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Outdoor Leadership - Advanced

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Contents

1. Have the Outdoor Leadership Honor.

For tips and instruction see Outdoor Leadership.

2. Earn three honors, not previously earned, from the Wilderness Master Award.

Any seven of these honors can be used to earn the Wilderness Master Award.

3. Have a First Aid and CPR Honors and a current certificate for them. In addition to these honors, know the prevention and symptoms of, and first aid treatment for the following:

For tips and instruction see First Aid, Standard.

For tips and instruction see CPR.

4. Prepare outlines and present seven different worships to be shared during a camping experience. Utilize scriptural texts and principles, and illustrate these with examples available during the camping experience.

Choosing a topic for each of the seven worships is easier if the camping trip has a theme. If it doesn't have a theme, you could choose a theme for your worship talks yourself.

You will need to select seven time slots when you will have the attention of the campers. Here are some suggestions:

Friday evening vespers (around the campfire)
Sabbath morning before breakfast
Sabbath School
Church Service
Afternoon hike (during a rest period)
Saturday evening (around the campfire)
Sunday morning before breakfast.

If the Sabbath School and/or the Worship Service time slots are not available to you, you can use the time before lunch on Sabbath as well as the time before dinner. Other time slots are also not only acceptable, but quite workable. The important thing is to figure out when you will give your talks, and then stick to your plan.

An outline should consist of a title, main point, supporting evidence (which could be a story or two, with one of them being drawn from the natural setting in which you are camped), a Bible text, and a restatement of the main point. It can be written out on a single sheet of paper or on a series of index cards. You can refer to the outline during the talk. Keep the outline brief. Its main purpose is to remind you to convey the points you have already chosen. It is not a script for you to read to the other campers.

5. Outline a personal testimony that could be used to start a friendship between a person and Christ. The testimony could include how Jesus became your personal Savior, a miracle that has happened in your life, etc. Present this testimony to a group of youth in an outdoor setting.

Personal stories related by the person who experienced them can be powerful and moving testimony. Search through your "story bank" for one that you think has the best chance of reaching your audience. Then decide what the lesson of that story will be. A story without a point is nothing more than entertainment. Your aim here is to reach a person, so your story needs to have a moral in order to get a message across.

Outlining the story means you write down the major highlights.

What happened?
- How did the situation begin?
- What predicament developed?
- How was it resolved?
How did God intervene?
How did it affect your life?
How would your life be different had God not intervened on your behalf?
What did you learn from the experience?

6. Know how to control the panic of someone who is lost.

The wording of this requirement implies that you are either with the person who is lost, or you are in voice contact with them (via radio or cell phone). In either case, you are able to influence them and calm them down.

First remain calm yourself. This does not mean that you ignore the gravity of the situation, but rather, that you deal with it in a calm, deliberate manner. Start with a prayer. If the person is beginning to panic and act irrationally, tell them to calm down. If you are present, you may need to physically restrain a person to keep them from running off or injuring themselves.

Once you have the person's attention, share the plan with them. Explain how you plan to get "unlost" and how if the plan doesn't work out before nightfall, how you will build or find a shelter to protect against the elements until help can arrive. Once shelter has been established, explain how you will build a fire. Then execute the plan, or walk that person through it (if you have only voice contact).

If you are in contact with the lost person by cell phone, have them monitor the phone's battery. Wilderness areas are notorious for having poor cell phone coverage, and the phone will automatically boost its transmit power to compensate, draining the batteries more quickly than usual. Have the person agree to turn the phone on once per hour for five minutes, and then off again to conserve power. If the signal becomes too weak, communicate via text messages as opposed to by voice, as text messages are more likely to get through and be understood.

During the hourly contact, ask how the person is doing, and if they have seen any landmarks they can identify. Help them solve their problems as they come up, and describe the progress of the search and rescue team. Pray again.

7. Develop a search and rescue plan for a specific location, 50 acres (20 hectares) or more, in your area. This plan should utilize at least ten individuals, and you should coordinate each one's activity and search zone. List specific equipment that might be needed for communication, first aid, and victim transport appropriate for the chosen location.

Gather Information

This exercise will require a topographic map covering the search area. Before the search begins, there are several bits of information that should be collected and carefully analyzed.

Basic statistics on the lost person:
- age
- gender
- build
- height
- weight
- wilderness skill
- last known emotional state
What is the last known location of the lost person?
What was the person wearing? Gather as much detail as possible, including undergarments (lost people have an amazing propensity to shed garments).
What kind of footwear was the person using?
How well equipped was the person?

