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TRUMAN - Among multiple pilot programs that Scouting America runs each year, the Trailblazer program is landing in Truman for area second, third and fourth-grade students
The Northern Star Council, which covers 37 counties in Minnesota including Martin, opted into this pilot program looking to help communities that need more support on the scouting side.
"There are communities, families that we’ve struggled to serve," Field Director Erik Karre said. "We said, 'Hey, this may be a great opportunity for us to try to see if we can serve families and if there’s interest from families to be served in this way."
Of the entire area the Northern Star Council covers, including South-Central and Central Minnesota and the Duluth Area, Karre said Truman is the only place besides the Twin Cities that this pilot program is coming to in its first iteration.
"We’ve really struggled getting families in Truman specifically to connect to our program post-COVID," he said. "We had a great program pre-COVID, and then COVID killed the program. We’ve had one or two kids here and there, but we’ve really just struggled to take a good foothold in the community. I think scouting is something families want, but there could be challenges because of other kids’ activities. You got a lot of farming families."
In addition, Karre said many families were opting to go to Sherburn and Fairmont for programming instead of investing time in Truman. In speaking with local school leadership in Truman, Karre said they got a sense this is something the community could wrap its arms around.
With this program, a different timetable is being used to make it easier for youths and families.
"Instead of two to three times a month every single month, it’s a shorter time frame, same program," Karre said. "We truncate it to every week for, in this case, 10 weeks. We're seeing if there would be families we could reach and serve in a different way."
Each week will be 90 minutes, running from right after school ends at Truman Public Schools and ending at 5:30, though parents can pick up their kids starting at 5 p.m. It will run for 10 weeks from Oct. 6 to Dec. 15, minus the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and costs $50 for the full 10-week slate. Any child in second, third, or fourth grade can be registered.
Generally, this would be $300, but Twin Valley Council, which has since merged and joined the Northern Star Council, received $41,907 from the Schmeeckle Foundation, which is in part going toward this program.
"There are families that we’re not serving," Karre said. "It could be because their household situation doesn’t allow it. It could be because they feel like they can’t afford the program. We always tell families we have financial assistance to help, and we never turn a family away for their inability to pay. I think the key for our organization is we have a set of values we try to teach kids. Character, fitness, leadership. We can’t do that if we don’t have the kids involved."
Like with regular scouts, Karre said there are a few additional key focuses of the Trailblazers program.
"Teaching kids about being trustworthy, honest and good citizens in their community," he said. "Teaching kids to have a sense of loyalty, to be thrifty; learning how to pay their own way. All those values any adult would say, 'Absolutely, that’s what I want for my kids.'"
Local music teacher David Kosmatka will be leading the group, but Karre said they could also use some more volunteers as well to help ensure everything runs smoothly.
"Whether it’s a one-off thing or every week, they certainly can," he said. "We’re flexible. They don’t have to have any knowledge about the program. They can just show up and be a pair of hands."
As this is a pilot program, never been done before, Karre has a few things he is hoping to see it bring to area kids.
"We’re hoping they come away with potentially some hobbies," he said. "Maybe they try something for the first time. They’ve never started a fire before and learn how to do that and learn about fire safety. Maybe they’ve never used a pocket knife before. What does that mean to use a pocket knife? How do you sharpen a pocket knife? We’re teaching them practical skills that they can use now or in the future. Ultimately, it’s values we’re trying to teach kids and hope they come away with a sense of purpose."
Currently, there are 15 spots available. Karre said that if interest exceeds current availability, the program could be expanded. It is first come, first served, and registrations end October 5.
To register or get more information, visit scoutingevent.com/250-TrumanTB. For questions, call Erik Karre at 308-440-2611 or email him at ekarre@northernstar.org.