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Boy Scouts of America, Northern New Jersey Council

Powder Horn: Bring the Adventure Home

Home › Training › Powder Horn: Bring the Adventure Home

Providing a vibrant outdoor program for your unit isn’t easy.

Experience the solution at Powder Horn where we help you deliver on the promise of Scouting: Adventure!

At Powder Horn, you “learn by doing” as you try each activity first-hand so you know how much fun your unit can have. You’ll have fun outside learning from experts on how to arrange equipment, facilities, guides, instructors, and other aspects of outdoor fun for your unit.

Powder Horn is for Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout Leaders and older youth leaders!

Powder Horn is open to all registered adult and youth leaders. Youth must be 14 or older (or 13 and have completed eighth grade, if a member of a venturing crew).  See all qualification requirements below.

Learning Objectives

Powder Horn is open to all registered adult and youth leaders. Youth must be 14 or older (or 13 and have completed eighth grade, if a member of a venturing crew).  See all qualification requirements below.

Provide a robust outdoor program using a variety of resources.

Identify local resources and consultants for high-adventure activities.

Apply the health and safety requirements of the Boy Scouts of America to outdoor programs.

Apply the rules and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America as they apply to outdoor programs.

This course is not a total training program that enables the Scouting unit members (youth and adults) to be experts or even self-sufficient in any aspect of outdoor skills. Units will likely still need knowledgeable, trained, and certified individuals (consultants) to help provide a safe and correct outdoor/high-adventure program.

Who Can Participate?

Powder Horn is open to any youth who is at least 14 years of age (or 13 and has completed eighth grade, if part of a Venturing crew) or any adult registered in the BSA. Participants may register as an individual or with members of their unit. If a unit wants to remain together as a crew during the Powder Horn course, the group must supply two-deep adult leadership as required by Youth Protection guidelines. The maximum crew size of eight still holds, whether it is made up of a group of individuals or a unit team.

Participant guidelines

  • Must be a registered youth or adult member of the Boy Scouts of America.
  • Youth must be 14 years of age (or have joined a Venturing crew if 13 years of age and completed eighth grade).
  • Youth must have completed the unit’s version of leadership training (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops, Ships, or Crews, etc.). National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is recommended for youth participants and youth staff.
  • All participants must complete Venturing Youth Protection.
  • Adults must be trained for their position.
  • Meet the physical requirements contained in the Annual Health and Medical Record physical in a backcountry environment.
  • May have attended previous Powder Horn courses as a participant or staff.

Youth Participant Guidelines

Powder Horn is open to any youth who is at least 14 years of age (or 13 and has completed eighth grade, if part of a Venturing crew) or any adult registered in the BSA. Participants may register as an individual or with members of their unit. If a unit wants to remain together as a crew during the Powder Horn course, the group must supply two-deep adult leadership as required by Youth Protection guidelines. The maximum crew size of eight still holds, whether it is made up of a group of individuals or a unit team.

Venturing Versus Scouts BSA Activities

It is critical to be aware of the differences in what activities are allowed in each of the BSA programs.  To avoid disappointing some of our participants, we may need to tailor our activities within the course makeup and offer equally exciting alternate activities to anyone who is not allowed to participate in an event.

What will I learn at Powder Horn?

Sample Powder Horn topics include:

  • Archery
  • Astronomy
  • ATV
  • Backpacking
  • Canoeing
  • Caving
  • C.O.P.E.
  • Dutch Oven Cooking
  • Ecology
  • Equestrian
  • Expedition Planning
  • First Aid
  • Fly Fishing
  • High Adventure Bases
  • Kayaking
  • Land Navigation
  • Leave No Trace
  • Lifesaving/ Aquatics
  • Living History
  • Mountain Biking
  • Mountain Man Experience
  • Rappelling
  • Scuba
  • Sea Scouting
  • Shooting Sports
  • Watercraft
  • Wilderness Survival
  • Working with Teens

Note: Powder Horn is “challenge by choice”; this means no one has to participate in any activity which he or she may feel uncomfortable doing.

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