse. In doing so I thought it would be prudent to review our national organization’s barriers to abuse which are included at the end of this article. I encourage you and your unit to review these prior to camp and cover the appropriate points with your unit’s Scouts so that they are reminded of what their behavioral expectations are for any scout meeting or activity.

Finally, please be mindful of our council’s new policy on Youth Protection Training which was communicated earlier this year. As a recap, any adult volunteer who’s YPT has been expired for more than 60 days will have their membership suspended until their YPT is up to date. I understand that all of our volunteers lead busy lives where time is valuable. That being said, nothing is more valuable than the safety of our young people. Please take time to take the training, scan and send in the certificate of completion.

Have a great summer, stay safe, and thank you for caring about our Scouts.

BARRIER TO ABUSE: Buddy System- The buddy system is critical in preventing youth-on-youth abuse.

Barrier to Abuse: Separate Accommodations – Housing.

·       Youth sharing tents must be no more than two years apart in age.

·       In Cub Scouting ONLY, parents and guardians may share a tent with their family.

·       In Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouts, youth and adults tent separately.

·       Spouses may share tents.

Leadership Requirements: Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings. There must be a registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over in every unit serving females. A registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over must be present for any activity involving female youth. Notwithstanding the minimum leader requirements, age- and program appropriate supervision must always be provided.

Question:  I also understand it is OK for a single adult to be with a single Scout, as long as they are in view of others. For instance, at summer camp, an adult could take a boy to the infirmary, as long as they were in view of others during that time. True, given this example. Or an adult and boy could canoe together, if they were in proximity of other Scouts and adults. True, given this example. Source: Aaron on Scouting

Source: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Understanding-and-Preventing-Youth-on-Youth-Abuse-Training-for-Camp-Staff-and-NYLT-Facilitators-Guide-2022.pdf

Twin Rivers June 8th 6:30 pm

Prairie Winds June 13th 7:00 pm

The 2023 Railroad Camporee was held April 28^th to 30^th at the Boone County Fairgrounds. There were over 1,100 Scouts and Scouters in attendance from 12 different states. Scouts that attended earned their Railroad merit badge and were also able to ride the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad. They were also entertained with a show by Donald Gee on Saturday night.  

Two other highlights- We were able to celebrate the 90^th birthday of Bob Folkmann who was one of founders of the Railroad Camporee in the Mid-Iowa Council. Second, we were fortunate to have in attendance Charles Anderson from Texas. Mr. Anderson was one of the people that helped rewrite the current version of Railroad Merit Badge. Both Mr. Folkmann and Mr. Anderson have been heavily involved with Railroad Merit Badge during the past several National Jamboree’s.

community wide celebration.

Philmont OA Adventure ~ $425 all weeks still have openings

Northern Tier OA Adventure (Wilderness Adventure) ~ $300 very few spaces remain

Be the BEST leader you can! Get Trained

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Summer camp is great, not just for Scouts, but also for parents and leaders. That doesn’t mean, however, that everything is going to go 100% smoothly. In fact, overcoming those obstacles is a big part of what makes it so great.

The key to helping your child get over pre-camp nerves is to acknowledge their feelings and give them tools to help them tame them, according to the Child Mind Institute, one of the leading nonprofits specializing in children’s mental health.

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Take Scouts near any body of water—whether it’s a pool, lake, river, or ocean—and they have a natural desire to go swimming. Once Scouts have learned how to swim, they naturally want to progress into other aquatics activities, including sailing, rowing, canoeing, and rafting. There are plenty of age-appropriate aquatics activities.