Duffle Bag – July 2022
Scout TV Show Review
Scout TV Show Review
By Katherine Adams,
Teenagers falling in love is nothing new. It’s seen in every coming of age movie, plenty of YA novels, and basically any Disney channel show. But Heartstopper, a new series on Netflix, puts a twist on the traditional romance story. Charlie is starting year 10 in Truham Grammar High School. He quickly finds himself falling for Nick, the “rugby lad” that sits next to him in class. It is very well known that Charlie is gay, but it’s also well known that Nick is “straight”. Charlie finds himself growing closer and closer to Nick, and they both begin to question if the latter half of that statement is true.
Heartstopper delves into what it’s like to be an openly gay teenager at an all boys school, along with all the trouble being a teenager brings. A lot of teenage shows don't feel authentic. The characters are often played by older actors and the problems they face are exaggerated. But Heartstopper is painstakingly truthful. The actors are all close in age to the actual characters in the show and the plot feels like a portrayal of someone’s life, not like a script written behind the scenes. Oftentimes, queer representation in media can be painful to watch. The queer character might go through numerous struggles, only to be let down, or even killed off. The powerfulness of Heartstopper comes from its ability to stay true to the tone it establishes right from the start. The characters still go through various conflicts, but it always feels like it’s heading towards a happy ending.
Heartstopper is the representation that the LGBTQ+ community needed to have. There is no token gay friend, no ill-intended representation, no clear cut heroes. Just good people and bad people making mistakes. It doesn’t feel watching a “gay” show. It feels like seeing teenagers fall in love for the first time while getting to explore who they are. With this in mind, I think it is a heart-warming, safe story that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Whether you’re looking for characters you can relate to or simply want to watch a cute romance unfold, Heartstopper is a must.
Reflections on Servant Leadership
Reflections on Servant Leadership
By Malcolm Bliss,
As I look back on 15 plus years as an adult leader in Scouting, there is a common theme or thread that binds these programs together. It is ever present no matter what Scouting program you participate in. That is the idea of service and, more specifically, servant leadership.
The idea of thinking of others before we think of ourselves. The idea of giving ahead of receiving. The idea of leading, where we consider the wellbeing, goals and aspirations of those we lead (and serve).
Like a lot of new leaders, it started as a service project, perhaps for our Chartered Organization. Then collecting food stuffs as a part of Scouting for Food. Then still more services projects and food drives. As the journey continued, the idea of serving others crystalized as I participated in Wood Badge, National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and the Order of the Arrow (OA), Scoutings’ Honor Society.
I’ve long viewed my Scouting experience as a journey, an opportunity to learn and grow. A journey that never really ends. As I have moved along this trail, the lessons of servant leadership don’t stop with Scouting, nor should they. They have extended into other areas of my life. Other communities I serve. They had dramatically re-shaped my world view and the role I can and should play in it.
The opportunity to mentor and coach our youth on the importance of servant leadership may well be one of the most important things we do as adult leaders. It requires our youth and adults to listen, really listen. To be empathetic, to see things as others see it, to walk a mile in their shoes. To care about others. To make sure that we all know that EVERYONE matters in this world.
I believe Scouting is the best leadership development program in the country if not the world. It offers a breadth and depth of opportunities unlike any other program I know. Our communities, cities, country and world need youth who understand the values and strength of servant leadership.
Our founder saw Scouts as “messengers of peace” who could turn the world away from hate and war to one of peace and love. After all, once you shared a meal, conversation or a camp site with a fellow Scout how could the bonds of fellowship not help to take hold.
Ultimately, I see Servant Leadership as singularly important in the development and growth of our youth. And singularly important for adults to understand and embrace. It tells me my purpose is to serve my community for as long as I am able. It tells me to keep on working, keep on improving. It tells me that Servant Leadership is Love.
Scouting x LaunchCode
Scouting x LaunchCode
By Bryar Keyes,
LaunchCode is a nonprofit offering free tech education and job placement opportunities to bring new people from all backgrounds into the tech field and reshape the way employers think about hiring.
LaunchCode was founded in 2013 to help people with nontraditional backgrounds find fulfilling, upwardly-mobile careers, and to help companies find skilled, new tech talent from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Millions of Americans are unemployed and many more are stuck in low-wage job cycles which leave them struggling to find livable salaries, employable skills, and a chance for advancement. American businesses also have a problem — there just isn’t enough traditional tech talent to match the growing demand. Code.org reports nearly 500,000 open computing jobs nationwide, yet only around 60,000 computer science graduates entered the workforce last year. These jobs are spread all over the economy, making products and services like your mobile phone, satellite television, and online searches just…work.
