2024 Summer Connections

Even though the Cadet season is winding down, counselors should think about a few ways to connect with the cadets in their cadre and club. 

Here are just a few ideas that might help:

Service Projects (Church and Community)
Seek out service projects that your cadets can work on. Think about who has needs in your church family and neighborhood, and consider doing chores for the elderly or shut-ins, helping with a community garden, or other ways that your boys can make a difference in your church and community.

Cadet Cookout (Fundraiser?)
Summertime is a great time to have a cookout with your cadets, whether or not you incorporate badgework (Camp Cooking or Dutch Oven Cooking, for example). A cookout can even be scaled up into a fundraising event.

Model Car Derby
You may have already had your model car derby this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t race again. If you want to really mix things up, take your track to the church parking lot for an outdoor derby.

Rocket Launch Party
This can be part of the Model Rocketry merit badge, but it doesn’t have to be. Be sure to have plenty of rockets and engines available, and get new batteries for your launcher.

Fishing
Take your club or cadre fishing – incorporating the Fishing badge is up to you. You can turn it into a contest, with points or prizes for the largest or most fish caught.

Gun Range/Sporting Clays
A trip to the gun range or a shooting session on a sporting clay course can be a great time for the right cadre. The Marksmanship or Clay Target Shooting badges are easily incorporated, too. Are you in the West Michigan area? Join us for our annual Cadet Sporting Clay Shoot in August!

Sporting Events (Or Similar)
Your summertime activities with cadets don’t need to be limited to badge-related activities. Take your cadre or club to a ball game, or bowling, or to the roller rink, or go-karting, or… you get the idea(s).

Canoeing/Geocaching/Archery/Etc.
ANY great summertime activity that gets your Cadets outdoors and active could be an option for your club this summer. There are plenty of badges that focus on all sorts of outdoor interests. As always, the important thing is cultivating relationships with the boys to help them grow more Christlike in all areas of life.

Summer Campout
This classic Cadet activity can be combined with a little (or a lot) of badgework (Camping, Axemanship, Camp Cooking, Fire Building, First Aid, Knots & Lashing, Map Reading) and other outdoor activities (Hiking, Canoeing, Geocaching, etc.). The next Cadet International Camporee will be here before you know it.