The beginning of a new year is a terrific time for resolutions. Simple ones might include setting out a long hike or learning a new Scouting skill.

Resolutions can help you think big, too. For example, imagine being part of the excitement of the 2013 National Jamboree, or see yourself receiving your Eagle Scout award at a special court of honor.

Get a vision of what the future can look like, then figure out manageable steps to reach your goals. Soon you'll find yourself right where you want to be.

Reach for the Summit!

"Meet me at the Summit!" The invitation is spreading across America for you to be one of 40,000 Scouts attending next year's National Jamboree at the Summit Scout Reservation, the BSA's newest high adventure base and the home of all Jamborees to come.

Ten thousand acres of Scout reserve alongside the wild country of West Virginia's New River Gorge form the setting for world-class Scouting adventure.

Check out www.scoutstuff.org for embroidered patches featuring a few of the challenges awaiting you at the Summit. Worn on a jacket or patch vest, the emblems are will show everyone where you're headed and help you keep your goal in mind.

Bike, Climb, Hike, Raft, Kayak - That's just a start of what you'll find at the Jamboree - and on this colorful T-shirt featuring the Meet Me At The Summit emblem.

Are you in? Your unit leaders or council office can tell you how to apply - the first step in realizing your resolution to reach the Summit. If you have the right qualifications, consider serving on the volunteer staff, too - a sure way to enjoy an insider's view of all the action at the 2013 Jamboree.

To Top

The Jamboree that Almost Wasn't

Next year's gathering at the Summit will be the 13th National Jamboree. Each has had its own character and excitement, including the Jamboree That Almost Wasn't.

Scheduled for the summer of 1935, the first National Jamboree was scheduled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. A poster appeared on the cover of Boys' Life magazine. The BSA issued Jamboree patches and other mementos. Everything was ready to go.

Then the nation was hit by an outbreak of polio, a serious disease that can be spread by contact with others. As a health precaution BSA officials called off the Jamboree.

In Scout Stuff, a book celebrating the collections of the National Scouting Museum, you can read what happened next. "Two years later officials gave the BSA the all-clear. By train, bus, and motor car, 27,000 Scouts and leaders journeyed to the nation's capital to pitch their tents between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial."

Scouting's national leaders were resolved to make the BSA's first Jamboree an outstanding event. They succeeded despite the challenges, setting high standards for all Jamborees to come.

(Learn more about Jamborees and plenty of other Scouting history in the pages of the fully-illustrated book Scout Stuff, available now from www.scoutstuff.org.)

To Top

Trail to Eagle

Have you made the resolution to become an Eagle Scout?

Whatever your current rank, this is a good time to visit with your troop's adult leaders about moving forward. Specific goals - earning certain merit badges in the coming year, for example, or completing several leadership requirements - can go a long way toward making your vision a reality.

An illustration in a late 1920s issue of Scouting magazine showed that earning the Eagle Scout award involves many steps:

Identify the steps you need to take in order to reach your goals, then climb them one at a time. You'll find yourself steadily rising toward the BSA's highest rank.

To Top

Celebrate Success

February 8th is the BSA's birthday, marking another year of service, adventure, leadership, and fun.

The coming month is also a great time for a court of honor to acknowledge those who have fulfilled their resolutions of completing rank requirements, merit badges, and other Scouting achievements.

Eagle Scout courts of honor bring together Scout units with family members, friends, and other supporters of Scouting to recognize those who have achieved the BSA's highest rank. At www.scoutstuff.org you'll find everything you need to make an Eagle court of honor the special event it should be.

To Top

Summit Resolution Reminder

Resolutions are made to be kept, but we sometimes need reminders. Get a Meet Me At The Summit 2013 National Jamboree coin and slip it into your pocket. If you've already put in motion your plan to attend the Jamboree, the coin will let you know that a magnificent adventure is in your future. If you haven't yet filled out an application, the coin can encourage you to get busy and get it done. See you at the Summit!

To Top

(This edition of the Be Prepared Newsletter was developed and written by Robert Birkby, author of the current editions of the Boy Scout Handbook and Fieldbook and of Scout Stuff, the new book about the National Scouting Museum.)