This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2018) |
Powder Horn | |||
---|---|---|---|
Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
Country | United States | ||
Created | 1998 | ||
Powder Horn is a skills resource course for Venturing and Scouts BSA leaders and youth (age 14 and up) of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Powder Horn is also described as a "hands-on resource management course" designed to give Scouting leaders "the contacts and tools necessary to conduct an awesome high-adventure program" in their Scouting unit. [1] The goals of Powder Horn are to help Scout leaders safely conduct outdoor activities of a fun and challenging nature, provide an introduction to the resources necessary to successfully lead youth through a program of high adventure, and familiarize participants with the skills involved in different high adventure disciplines. The Powder Horn course will also introduce Venturing leaders to the Ranger youth award program, so adults may better help Venturers in meeting the Ranger award requirements. Powder Horn presents a wide variety of hands-on high adventure skills experiences, and thus is not designed to provide specific skills certifications. The course is meant to be held over a one-week period or two three-day weekends. Youth attendees will get first-hand experience and information as well as resources so they can better act as Event Chairs for their units.
The official Powder Horn course logo is an old-fashioned pioneer's powder horn suspended from the BSA universal emblem.
Some states may choose to create a custom Powder Horn logo, such as a Texas star suspending a powder horn.[ citation needed ]
The Powder Horn course was initially created in the state of Texas in 1998, and subsequently presented at the Philmont Scout Ranch in the fall of 1999. The course was then rolled out to be run at region and area levels, and can now be offered by local councils. There is now a Powder Horn Course Director Conference, usually held in each region at least once a year. Attendance at such a course is no longer mandatory for those who wish to conduct a Powder Horn course as a course director.
The Powder Horn staff specifically promote a custom-tailored Venturing-like Scouting leadership culture.
Course participants are organized into numbered Crews, playing the role of Venturing youth. Each Crew is assigned a Crew Guide, an operational course staff member playing the role of an older Venturing youth. The Powder Horn course director is assigned to be the Venturing Advisor, and assistant course directors are assigned to be Associate Advisors, playing the roles of Venturing adult leaders.
Powder Horn course staff may choose to provide dress and activity themes on a day-by-day basis. Staff members and participants are encouraged to wear clothing or costumes matching each day's theme, and additional theme-related activities or food may be available. Possible themes include wild west cowboys, area 51 aliens, and pirates.
An emphasis is placed on providing a relatively relaxed atmosphere, focused on fun and enjoyment of the many hands-on experiences presented.
Like many other Scouting experiences, course participants have the opportunity to acquire[ clarification needed ] multiple pieces of Powder Horn paraphernalia and documentation.
Upon successful completion of the course, Powder Horn participants may be formally recognized with a certificate and medal. The certificate is suitable for framing.
The original Powder Horn medal consisted of the Powder Horn logo suspended from a button catch and hung from the button on the left breast pocket of a Scouting field uniform shirt.
The new Powder Horn medal consists of a smaller Powder Horn logo mounted on a pin with a butterfly military clutch as backing. The pin medal is worn on the left breast pocket flap in the same approximate location as the original hanging medal, near or above the pocket's button. Scouters may optionally choose to wear their pin medal as a device or hat pin, per applicable Scouting uniform regulations.
Powder Horn participants may be provided a custom nameplate, suitable for wear on any Scouting uniform shirt.
Powder Horn participants may be given the opportunity to purchase a variety of custom Powder Horn belt-buckles, suitable for wear on any Scouting uniform belt.
Powder Horn participants may be provided one or more custom Scouting shirts, and additional shirts may be available for purchase.
Each Powder Horn course provides an introduction to a variety of high adventure skills, limited only by what is available in the region where the course is being held.
Possible high adventure skills include:
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 762,000 youth participants. The BSA was founded in 1910, and since then, about 110 million Americans have participated in BSA programs. BSA is part of the international Scout Movement and became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the honor society of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), composed of Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives as elected by their peers. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the assistance of Carroll A. Edson, in 1915 as a means of reinforcing the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. It uses imagery commonly associated with American Indian cultures for its self-invented ceremonies. These ceremonies are usually for recognition of leadership qualities, camping skills, and other scouting ideals as exemplified by their elected peers.
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over 2.5 million youth.
Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims and Methods of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.
Cub Scouting is part of the Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), available to boys and girls from kindergarten through fifth grade, or 5 to 10 years of age and their families. Its membership is the largest of the five main BSA divisions. Cub Scouting is part of the worldwide Scouting movement and aims to promote character development, citizenship training, personal fitness, and leadership.
A variety of religious emblems programs are used by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to encourage youth to learn about their faith and to recognize adults who provide significant service to youth in a religious environment. These religious programs are created, administered and awarded by the various religious groups, not the BSA, but each program must be recognized by the BSA.
Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Exploring. The purpose of Venturing is to provide a positive environment where youth members, called Venturers, can lead the adventure, take on new leadership roles, and mature into responsible adults.
Sea Scouts is a program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 through 20.
Varsity Scouting was a program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It was an alternative available to boys ages fourteen to eighteen until the end of 2017. It used the basic Boy Scouting program and added high adventure, sporting, and other elements that were more appealing to older youth to accomplish the aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Varsity Scouts were organized into teams; separate chartered units from a Boy Scout troop.
Explorer Scouts, frequently shortened to Explorers, is the fifth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom for 14- to 18-year-olds. The section was introduced in 2001 and formally launched in February 2002, alongside Scout Network, to replace the former Venture Scout section for fifteen-and-a-half to twenty-year-olds.
The uniform and insignia of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) gives a Scout visibility and creates a level of identity within both the unit and the community. The uniform is used to promote equality while showing individual achievement. While all uniforms are similar in basic design, they do vary in color and detail to identify the different membership divisions of Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA and Venturing. Many people collect BSA insignia such as camporee and jamboree emblems, council shoulder strips and historical badges.
The Philmont Training Center (PTC), located at the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, New Mexico, has been the National Training Center of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since 1950. The PTC offers week-long training conferences from June through September for council, district, and unit volunteers, BSA professionals, and youth leaders with several conferences taking place each week. The PTC also offers activities for family members including hikes throughout the week and a week-long backpacking program called a Mountain Trek for youth ages 14 to 20.
The Marine Military Academy is a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas, US, offering a college preparatory curriculum for boys in grades 7–12 plus one year of post-graduate study. The school was founded in 1965. Its traditions and ideals are inspired by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), but the school is not affiliated with the USMC except through its Junior ROTC program.
Kodiak is the second level leadership development course for Venturers in the Boy Scouts of America's Venturing program.
Scouts BSA is the flagship program and membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for boys and girls between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, and mental and personal fitness. Scouts are expected to develop personal religious values, learn the principles of American heritage and government, and acquire skills to become successful adults.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.
The Ranger Award is an award available to youth in the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America, to encourage and recognize proficiency in skills.
National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) is a training program of Boy Scouts of America. The format is a week-long, leadership development experience, providing young men and women aged 14 through 20 the environment to enhance their leadership skills.
Leadership training in the Boy Scouts of America includes training on how to administer the Scouting program, outdoor skills training for adults and youth, and leadership development courses for adults and youth. Some of these courses like Youth Protection Training are mandatory. Most of the courses are offered by the local council, while a few are hosted at the national level, currently at Philmont Training Center in New Mexico. They are available to members of all of the Boy Scout programs, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Explorer Posts, and Venturing Crews.
The Venturing Summit is the highest rank for youth in the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America. It requires Venturers to earn the Pathfinder Rank, participate in adventures, and demonstrate leadership, service and personal growth.