This is from an e-mail I received yesterday from the Council Coordinator for the program. It sounds like at least some of the girls and Leaders benefited from the workshop.

Pete

“Pete!

So far everything I've heard back about Sunday's Outdoor Survival program has been great. One leader e-mailed to let me know that her girls talked about it the whole way home - pretty impressive considering they had about a 2-hour drive! Another leader whom I work with on a regular basis told me when I saw her on Monday how much she personally got out of the workshop as well as how much the girls enjoyed it.”

Obviously, a job well done. Congratulations.

Definitely a great job! It is always a benefit if you can plant even the smallest seed of thought into someone.

Way to go Pete! I was disappointed with my time in girl guides. (Too many years ago.) Too bad I didn't have a leader like you. I bet I would have loved it!

My wife is a camp certified leader for a GS troop. One of the biggest hits they've had is the time she taught the girls how to cut wood for and light campfires (safety instruction included & constantly reinforced). Most of them had never struck a match before, or used a saw. They all seem to get excited about outdoor activities/camping when they are given the opportunity.

I like the things you did Pete, I'll share this with my wife as an idea for another great experience.

Yes!..i'll second Games post.most kids given half a chance would take to the outdoors like they were born there--

Entering this conversation late, but wanted to let Pete know that a girl in one of my troops attended the survival workshop you led. She brought back to us a good review and the kit she'd assembled, to show everyone. Thanks, Pete!

Four of her fellows have formed a team for the "Teens in the Timber" competition. Wish us luck! We have a lot of ground to cover in the next two months. It's a new troop, with several girls entering scouting for the first time ever. (Some had never lit a match.) And I need to get trained up on several items, along with the girls.

They formed the new troop largely to get to do outdoor activities -- love survival stuff -- so, yeah, if anyone is wondering, we often consult a Girl Scout handbook from 1947! (And obviously, newer sources too, including some BSA stuff, but almost nothing from GSUSA's bookstore, alas, 'cause they are much into chatting about self-esteem and empowerment, which I kinda thought we would cover by having girls ACTUALLY DO STUFF they want to do, and feel proud of doing it.)

We are working on the Outdoor Living Skills progressive patch from the San Gorgonio Council in California, because -- hey, what happened? -- all the outdoors stuff got sucked out of the Girl Scout books when I was busy going to college, starting a career and family.

Paramedic Pete, even if you think it's no big deal, I'd love a copy of your Powerpoint, too.

Tia,

First of all let me welcome you to the forums. I encourage you to visit, ask questions and contribute to the group. The forum has a number of Boy/Girl Scout and youth group leaders, adult volunteers and many knowledgeable individuals from all over the world who are always willing to share their knowledge, thoughts and experiences with all.

Secondly and on a personal note, it is very heartwarming to realize in some small way, we have contributed in a positive way to the development of a young girl or boy and their ability to be self-reliant and prepared for life’s little journey.

Hopefully, you are aware of the upcoming programs to support the “Teens in the Timber” event. I will be presenting another workshop, this time on fire making and shelter building, so hopefully you and your troop will have an opportunity to have some hands-on experience making fires and shelters (and get some freebies) before the “big event”.

Teens in the Timber

I would be happy to share the PowerPoint presentation and will e-mail it to you.

Pete

Pete, I'll send you my email offline; thanks! Alas, we'll be out of town for your fire making & shelter building this weekend. I've got several girls signed up for the maps & orienteering session, in case you're involved with that one.

Great forum; learning a lot.

Tia

Well we conducted our second Girl Scout workshop, Fire Making and Emergency Shelter Building this past Sunday and I believe it went quite well. We had 20+ girls, with about 14 adults, including some Boy Scouts (mom was A Girl Scout leader) to act as ‘Safety Watchers’. My wife and I arrived about 3 hours early and built two emergency shelters with Mylar survival blankets for examples (tent and lean-to). We then one-half of a debris shelter, so they could see the stages of construction. I built a quick fire so I could make some char-cloth, since ours was packed away with out 18th cen camping gear.

When the girls arrived, I conducted a safety briefing and introduction on knives and fires. We talk about the various components of successful fire starting, building and maintenance. I demonstrated fire starting with: Ferensal lens (w/ black paper), flint and steel (w/ char-cloth and tow), fire piston (w/ tinder fungus), ferrocium rod (w/ petroleum jelly-cotton ball and military fire starters) and finally with an REI storm match. I showed them how to make more char-cloth and how to make the cotton balls with petroleum jelly. We then looked at the shelters my wife and I constructed.

We broke them into 5 five groups and gave each group a “Fire and Shelter’ Kit which had a contractor’s bag, a Mylar survival blanket, 15 ft of paracord, 15 ft of half inch webbing, a tube with 5 petroleum/cotton balls, 1 box of waterproof matches, a razor blade, a P38 can opener, a pencil sharpener, 1 REI Storm match, 1 tea candle, a ferrocium rod, 2 military fire starters, along with a fire piston and a Mora knife. The girls were to start a fire (with one or more of the provided methods) keep it going, build 1 shelter with the survival blanket, bedding using the contractor’s bag and either build a debris shelter or work on the one we had started. As the groups got their fires started, I walked around to each group and showed them a few other fire making options (Blast match, Wet Tinder, what the pencil sharpener was for, etc.), gave them hotdogs to cook over their fires and supplies to make their own char-cloth (Altoids container and cloth). The adults (and Boy Scouts) were NOT to help out in any way, they were there for safety purposes only, we wanted the girls to do for themselves and for the most part everyone stuck to that arrangement. We did have one group fail to make a fire, so towards the end I did give them a little “assistance”. All of the groups made the shelters with the survival blanket and one group even got halfway through building their own debris shelter, the others worked on the one my wife and I started.

The workshop was 4 hours long, with about on and half hours for safety and demonstrations, 2 hours for the hands-on and 3o minutes for clean up and debrief. We then gave each girl and adult the same kit they used as a group to take home with them (my wife and I made up 40 kits, used 6 during the workshop and gave away the remaining 34 kits). Most of the girls will be participating in a “Teens in the Woods” camping competition over Memorial Day weekend, so I think they got a good start and had some fun.

Pete