Back in 2013, Square’s Jim McKelvey founded LaunchCode to address these problems. Jim had experienced the lack of talent firsthand while trying to build a development shop for his new company Square in his hometown of St. Louis, MO. Eventually Jim moved Square to California for access to skilled workers, but knew there must be some way to connect the city’s rising unemployment with its shortage of tech talent. And so, LaunchCode was born.
LaunchCode and STLCC have partnered up to bring a free, accessible Immersive CodeCamp to young adults (age 16-24) in the St. Louis community! Applicants don’t need any previous tech skills to apply, we will teach you what you need to know!
The program will consist of a free, full-time, 17-week web development and career readiness training to equip learners with the skills needed by today’s employers. The program acts as an on-ramp to LaunchCode’s Apprenticeship Program.
A LaunchCode apprenticeship is a full-time (40 hrs/week), paid position during which you work on a team of experienced developers, and are paired with a mentor that invests in your growth, to learn on the job, and prove yourself. More than four out of five LaunchCode apprenticeships result in a full-time job offer, and LaunchCoders more than double their previous salary on average after securing a full-time job.
Details on applying:
Apply by JULY 24, 2022
Classes start AUGUST 22, 2022
Class meets each weekday M-F,
9:00am-5:00pm CST
Read more about the opportunity here.
Let’s Eat! The Very Best Scout Recipes, Part 1
Let’s Eat! The Very Best Scout Recipes, Part 1
By Tom Noel,
In 1995, I took the advanced adult leader training called Woodbadge. Over the last 25 years the course has undergone several changes to what it is today, a course in leadership skills. However, in 1995, the course was based on Scout skills. At that time, the patrols cooked for themselves and for guest staff members. On the final day of the course, we celebrated with a feast called the Ceiiloh, pronounced Kay-Lee. Each of our 10 patrols were tasked with cooking a main course and a desert in Dutch ovens. All ovens were placed on a long series of tables and everyone got to sample anything they wanted.
I do not remember what our main course was, but I do remember the desert. Pina Colada Bread Pudding, it was a hit that day. Since that day, I made this desert many times for my home troop and still do for friends that I camp with in my RV. Following is the recipe for Pina Colada Bread Pudding. Enjoy!
Pina Colada Bread Pudding
Break loaf of bread into small pieces and put into a mixing bowl with 4 cups of milk.
Squeeze excess milk from bread and place into bottom of well greased Dutch oven.
Melt 1 stick butter and pour over bread.
Sprinkle Raisins, 2 cups sugar, and coconut over the bread.
Drain and add crushed pineapple over the mixture.
Add 2 tsp vanilla to the remaining pineapple juice and beat 6 eggs into the juice and pour over the bread mixture.
Cover oven with 8 briquettes on top and 8 under and bake for 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bread
- 4 cups milk
- 1 stick butter
- 1 med pkg raisins
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 sm pkg coconut
- 1 12 oz can crushed pineapple
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 6 eggs
Staying Fit at Camp: It’s Possible!
Staying Fit at Camp: It’s Possible!
By Quinn Rowden,
For many who are very focused on staying fit and healthy, summer camp can seem like a roadblock on the path of staying fit. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. During my week of National Youth Leadership Training in 2021, I set out to keep a rigid routine while also staffing the course. This was a daunting challenge considering the issues regarding getting enough sleep to have energy for the upcoming days. By doing bodyweight workouts that focused on core and upper body I was able to not only keep a routine during the week, but also improve the quality of sleep and have more energy for the course work. In order to get time to work out, I had to wait until after the late-night meetings had concluded and it was staff hygiene time, which made it hard to stay focused, but with enough will to improve it was easily doable. The workouts consisted of pushup variations, crunch variations and isometric bodyweight exercises. You might be asking, why would anybody want to stay up late while tired just to work out on top of that? Well, while not extremely intensive, these workouts helped to keep blood flowing, keep you motivated, and most importantly, prove that it is possible to stay fit at camp!
History of Beaumont Scout Reservation – Part 2
History of Beaumont Scout Reservation – Part 2
By Joe Sartorius,
Historians try to learn about the past from what has been written by those who came before them. The oldest written records discovered in Egypt are from over 5,000 years ago, the date when they were created is the currently accepted date at which formal history begins in that part of the world.
Even with written records we have to be careful and thoughtful. Many times, narratives are only written down after generations of being told, with every retelling of the story consciously or unconsciously changing the specifics. Even for events that happened yesterday, two direct observers could have two completely different perceptions of what happened, how, and why.
