The Pathway to Adventure service centers will continue to be open by appointment only. Volunteers should contact a staff member to make an appointment. All Scout Shops will remain open during their normal hours, but we still encourage placing orders in advance via email for the Munster Scout Shop.

As a reminder, The Pathway to Adventure Council requires all persons attending Scouting events, activities, or meetings to adhere to the City of Chicago’s “Protecting Chicago” Reopening Framework. As of April 5, 2021, the City of Chicago remains under Phase IV Guidelines. A full list of guidelines can be found on the City of Chicago’s website.

Pathway to Adventure Council also requires that before any activity, meeting, or event, the organizers must ask all participants to answer the questions on the Model COVID-19 Pre-Event Medical Screening Checklist.

To see the full announcement, please click here.

If you have any questions, please contact ptac.helpdesk@scouting.org.

* To see a full list of states affected by the updated travel ban, please visit this link.

Owasippe Scout Reservation Open House Registration

The Pathway to Adventure Council is pleased to announce its spring virtual merit badge academy! Through May 22, PTAC Scouts* can sign up for classes led by expert merit badge counselors! To see what classes are available and to register, click here.

Space is limited, please contact Abby Krause at Abigail.Krause@scouting.org or 312-421-8800 Ext. 257 for more information.

Applications are now being accepted for financial need-based Camperships (Scholarships) for Pathway to Adventure Council's Cub Scout, Webelos, Family, and Scouts BSA camps. Applications are due by April 15, 2021. For more information, visit our website.

Every year, over $45,000 in need-based scholarships are provided to PTAC Scouts who might not otherwise be able to attend camp. Please consider giving to our Campership fund by clicking here.

Camp Napowan and Owasippe Scout Reservation are now accepting applications for summer camp staff 2021! If you're looking for an amazing way to spend your summer, consider applying for camp staff. Scouts and Scouters age 14 and up are eligible for volunteer and/or paid positions. For more information or to apply, please visit our camp staff webpage.

There is an awesome tool available for helping Scouts that have special needs be successful in their Scouting journey towards Eagle! It is called an ISAP. What is an ISAP? Well, it stands for Individual Scout Advancement Plan. This tool is to help the Scout be successful in Scouting, much like the IEP (Individual Education Plan) used in schools to help the student succeed. You can check out the ISAP by following the link below. If you have questions about the ISAP or other ways you can help those Scouts within your units with special needs, please reach out to the Council’s Special Needs Committee at PTAC.SNS@gmail.com

Pathway to Adventure Council is collecting information to better serve our unit, district, and council activities and trainings. If you hold certifications in First Aid/CPR for Professional Rescuer, ServSafe Manager, COPE and Climbing, BSA Shooting sports, or Aquatics, and are willing to lend a hand, please complete this form.

Additionally, we are looking for volunteers who hold a current certification as a ServSafe Instructor, Wilderness First Aid Instructor, and Trainer for First Aid/CPR for Professional Rescuer. Please email amy.hutcherson@scouting.org if you meet these qualifications and are interested in joining the PTAC training team.

Please join us at Camp Lakota (2050 Deep Cut Rd, Woodstock, IL) May 1 and/or May 8 to help pack up the camp! Use this link to register.

May 14-16: Napowan

With the OA election season wrapping up, remember that any unit adult nominations have to be submitted by April 30. If your unit has held an election, you are allowed to nominate one adult per every two Scouts that were elected. You can download and submit the nomination form on our website.

In this section of our newsletter, we will hear from our Council President, Marc Passiment.

In 1907, Lord Robert Baden-Powell organized a nine-day outing to test his theories on how to train youth. The first campers were from boarding schools and working-class neighborhoods. Baden-Powell was breaking all new ground.

The training began early each day, with the sound of the Kudu horn, an instrument from Africa, where Baden-Powell had served in the British Army. Drills and camp clean-up were completed just before breakfast so that the youth could concentrate on the contests and skills games. Tea was served at 5, followed by supper, a campfire, and prayers. The camp training was considered a rousing success, leading to the creation of the Scouting movement a few years later.

It is this time of year we think of training. I reflect on my own experience all those years ago, when I first became Cubmaster, and was introduced to the concept of ‘every Scout deserves a trained leader.’ It was around this time of year when the existing Cubmaster took a new job, and turned to me, the Assistant Cubmaster, and said, “good luck.” I had not had any formal Scout training, but I had a Scout Handbook and an eager pack. I soon learned training was not just about following the rules or figuring out the program. I discovered training was about unlocking a connection with the next generation and finding my better self.

My first training course was OWL (Outdoor Webelos Leader) training. I had been camping before and understood the material before I attended. The importance of the training was finding new friends in other leaders, learning of our shared vision, and discovering I could have fun challenging myself. To this day, I still enjoy attending trainings. I learn something new each time. It is not always the material but the way it is presented. It is not the concepts but rather how we all feel about our training results. It is not the venue but the environment of leading youth to find their way in the world they will one day inherit.

Lord Baden-Powell was onto something. He understood to guide and lead the next generation you need to learn, understand, and educate. It is a constant process and one that is never finished nor perfect. I invite you to continue your journey of training, not because it is a requirement or to check a box but because the trainer needs people who are engaged and willing to inspire those new and eager to find their place in our movement.

I look forward to seeing you on the trail, and perhaps in the next training course.

Please note that the Arlington Heights and La Grange Scout Shops are now closed on Wednesdays.