News Briefs

Enter Our 'Spirit of Scouting' Photo Contest

What images best reflect "The Spirit of Scouting" to you? Capture your favorites in photographs and enter them in Scouting magazine's "Spirit of Scouting" photo contest.

The contest theme applies to all BSA programs—Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing—and entries should show youth members involved in Scouting.

Deadline for entering is Oct. 1, 2005. Winners receive BSA Supply Division gift certificates and have their photographs published in Scouting's March-April 2006 issue and on the magazine's Web site.

RULES FOR ENTERING

Open to all registered BSA members (adult and youth). Entries must be received by Oct. 1, 2005.

Only unmounted color prints, from film or high-resolution digital images (JPG format), will be accepted, to a maximum size of 8 by 10 inches. Mounted prints or transparencies (slides), or other media, will not be accepted. No more than three entries per person.

All photographs must have the following information taped on the back: name, address, daytime and evening phone numbers, unit number (if applicable), council name, and e-mail address.

For the purpose of the contest, all entries become the property of Scouting magazine. Winners must certify that photographs are their own original work. For reproduction of photographs in the magazine, all winners may be asked to provide original media, either the color negative or (if digital) a JPG file of their entry.

No photographs will be returned. The BSA, Scouting magazine, and its agents are not responsible for loss of photographs. The decisions of the judges are final.

Mail entries to Scouting Magazine Photo Contest, S304, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079.

Winners will receive BSA Supply Division gift certificates as follows: Grand Prize—$400; 1st Place—$300; 2nd Place—$200; 3rd Place—$100; Honorable Mention—$25.

SEE THE WINNERS OF PREVIOUS MAGAZINE PHOTO COMPETITIONS:

National jamboree welcomes visitors

Troops, crews, teams, and packs are welcome to visit the 2005 National Scout Jamboree this summer at Fort A.P. Hill, near Fredericksburg, Va.

While the jamboree is first and foremost for the Scouts attending full time with their council contingents, visitors are encouraged to stop by for a day of excitement at Scouting's showcase event.

Visitors may view all areas, participate in the exhibit area, attend the daily stage show and evening arena shows, and purchase items at trading posts.

Tour buses can drop off and pick up units in the public parking area near the jamboree entrance. However, buses will be relocated for parking during the day and will not be accessible to the unit until departure.

Units considering a jamboree visit should note the following guidelines:

  • Plan a visit between Tuesday, July 26, and Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (However, on the two dates evening arena shows are scheduled—Wednesday, July 27 and Sunday, July 31—the jamboree opens for visitors at noon and closes at 11 p.m.).
     
  • Plan to visit only one day.
     
  • Visiting Scouting groups should not attempt to stay overnight at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Dahlgren Naval Surface Warfare Center, or any other military base within a 50-mile radius of the jamboree.
     
  • All adults must have photo identification.
     
  • All youth not accompanied by their parents should have photo identification. A school ID is acceptable.
     
  • All drivers must have a valid driver's license.
     
  • Vehicles are subject to search.
     
  • Wear sturdy walking shoes. (Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, inline skates, and the like are not allowed.)
     
  • Wear a hat, carry water, use sunscreen lotion and protective lip balm; temperatures can be in the high 90's.
     
  • Food and beverages are available at three trading posts.

QBSA is jamboree information source

Jamboree leaders are encouraged to ask their Scouts to bring a small radio no boomboxes or iPods) as well as include a radio among their troop site equipment.

Jamboree radio station QBSA is the only live-time direct link to headquarters in the event of emergencies, such as dangerous weather conditions or lost Scouts. QBSA is also the best source for last-minute schedule changes, cancellations, and activity information.

All QBSA programming is conducted by Scouts and Scouters. Jamboree Scouts can visit the station, participate in training, and broadcast a 15-minute live program (of which they will receive a CD copy).

Arrive Alive: Beware of The Risk Zone

Driving tired puts you in The Risk Zone—a state of mental and physical fatigue in which you are more likely to have an accident.

Below are key points to keep you "BSA Risk Ready," and you and the youth you are responsible for out of The Risk Zone:

  • Designate several leaders as drivers; all should get a restful sleep the night before driving.
  • Know your vehicle. (Sport utility vehicles have experienced higher roll-over rates than any other vehicle, underscoring a situation in which people not wearing a seatbelt may be ejected.) Gear should be secured and loaded so the vehicle is properly balanced.
  • Ask a passenger to warn you if you begin to enter The Risk Zone when driving.
  • Schedule several rest breaks. Getting out of the vehicle and moving around helps you stay alert.
  • Put sleeping into all your trip plans. Take 15-to-20-minute "power naps" to re-energize your body. (Naps longer that 20 minutes tend to cause a person to be groggy.)
  • Don't count on caffeine from soft drinks, energy drinks, or coffee to stay awake.
  • See these Web sites for more information on drowsy driving: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov); AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (www.aaafts.org); National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org); Resources for the Prevention of Drowsy Driving, a service of the National Sleep Foundation (www.drowsydriving.org); National Safety Council (www.nsc.org).

Scoutreach introduces two Web sites, including the BSA's first ever in Spanish

To help increase the impact of Scouting in urban and rural communities, the BSA Scoutreach Division has introduced two new Web sites: www.scoutingvalelapena.org and www.scoutreachbsa.org.

The BSA's first-ever Spanish Web site, www.scoutingvalelapena.org is a significant development in Scouting's efforts to reach the nation's growing Hispanic American/Latino community.

Parents wishing to enroll their sons in Scouting will be able to locate the nearest Boy Scout service center, where they can, in most cases, speak to a bilingual staff member for more information.

Scoutreach's general Web site, www.scoutreachbsa.org, gives volunteer and professional Scouters, as well as the general public, an overview of the latest information and resources from the Scoutreach Division. Scoutreach's mission and history are described, and national minority leaders give testimonials on the relevance of Scouting in underserved communities.

The site's African-American, Hispanic-American/Latino, and Asian-American segments provide demographic data as well as "best approaches" for serving those communities.

The resources segment includes the latest Scoutreach resource brochure; notice of regional and national training conferences; information on the Whitney M. Young Jr., Scouting...Vale la Pena, and Asian American Spirit of Scouting service awards; the latest Scoutreach newsletters; and tips on financing Scoutreach programs.

Find council high adventure programs on BSA Web site

Units looking for high adventure program opportunities at different BSA councils around the country can find that information on the BSA national Web site's high adventure program directory at www.scouting.org/boyscouts/directory.

The directory lists council-operated high adventure trekking programs that span at least five nights and six days. (Some of lesser duration are included as specialty adventure programs.)

Information includes a point of contact, brief description of the program, its duration and cost, and directions to the base.

You can select a location by clicking on a highlighted link on a map of the United States. You can also search the program database by region, state, trek length and dates, group size and budget, and program features, including canoeing, backpacking, caving, horseback riding, sailing, whitewater, mountain biking, and rock climbing.

The site also includes an online submission interface for local councils to submit information about programs that are not listed.

Subscribe online to Scouting magazine

All BSA registered adult volunteers receive Scouting magazine as part of their $10 annual registration fee.

Now, for only $9.95, nonregistered individuals can purchase a one-year subscription to Scouting (six issues) on the magazine's Web site at: http://shop.scoutingmagazine.org/subscribe/.

Issues of the magazine are January-February, March-April, May-June, September, October, and November-December.

Top of Page

May - June 2005 Table of Contents

Copyright © 2005 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.