Scouting America: New face of ‘Boy Scouts’ on Long Beach Peninsula

Published 4:52 pm Monday, August 19, 2024

Scouting America logo

LONG BEACH — Five years ago the Boy Scouts of America began serving both boys and girls in all of its programs from kindergarten Cub Scouts all the way up through high school Venturers and Explorers.

More recently, in a bid to provide a more inclusive program for families, they changed their name to Scouting America. Girls are now a central part of Scouting of all ages and thousands of girls have earned their prestigious Eagle Rank, the highest award in Scouting, over those five years. Girls in Cub Scouting are earning their Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cubs on their way to joining a Scout Troop at age 11.

All aspects of Scouting are fully co-ed and family friendly. Local councils, including our own Cascade Pacific Council in Portland, have adapted their programs, their policies and their Scout Camps to accommodate safe co-ed Scouting and Camping for all youth.

In Long Beach, the more than 50-year-old Cub Pack 29 has been resurrected from an unfortunate break brought on by covid. About a dozen families have been camping and doing Scouting together for the past six months. They recently spent a weekend in family cabins at Scouting America’s Camp Clark on the beach south of Tillamook. They happened to be there during the recent Northern Lights display and got a spectacular view of the event from the remote beach with almost no light pollution to spoil the light show.

Long Beach Troop 29, for children in grades 5-12, is also active and just returned from Summer Camp at Camp Baldwin on the flanks of Mt. Hood. The Scouts all got a chance to go horseback camping overnight, go swimming, learn marksmanship and archery, and earn merit badges. On the way home, the Scouts visited Timberline Lodge to check out the mountain biking program there for a possible future trip.

The Troop is planning to attend a Fall Camporee in October at Camp Meriwether south of Tillamook and to participate in a Winter Snow Camp called a Klondike Derby at Camp Baldwin south of The Dalles next March. The Scouts are planning to make a multi-day rafting trip next summer on the Deschutes River in addition to attending Summer Camp somewhere in Oregon, Washington or perhaps Idaho.

Scouting is definitely back on the Long Beach Peninsula and will be actively recruiting new members and their families when school starts in September. They meet in the Hilltop Middle School’s cafeteria on the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. during the regular school year. Our community has really stepped forward with scholarships and funding to enable Scouts and families to participate in a commitment that Scouting should be available to all.

For more information, check out www.beascout.org or call or text District Commissioner Joe Garrett at 360-214-2378. The local Scouting America Council is Cascade Pacific Council and can be reached at www.cpcbsa.org or by phone at 503-225-5777.

About the Cascade Pacific Council, Scouting America

Cascade Pacific Council of Scouting America (CPC) guides more than 7,000 girls and boys in 19 counties of NW Oregon and SW Washington. It offers an unparalleled program that teaches leadership and citizenship through fun and exciting adventures for the whole family. All people are invited to get involved in Scouting and are committed to creating a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for all, valuing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that will grow and strengthen our movement and continue to make Scouting a valued contributor to the communities we serve. Find out more at cpcscouting.org.

Diversity Statement

The Cascade Pacific Council of Scouting America fosters a culture of diversity and inclusion that makes it enriching to participate, volunteer and work in the Scouting program.

Scouting America invites all people to get involved in Scouting, mindful of the importance of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, socio-economic status, religion, physical ability and political belief.

Scouting America is committed to creating a positive and welcoming environment for all, valuing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences that will grow and strengthen our movement and continue to make the organization a valued contributor to the communities it serves.

—Adopted by CPC Board, April 12, 2017

About Scouting America

Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth programs of character development and values-based leadership training, which help young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The mission Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. For more information on Scouting America, please visit www.Scouting.org.

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