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Photo courtesy of Lauren Holly. During Adventure Weekend, Kendall Holly (center, standing) was encouraged to try new things and take risks with Westwood Scout Troop 3.
10-10-2026 12:33am
Westwood Minute Young Voices: My Adventures with Westwood's Coed Scout Troop 3
Darlene Cancell
Editor
By Kendall Holly
On the weekend of September 12 and 13, kids and teens from Westwood sharpened axes and saws, climbed boulders, shot BB guns, and slept under the stars. All of these adventurous opportunities happened at the Greater Blue Hills Adventure Weekend at Scouting America’s New England Base Camp in Milton, where Westwood Scouts were in attendance. This included four girls like myself - the first group of females ever to join Westwood’s Troop 3 after Scouting America began allowing girls to join in 2019. This event was organized to give Scouts opportunities to try new, creative, and adventurous things, while keeping things safe.
As a Scout, I really appreciate opportunities like this. I’ve found myself at other camps and programs in the past where I wasn’t allowed to do things that didn’t even scare me. But at Scouts events, I’m encouraged to do things that push me out of my comfort zone – even when I am a little scared.
Adventure Weekend was the first time that I got to do rock climbing with a belayer on natural rocks, and it was exciting to be able to climb any way I wanted to get to the top, knowing I could fall as many times as I needed, try again until I got it right, and just keep going. No one tried to stop me or limit me because I was less experienced - all they tried to do was teach me so that I built that experience. I even got to belay somebody twice my size for the first time. I was a bit confused and unsure at first because I was never trusted to do that anywhere else, but I learned that the belayer is only one of many backup safety measures, and a smaller person can safely belay any other sized person.
This event, like other Scouts events I’ve been to, was an out-of-the-ordinary experience in nature that I most likely wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. It was structured in a way that pushes Scouts to take risks safely, feel more independent, and not be limited because they are kids or because they have never done something before. Trying new things is a major part of being a kid, and if adults and organizations don’t want you to do something that you have never done before on their watch, you miss an opportunity to learn and grow.
Part of being a Scout means being encouraged to experience a lot of “firsts” - in fact, this is my first time writing an article for the news! I’m glad I got the opportunity to share this really great experience that I shared with really great people.
Thanks to Kendall Holly for sharing her perspective and news from the Scouts with Westwood Minute. Kendall is a 12-year-old member of Westwood Scout Troop 3 who is rising Tenderfoot rank.
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Westwood Minute is pleased to introduce "Westwood Minute Young Voices," a space where local middle and high school students can share their experiences, ideas, and perspectives with the community. Young people interested in submitting an article or story pitch, consistent with our Community Guidelines, can email it to the editor at WestwoodInAMinute@gmail.com. Contributors under age 18 should include the phone number and email address of parent or guardian who can be contacted to confirm permission and be copied on subsequent communications.
