Reflection On Cape Fear Council's National Youth Leadership Training

During this past summer, I was served on the Cape Fear Council’s National Youth Leadership Training Course as the Head Youth Quartermaster. Throughout the weeklong training course, I faced many challenges, sometimes multiple simultaneously. One issue, however, sets itself apart from the rest, perhaps from its more critical nature. On the Outpost Challenge night, the staff sent the course participants out hiking across the camp to separate locations. As the evening wore on, the staff received a distress call from one of the teams; one of the team members sliced his hand on broken glass and disappeared into the woods in search of assistance. Immediately, the staff sprang into action; however, many of them did so without planning, and instead ran into the night in search of this lost and injured Scout. With the few that remained in the

By evaluating all of the variables in the equation, such as his initial location, the direction of travel, his skill level, and his current health condition, we were able to create an effective search and rescue style plan to locate this Scout. In addition to locating this Scout, our other objective was to also ensure all other teams were accounted for and in safe condition. Shortly after we began the execution phase of our developed plan, the Scout found his way to our headquarters, and the medical staff were able to treat him for his injury. Although I organized the Outpost Challenge phase of this training course, I was not directly responsible for watching over the participants at their outpost camps. This duty fell under the jurisdiction of another top youth staff member, and this included taking