Tents set up neat as a pin around a make-shift out-doors kitchen enabled nearly 20 cub, boy and venturing scouts and their leaders to enjoy hands-on learning at a camping trip this past weekend. The opportunity is rare for St. Thomas scouts unlike their counterparts on St. Croix, who have a beautiful 19-acre camp facility. The experience was made possible by the St. Thomas Swimming Association (STSA), whose board gave permission for the scouts to camp on the lot adjacent to the pool facility.
“The relationship between STSA and the Boy Scouts of the Virgin Islands is informal, but strong and growing, and we appreciate their support,” said Jimmy Loveland, who is the brainchild behind the Marine Vocational Program (MVP).
The MVP, started in 2007, operates under the Boy Scouts. It is run by the same people who direct the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament as well as a helm committee, and it has as its mission to teach V.I. youth the skills they need to follow a career path in marine tourism, commercial marine industries and associated marine-related support services. The MVP pays the STSA to teach the Scouts to swim. The Scouts must know how to swim before they can move on to other MVP’s instructional programs such as scuba diving, which is taught at the St. Thomas Diving Club, and sailing, which is taught by Island Sol at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Soon hospitality and conservation curriculums will also be taught.
In turn, the STSA has allowed the MVP to clear the overgrown field adjacent to the pool and next to the National Guard Armory, plant mahogany trees and allowed the St. Thomas Scouts inaugural weekend of camping.
The weekend camping trip enabled Scouts to learn life lessons and environmental stewardship skills that can’t as easily be taught in a classroom. For example, Scoutmaster Wayne Dawson taught his troops to cook dinner themselves – stewed chicken, seasoned rice and veggies. Each Scout brought his own cups, plates and utensils from home so there was no trash generated by paper products.
“The permission by STSA for the Scouts to have a weekend camp-out on their property is priceless,” said Les Baron, scout executive of the Bethesda, Maryland-based, National Capital Area Council of the BSA, which now oversees the U.S.V.I. “Sitting in an office and tying knots gets old. Experiential learning, such as camping provides, teaches Scouts many valuable skills such as character development, leadership, teamwork and builds self-esteem.”
The MVP is funded through contributions from the Virgin Islands’ business community, charitable trusts and members of the sports fishing industry.
For more information about the MVP, call 775-9500, e-mail: loveto@islands.vi, or visit: www.abmt.vi/pages/bsa.htm
