March-April 2002

Edited by Scott Daniels

• Boys' Life has new look and content

Texas Scouts show support for President Bush's call to help children in Afghanistan

At a Veterans Day ceremony in Beaumont, Tex., U.S. Representative Nick Lampson (left) and BSA Chief Scout Executive Roy Williams (right) congratulate Brandon Johnson (center) after the Cub Scout was selected to deliver to the White House the total of $1,137.76 that the Scouts in the Three Rivers Council contributed to the President's fund for children in Afghanistan. Photograph courtesy of Three Rivers Council

At a special event in November, Scouts in the Three Rivers Council, Beaumont, Tex., demonstrated Scouting's enthusiastic response to the request from President George W. Bush that American youth earn or give money to a fund to aid the children of war-torn Afghanistan.

The Veterans Day ceremony, held at the council's Dishman Scout Service Center, was sponsored by the American Legion and the local Scout Oldtimers Association in honor of Beaumont native Harry Brinkley Bass, an Eagle Scout and a highly decorated Navy pilot who was killed in World War II.

Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and President Bush's subsequent call for contributions to a relief fund for Afghan children, the council asked Scouts to bring their personal donations for the fund to the ceremony. In response, some 450 Scouts contributed a total of $1,137.76 to the fund.

Special guests included area Congressman Nick Lampson and BSA Chief Scout Executive Roy Williams. They assisted in drawing the name of Cub Scout Brandon Johnson, Pack 88, Silsbee, Tex., to represent the council in personally delivering the donations to the White House.

Youth and adults can earn new BSA Physical Fitness Award

The new BSA Physical Fitness Award offers adult leaders and youth members a program for increased fitness awareness, improved exercise habits, and a healthier diet.

All Scouts and Scouters who successfully complete the requirements may wear a special recognition pin and patch purchased through their local council. Scout leaders are encouraged to set an example for youth by earning the award.

A key figure in the process of earning the award is a fitness mentor, an individual recognized and trained in activity education and identified by the local Scout council's health and safety, risk management, or training committee. (Mentors may include merit badge counselors for any physical activity-oriented merit badge.)

Scouters and mentors beginning the program will receive from local councils a copy of the pocket Leader's Fitness Card, containing a checklist for completing requirements.

Requirements include establishing and carrying out a plan for achieving improvement over time in activities that reflect the seven major components of fitness—posture (personal posture chart), accuracy (softball throw), strength (sit-ups), agility (side steps), speed (distance dash), balance (squat stands), and endurance (squat thrusts).

Other requirements include obtaining a cardiovascular fitness evaluation, giving a presentation on fitness to a youth group, and demonstrating knowledge of proper equipment and safety considerations for different activities. Resources for youth earning the BSA Physical Fitness Award can be found in the advancement requirements for fitness activities in the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing programs. Such advancement activities include bicycling, hiking, swimming, many types of sports, and more.

Contact local council service centers for more information.

Space Day offers exciting learning opportunities

At the 2001 Space Day opening ceremony last May, former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn greeted visiting Boy Scouts from Herndon, Va. Photograph by Eric Schulzinger/Lockheed Martin

Space Day—May 2, 2002—is an annual global educational initiative to spark youth interest in science, math, and technology through the wonders of space. The event is co-chaired by John Glenn, former astronaut and U.S. senator.

The interactive, family-friendly Web site, www.spaceday.com, highlights this year's theme of "Adventure to Mars!" Visitors can navigate through the site as if they are flying a mission through space.

Resources include numerous games, learning activities, and projects, like building a model of a Mars spacecraft or identifying constellations and locating the International Space Station in the night sky. The "Space Day in Your Neighborhood" section describes activities held in local communities in 2001.

On May 2, www.spaceday.com will host the annual interactive Cyber Space Day Webcast. Also available is the archived 2001 Webcast, with Senator Glenn, Sir Arthur C. Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey), NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, and others.

Boys' Life has new look and content Beginning with the January 2002 issue, Boys' Life features a new cover design, the first such change since 1977. But the cover isn't the only change. Since 1999 the BSA magazine for young readers has been available in three editions, each designed for readers in a specific age range and reading level. Modifications to these editions now make BL more appealing to readers from age 6 to 17. ·The low edition, edited for readers 6 through 8 years old, now includes four pages of "Let's Look at...," exclusive age-appropriate material for beginning readers found only in the low edition. (These pages replace the foldout poster contained in previous editions sent to Tiger Cub subscribers.) The low edition also has the same four pages of Cub Scout features and eight pages of cartoons found in the middle edition. ·The middle edition is designed for readers 9 to 11 and is sent to Cub Scouts 9 years old and older (and to all adult Cub Scout program subscribers). It includes a "Cub Corner" (featuring four pages of features and eight pages of cartoons also found in the lower edition) plus four pages of features that are also included in the upper (Boy Scout) edition. ·The upper (high) edition is sent to subscribers who are Boy Scouts, Venturers, and Learning for Life participants, as well as to all subscribers who are non-Scouts. It contains 12 pages of age-appropriate features for more advanced readers, featuring topics such as high adventure, careers, and fiction. It also contains four pages of features found in the middle edition. All three editions include some content that will appeal to every reader. A redesigned color-coded contents page in the two editions for younger readers highlights each issue's age-appropriate features. In addition, those pages containing special Cub Scout features will include a gold color bar, visible when fanning the pages. The three editions provide a natural progression in interest and readability, making the magazine suitable for readers 6 through 17.

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