Boy scouts
As a 6 year old I startes at the youngest group in scouting, the Wolf Cubs. But after 3 summer camps it was no adventure to me anymore, so I decided to quit scouting.
In 1984, when JOTA was coming up, I was aksed to help the scouts with ham radio, and doing so I involved in scouting again. I was intersested in their activities and games and decided to join Scouting again. After beig trained well I've been a scoutmaster for over 6 years.
In these years we have had many camp-outs in the woods aroundas well as amny summercamps, with it's peak in Lapwing Lodge, Scotland.
Hägar-Stam
Besides being a scoutmaster, I also join the Explorers (Stam), first as member, later as a counsellor. Although it's not well organized in the beginning, we we'll have a lot hikes in teh Belgium Ardennes and other casual activities.
Just when the Troop celebrates its 10th anniversary everything workes well and a name is given to the unit (in the Netherlands pack's, troops and units have names instaed of numbers): Hägar Stam, called after the legendary viking comic Hägar the Horrible. The unit grows and becomes a tight group of friends, monthly visiting the troop house to plan hikes and great activities.
International
Except scouting in the Netherlands, there's a lot to see across the border. Together with other unit members and staffers, I'll visit international camporees, like Intercamp and INECA (International Eastern Camp). Many contact are mad, which will lead to visiting foereign troops, bothin the Netherlands and abroad. So will I go to England, to Gilwell-Park and Brownsea Island,where in 1904 the Scouting movement was founded. Although this island is a nature reserve, only scouts are allowed to stay there, which is an adventure to do.
During al these vitis to intrenational camporees, I'll often contact Americans, living and working for the military in Europe. Besides work and school, they also have basball teams and scout troops coming over. So I contact one of them, living in my place of birth, and so I'm introduced in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
BSA
In 1990 I'll join the Boy Scouts of America. I'll organize many campouts and will become Unit Commissioner in Charlemagne District. I also organize a lot of camporees and campouts and become District Comittee Member in Charlemagne District.
The system BSa works with is pretty similar to the Dutch or British system, although achievement and profounding knowledge are characteristic for earning merit badges. So if someone earns a merit badge it stands for a profounding knowledge and skillfullness.
Also the summer camps are different, compared to Dutch summer camps. While Dutch scouts prepare their camps months before, (BSA Europe) goes to permanent campsites, where everything is already setup and prepared and where a camp staff runs the program. Each day the scouts can sign in for a merit badge program, varying from life saving and canoeing to archery or woodcraft.
Due to the many camporees I organize and the help I offer in the boy-scout camping programm, I'm involvedin the Order of the Arrow (OA), Black eagle Lodge, part of BSA which shows scouts the way of camping and the joy and adventures of outdoor life. The OA is based on Indian traditions of the Delaware Region, and keep up their ceromies and rituals.
Sea Scouts
In 1992 I regurlaly contact waterscouts and thus I change my activities to Sea Scouitng, here also called Water Scouts.
While the rivers and lakes ar e more and more visited by boats, a good training for both, youth and adults, is very important. Therefor both have to pass examiniations for using and driving boats. The so called MBL's vary from rowing on quite water to sailing at sea and driving large motor vessels. Without these certificates no one is allowd to use a boat alone.
Peak of the souting year is the summer camp and once per four years participation at the NAWAKA (National Sea Scout Jamboree), where there will be about 30.000 scouts from all over the Netherlands.
In 2002, after 9 years of Sea scouting and after 19 years of scouting, due to a lack of time, I can't be that active anymore. But in the background I'm still active helping with smaller activities or campouts.
Training
To become volunteer in the Scouting Organization and to lead and councel the youth, leaders have to be trained. Training starts with scoutmaster fundamentals and can be added with complementary courses like camp training to learn how to camp and how to make a good camping program, but also training how to handle problem childs or how to make bad weather programs.
For experienced leaders there the Gilwell Woodbadge training. During this hard 8 day training, the leader is faced with himself and turned inside out. New technologies are learned and after 8 days, leaving the first part of the training, the leader takes with him a task to work on. After about half a year all tranees come together to thoroughly discuss, togehter with their staff the tasks they have and the progress they make. As there is good progress, the trainee will get a special (interantional recognized) award: 'the Woodbadge'. This 'Woodbadge' consists among other things of a leather thong with two pieces of wood and a certificate, in the Netherlands signed by HRH Prince Berhard.
JOTA - JOTI
Every year, at the 3rd weekend of October, during an international event, scouts are allowed to use amateur radio (ham radio) to contact scouts from all over the world. This event is the JOTA or Jamboree On The Air. Since a few years contacts with other scouts are also through the Internet, so that part is called JOTI. At many JOTA's in my neighbourhood, I used to be main operator or guest operator and helped with radio fox hunts, setting up contacts with other countries, games etc.
MES and RIS
In Scouting Netherlands there are several national Suportting Explorer Units. which not only consist of youth,but als of adults (often counsellors). I joined two of them, the MES (Medical Support) and the RIS (Ham Radio Support).
The MES consists of volunteers (doctors, a surgeon, nurses, first responders, first aid qualyfied and other ,edical emergency workers) who give medical assistance to the needed at scoutring jamborees as NaWaKa, PiToMa, Explo, but also at the 4 Days Parade of Nijmegen.
The RIS is a group of radio amateurs who put their equipment at scout's diosposal unselfishly giving the scouts the opportunity to contact people all around the world