A jarring mix of institutional caution and naivete flickers through the files. At times, scout officials withheld information about an accused abuser.
The local council, Pikes Peak Council, has a few different campsites, but most youths spend their time at Camp Alexander in Eleven Mile Canyon. The council has nine troops with a total of over 400 members.
Program
The troop has a variety of outdoor activities that challenge the boys and stretch their limits. These include 50 mile canoe trips, caving adventures, and Okpik winter camping activities at Tahosa High Adventure Base. We also take the boys on 14’er climbs and hike sections of the Colorado Trail. These require a higher level of experience and training from the Scouts and their leaders.
New boys joining the Troop from either a Webelos den or from outside of the program are put into a new patrol with a Patrol Guide (an older boy) and an Assistant Scoutmaster to get them acclimated to the Troop structure, and help them feel welcome. Newer Scouts often need to have a Scoutmaster conference before they can be voted on for rank advancement, these are positive and encouraging meetings.
The Troop is supported by its adult leaders, committee members and parents who work together to make the program happen. Boys are required to pay yearly registration fees and Boys Life Magazine subscriptions which cover most of the Troop’s “fixed” expenses.
Activities
Whether it’s an outdoor trek or a community service project, Scouts learn how to help others. They also learn to take initiative and build self-confidence by doing things for themselves. Several studies show that being a Scout builds boys mentally, physically and socially and helps them resist peer pressure to participate in bad behaviors.
College football legend Archie Manning delivered the keynote address at the Greater Colorado Council’s annual Sports Breakfast in April. He was one of many celebrity speakers who shared stories about the positive impact scouting has had on their lives.
The Denver Area Council merged with its Western Slope counterpart as the Boy Scouts prepare to lose thousands of members when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as the Mormon church, severs ties at the end of this year. The merger will allow participants on the Western Slope to have access to more programs and financial support. The Denver Council serves 32,000 youths and includes more than 5,000 from the Mormon church. The council’s headquarters are in Lakewood.
Merit Badges
Scouts learn new skills, explore their interests and prepare for future careers as they earn merit badges. There are more than 135 merit badges to choose from, and any Scout may start working on them at any time. Each merit badge has a counselor, who is a registered volunteer with expertise in the subject matter of the badge. Counselors teach the requirements, interview Scouts and lead discussions to guide their progress through each step of the assignment.
For example, a Scout who wants to earn the Cycling merit badge might work with a counselor who is an avid cyclist and can introduce him to a sport that he’ll enjoy for a lifetime. Then, the Scout must go through the requirements and present a logbook of cycling accomplishments to his counselor for approval.
Once the counselor is satisfied that a Scout has met all of the requirements, he signs both parts of the Application for Merit Badge and returns them to the unit leader. The unit leader then returns the applications to the Scout, who should keep them in his personal records.
Leader Training
The Denver Boy Scouts have a number of leadership training options available. Upon completing Youth Protection Training and Position Specific Training, registered leaders earn the right to wear the trained patch on their uniform, located on the left sleeve beneath the patch representing the position for which they have been trained.
The leader training course consists of two modules. The courses are required for all adult volunteers who want to be involved in the Scouting program. Those who are not currently registered may access the materials by contacting their council Scout executive.
Deloria, who has a degree in Native American Studies, said that he hopes the results of the survey indicate that the Boy Scouts are finally starting to recognize that its depictions of Indigenous culture are harmful for many people. But he is skeptic that it will have any lasting impact.
Camping
Scouts have many opportunities for camping in the Denver area. Magness Adventure Camp, the Cub Scout resident camp for the Greater Denver Council is at 7,000 feet in elevation with lake activities and a BB gun range. The McNeil Scout Ranch at Peaceful Valley is a regional camp offering three nationally accredited camps with a swimming pool, two lakes, an Olympic shotgun shooting range and world-class archery ranges along with two themed outpost camps.
The Western Colorado Council operates a summer camp east of Glenwood Canyon and north of Dotsero called the Steve Fossett Spirit of Adventure Base Camp. The camp was named in memory of the renowned adventurer who, among his accomplishments, completed the first solo nonstop around-the-world flight in a balloon and swam the English Channel.
Camp Charles Jeffrey and Soaring Eagle offer traditional merit badge camp programs. Troops can choose to cook meals in the dining hall or use chuck wagon cooking. A COPE (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) course at 9,000 feet in elevation is a favorite activity. Tahosa High Adventure Base offers backpacking treks on the camp property and in nearby Routt, Roosevelt, Arapahoe and Arapahoe National Forests.