Begin the Search

The search will begin at the person's last known location. Plot this on a map. Look for boundaries surrounding that location, such as roads, rivers, creeks, fences, etc. Assign one team to search the vicinity surrounding the last known location. Have another team search the identified boundaries looking for signs that the person may have exited the area. If no evidence can be found of the person having crossed those boundaries, confine the search the area encompassed by it. Otherwise, make the boundary crossing the new focal point of the search, and establish another perimeter. Remember that the lost person could have crossed back into the original search area, so it is important to search the entire boundary before refocussing the search.

Equipment needed

Equipment needed will depend to a great extent on the conditions in the area. The factor that most often results in death in a lost-person situation is hypothermia, so be prepared to treat that as soon as the victim is found (if applicable). This equipment will include a sleeping bag. The victim may also have become dehydrated, so bring water, both for the searcher, and for the victim.

Victims have an unusual tendency to cast off clothing when lost, and this may further expose them to risk of hypothermia. Bring extra clothing for the victim, including footwear. Also be prepared to carry the victim out on a stretcher, travois, or watercraft (if the search is along a body of water).

Establish a base of operations and have all the searchers stay in radio contact with the base. This will require two-way radios with sufficient range to cover the entire area, including ravines.

Keep track of the areas that have been searched by marking them on the map.

8. Outline your philosophy for wilderness etiquette. Participate in one to three hours of a wilderness conservation project.

By the time you have reached the level required to earn on this honor, you should already have developed a philosophy of wilderness etiquette. All that remains is to capture that in words. You should be familiar with the mantras "Leave no trace" and "take only pictures, leave only footprints," and you will already know that you can take things other than pictures (such as trash). Perhaps you prefer outdoor forms of outdoor recreation that do not pollute or make excessive noise (hiking vs riding an ATV, skiing vs a snowmobile, paddling a canoe or kayak vs a jet ski, sailing vs a motor boat, etc.). You know how to enjoy the outdoors in a way that does not ruin it for others, and you know how to introduce others to the joys of the outdoors. Write it down!

As for the wilderness conservation project, you can connect with a local hiking or paddling club, or a national wildlife preservation organization (such as the Audubon Society). If you don't know of any organization, check with a local outdoor retailer and ask if they know of one. These organizations frequently orchestrate river cleanups, trail building projects, or even scientific data collection (such as water cleanliness or species counts).

You can always organize a project on your own too. Check with the local government or park authority. Why not bring your Pathfinder club along for the ride?

9. Teach at least one honor found in the Wilderness Master group.

See requirement 2 for the honors included in the Wilderness Master group.

10. Know at least four objectives for outdoor leadership in each of the following categories:

a. Physical

Inspire a desire in those you lead to become physically active.
Understand the physical fitness levels of those you lead and know their limitations.
Provide opportunities to increase physical endurance such that those you lead can comfortably participate in outdoor activities.
Find ways to share the outdoors with those who cannot physically participate.

b. Social

Coach others in ways to express their triumphs and disappointments in an socially acceptable manner.
Encourage shy persons to come out of their shell (but do not embarrass them).
Provide opportunities for youth to bond with their peers, with younger children, and with their leaders.
Be a trustworthy friend who is consistent.

c. Personal

Teach outdoor skills to those you lead so that they may become self-sufficient.
Allow people to make mistakes, but be there to keep things safe and help pick up the pieces when necessary.
Instil your love for the outdoors in others.
Teach those you lead to become leaders in their own right.

d. Spiritual

Develop your own spiritual life so that you may share it with others.
Practice what you preach so that you do not become a stumbling block.
Preach what you practice so that others may know explicitly what you are all about.
Seek divine guidance.

11. Know the difference between juniors (10-12 years old) and teens (13-15 years old)in the following areas:

Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Physical emotional mental spiritual differences

12. Have seven of the following honors. Any of the honors earned more than two years ago should be restudied so that you can answer any of the knowledge questions included in the honor.

Animal Tracking
Birds
Ecology
Edible Wild Plants
Ferns
Flowers
Fungi

Geology
Grasses
Insects
Mammals
Marine Invertebrates
Reptiles

Rocks & Minerals
Shells
Spiders
Stars
Trees
Weather

13. Plan, organize, and carry out one of the following for one weekend with a group of not less than five:

a. Outdoor spiritual retreat

b. Canoe trip

Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Canoe trip

c. Bicycle trip

Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Bicycle Trip

d. Horseback trip

Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Horseback Trip

e. Backpack trip

Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Backpack trip

References

AY Honors/Outdoor Leadership - Advanced/Answer Key