Local Scout Troop 435 member shares his passion for scouting

Scouting America was founded in 1910 by William D. Boyce, a Chicago publisher inspired by an unknown scout who helped him in a London fog in 1909. Boyce brought the movement from British founder Robert Baden Powell to the United States as a program for boys ages 11-18 to learn survival and practical outdoor skills, leadership and character development. Rocklin Scout Troop 435 was founded in 2010 and currently has 54 scouts enrolled. Today, the Troop-led team encourages their scouts to build character skills, leadership, survival skills and personal development while also participating in fun, educational outdoor activities. "I became interested in scouting because I wanted to learn all the outdoor skills and things. I already knew some friends that were doing it, so it got me interested because of all the stuff they were doing. All the fun campouts and activities made me interested in joining," Troop 435 member Aaditya Gupta said. "I've definitely learned a lot about everything from first aid, leadership, communication, time management and responsibility." Empowering scouts to be leaders is one of the core principles in scouting. Scouting is designed to help prepare young boys to participate in and give leadership to their society. With the Scoutmaster's direction and mentoring, the scouts plan and implement the troop program by serving in positions of responsibility while deciding what skills they want or need to work on and plan accordingly during their troop meetings. This is just a fragment of leadership and educational roles scouts participate in. "I've been in scouting for two years now. I've participated and led a lot of campouts, activities and service projects over that time," Gupta said. "My favorite campout was the seven-day summer camp at Camp Oljato where we got to do a bunch of fun activities like going into the lake, swimming, kayaking and motorboating while also earning a bunch of badges to represent our skills." Troop 435 is always accepting new members. To learn how to sign up your child, visit scoutsbsatroop435.com. "I want people to know that it's not just about camping, it's about leadership and learning to be accountable, responsible and learning how to communicate better, both with another person and in a large group environment," Gupta said. "I'm going to be stepping into the role of SPL, which is the main youth leadership role in the troop next week. I'll be mainly leading the troop and all the activities." Parents play an important role in the success and education of Troop 435. Parents interested in volunteering and working alongside their scouts are encouraged to attend the monthly troop meetings hosted on every Thursday evening from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church on 4450 Granite Drive, Rocklin. "I think scouting is more important now than ever, because it helps young people get into the outdoors, have fun and get away from their screens while learning to be accountable and experience leadership positions that will help in their future careers and everyday life," Gupta said. "Scouting is open to everyone. It's not just you have to be one type of person, anyone can join scouting!"