I started scouting seven years ago. Since then I have branched out into all forms of scouting which are Sea Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venture Scouts. You can see more about my journey in each of these branches below.
As a Sea Scout, I have been able to participate in amazing activities on the water and land through various Ship activities. These "ships" act as troops but on the water. Through Sea Scouts, I have honed my leadership skills by participating in the most advanced leadership training scouting has to offer as well as staffing those trainings. I have then been able to apply these skills to my school projects and other non-scout activities. Some of the fantastic programs and activities have been: trips along the Hudson River, weekend cruises to beach areas, advancement training, and multiple training events that I staffed or planned. Sea Scouts has also brought me to the National Youth Quarterdeck as Yeoman. Here, I serve all Sea Scouts by assisting in the creation of national events, develop the leadership capability of the other youth in the quarterdeck and throughout the country, along with managing the Sea Scout website. This has been a tremendous experience allowing me to gain a perspective on what it means to be a leader and to see a more in-depth view of how a nationwide program is run,
To achieve the Quartermaster, which is the highest rank in Sea Scouts, I created a living history project. I reached out to adult and youth sea scout leaders throughout the nation to create a web archive of their memories, views, and hopes for scouting.
Seven years ago I decided that I would look at a local Jewish Scout troop, little did I know how big a change to my life it would make. A few weeks after joining we went on our first camping trip. After that, I was immediately hooked. Over the next few years, I honed my skills in wilderness survival, first aid, and knot tieing. Most importantly without me realizing it, I was also starting to develop my public speaking and leadership skills.
To achieve the rank of Eagle, my project was to memorialize the memories of Jewish War Veterans who were involved from World War II to the present. The National Museum of American Jewish Military History was elated to take this on as an exhibit.
Venturing, like Sea Scouts, is for the older Scout that is interested in developing their leadership ability and outdoor skills. In venturing, I work with a service crew, which means we do a lot of community service. Each year we help our community by fundraising for gift baskets for a local nursing home as well as helping the soup kitchens around us by cleaning up after major storms and handing food out. Venturing has taught me the importance of how to inspire those around you to do more good for their community and for themselves.
To achieve the Summit rank, which is the highest rank for Venturing I provided "Thank You Bags" to two local police departments for their hard work and dedication to our communities. I reached out to local organizations and individuals to raise funds and acquire products to allow these officers to have snacks available to them while on patrol.
NAYLE or National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience is one of the most advanced leadership courses in the BSA. I took NAYLE at Philmont Scout Reservation, Cimarron, New Mexico. NAYLE taught me about different leadership styles and how to use them to better lead and manage groups.
Young Eagles is a program that allows people to go flying with a trained pilot, While in flight you act as the co-pilot and fly the plane. This was a great experience that was a lot of fun.
SEAL training or Sea Scout Experience Advanced Leadership training is the most advanced leadership course in the Sea Scouts - Boy Scouts of America. It consists of seven days on the water leading and scheduling your crew as well as teaching and presenting topics to your peers such as piloting, navigation, and engine maintenance, . You also must know practical deck and line handling skills as you must tie 15 knots in three minutes in order to pass.