You can imagine that things get even tougher for prehistory, or the events that occurred before the existence of written records. But we still have many tools to gain knowledge. Archaeologists can excavate ancient structures and burial sites and begin to infer how the people lived from fossils and artifacts. Many groups of fossils are represented at Beaumont. They include sponges, corals, crinoids, bryozoans, brachiopods, and cephalopods. The creek beds, and the exposures in the ravines are the best collecting grounds for fossils but they may be found almost anywhere.
Our journey continues with walking Beaumont Scout Reservation Road to the Tomahawk Trail. After hiking up the hill and reaching the Antire Ridge you will find small craters or pits scattered on either side of the trail. These pits are actually Crescent chert quarries. The Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis stated the site does appear significant as it has intact remains associated with prehistoric quarrying of Burlington chert and the preliminary processing of the acquired stones. The stones were used to make arrows and other tools. Thus the site does have significant cultural information that should be protected. The arrow heads known as Dalton points (ca. 8000 BC) carved from Crescent chert have been identified in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. The distinctive chert appears at Cahokia Mounds and other Mississippian sites in the St. Louis area. These pits and quarry ledges were probably cut during the Middle Woodland Period (ca. AD 100).
Based on investigations of the site it was apparent that intact cultural remains still exist and that it could provide valuable information on how prehistoric groups obtained Burlington chert for their own use as well as for trade.
Beaumont Scout Reservation is part of the Beaumont-Tyson Quarry District and is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Department of the Interior, Washington D.C.
Please, do not remove any rock, plant or animals from Beaumont Scout Reservation. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Route of the Eagles, Railroads and Scouting
Route of the Eagles, Railroads and Scouting
By Wolff Kenneth,
Missouri Pacific's "Texas Eagle" train No. 1, southbound, passing through Carondelet Park in the suburbs of St. Louis enroute to Texas on a late summer afternoon in 1948. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Museum of the American Railroad. Photo is able to be used for educational use.
Since the original charter of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910, Railroads have played a pivotal role in moving Scouts and Scouters across the country. From the modern Amtrak Trains of today, like the Southwest Chief that take scouts and scouters to Philmont Scout Ranch each year, to historic fallen flags such as the Missouri Pacific that allowed you to take a commuter service to Union Station in Downtown Saint Louis. Once you had taken in the sights and sounds of Union Station, you and your unit would board a train pulled by a locomotive featuring the newest advancements in 1920’s steam technology to Irondale, MO. If you were lucky, upon arrival in Irondale, the camp rangers would bring a wagon or truck for all of your troops gear to lighten the load for your ½ mile hike to Camp Irondale. If you weren’t so lucky, I hope you packed light.
Railroading, much like Scouting, is an interest that tends to bridge many generations within families as well. Whether it's working on the railroad, volunteering at a museum, or simply operating model trains at home with your family, there are plenty of opportunities to make railroading a family experience, just like the programs we enjoy with our scouting families. For example, my own family has at least 5 generations that took a deep interest in both subjects. My great grandfather was a locomotive fireman for the Des Peres Valley Railway that serviced Scullin Steel in Saint Louis. Following him, my grandfather and father dove deep into the world of model railroading via Lionel Electric Trains. Lionel Trains were a popular toy on every kids Christmas list post World War II. Their combined interest ultimately led to my own interest, and ever since I can remember, I too have had an appreciation of model and prototype railroading, which I am now passing on to my own children. It isn’t uncommon to find many generations of our family at a local train show, museum, or live steam railroad, enjoying all that the hobby has to offer.
This life long passion is part of the reason I decided to become a Railroading Merit Badge counselor. I feel that interest in the railroading hobby has fallen over the years as it is not a mainstream part of transportation in today's society. The Railroading Merit Badge is a great way for a scout to learn more about an industry & hobby that helped shape and move this country. There are many opportunities to explore this subject through museum visits, railfan photography, taking trips via Amtrak or tourist railroads, or building your own model railroad. All of these are excellent ways to explore the hobby and check off a few requirements along the way. You can find a few examples to get you started below. May I suggest making it a family event or a staycation as we transition from summer to fall?
Suggested destinations to explore:
National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, MO
Wabash, Frisco and Pacific Railroad in Glencoe, MO
Big Bend Railroad Club in Webster Groves, MO
Monticello Railway Museum in Monticello, IL
St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway in Jackson, MO
Have Photos or Videos You Want To Share
We are always looking for photos and videos of Scouts out having fun to use on social media and in our various publications. Go to the Digital Submissions page to upload your files!