I got involved with the Boy Scouts my freshman year of high school. I was about to turn 15 years old, and it was honestly the best thing I could have ever done. Are you confused? I am a girl, so should I not be with the Girl Scouts? Well, let me tell you about a program called Venture Scouts. It is a co-ed opportunity through the Boy Scouts of America that you can join once you exit the eighth grade. We have similar awards to Eagle Scout, we do community service, and we also hold events. So basically, we are Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts combined except you do not need any scouting experience to join.

I joined because I had one friend who just joined and they needed more youth(people of 14-21 years old) to be able to do events. It has been almost seven years since I joined, and it has been an amazing experience where I've learned so much, even about myself. My venture crew mostly did things at the summer camp -- that was the reason we were actually formed. The majority of the crew worked during the summers together, and then in the off-season, we kept in touch by holding events for the council and crew get-togethers.

So first, I'd like to tell you what just the crew taught me: how to find your voice. The youth plan the basic "crew only" events. The first one of these events I went to was camping outside of Washington, D.C. At that point in my life, I had never set up a tent, let alone been inside of one. It was an experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and have gone camping in a tent several times since then.

Second: hiking. Yeah, I was not at all prepared for that one. Living about 15 minutes from the beach for the majority of my life meant that I never hiked up a mountain until I was 15. I learned that my blood sugar drops pretty fast and I should always carry different snacks besides pretzels and 3 chewy granola bars. I also learned to always have extra water, that is always a must.

Transitioning to what camp taught me: leadership, responsibility, service, and friendship. Responsibility really falls under all the other categories. It is something everyone has, even if you do not realize it. My first summer at camp, I taught the first year scouters. It most certainly took leadership. I was in charge of a group ranging from 6-25 scouts. I had to direct these scouts all day long from point A all the way to point E and teach them skills they needed to advance to the next level of scouting.

I also mentioned service being involved at camp. When you work as a camp counselor, you do not do it for the money, you do it as a service for the scouts. They are the future, they are ones who will carry on traditions, and start new ones. I have watched a few start in the program I taught in five years ago, and now they are about to finish up their Eagle project. Besides summer camp, we also hold events that raise money for the council and give the scouts the opportunity to gain skills for merit badges. At these other events, staff is not paid. Again, we do it as service for the scouts.

Friendship is a huge moral in scouts. You grow up with one another, and you meet scouts from all over. I literally mean from other countries, as well. We always greet one another with a smile. Meeting new scouts every summer is always the best time, along with reconnecting with the staff you haven't seen since last summer.

Staff is family. With that being said, staff families have the same "issues" as every other type of family. I love my staff family. I keep in contact with as many as possible, even from 400 miles away. We grew up together and continue to watch as new members join our family.

Growing up in scouts gave me a sense of belonging and I could not be more grateful.

Thank you for being my family, Crew 595.