Red Smith Middle School student Derek Arcand never thought he would have to juggle a pandemic with his role as the senior patrol leader of Scouts BSA Troop 1042. Youth organizations like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H have not been able to meet in-person for over a month due to concerns with COVID-19.  For Arcand, that means using Zoom for everything from virtual merit badge sessions with counselors to troop and patrol meetings. He misses meeting up with his fellow scouts and working on his advancement, but the Star-rank scout is taking away valuable experience from all of this.

4-H, Boy Scouts of America, and Girl Scouts of the USA have been providing virtual meetings and remote activities for their members and the general public to use during the time they have not been able to meet. Bay-Lakes Council BSA will also be reprising its “Camp-In” experience on May 1st at 6:30 p.m.