SHC offering a fun way to develop citizenship skills

When Scouters of Holmes County became an entity, its board members were devoted to helping all area Scouting troops grow and learn while at the same time finding ways to promote good leadership and citizenship skills among area youth.

The advent of the Good Citizen Bingo Challenge is putting citizenship squarely at the forefront, whether participants are involved with a local Scouting unit or not.

“This is something that is great for any young person, not just for those who are involved with Scouting, and anyone is welcome to play along and have fun filling out a bingo card that can win them some great prizes,” said Melissa Biltz, board member of Scouters of Holmes County.

Biltz was seeking some way to promote citizenship when she happened across the bingo card idea from Seven Days, an independent weekly newspaper in Vermont. Biltz called Seven Days to get their blessing to copy the idea, which they gave.

“They say copying is the greatest form of flattery, and we wanted to emulate this because it was such a neat idea,” Biltz said. “It seemed like such a neat project, full of fun ways to learn about citizenship.”

Biltz said all of the activities on the bingo card are requirements for Scouting advancement, but anyone can play along and gain from the experience because everyone should learn how to get more involved with their communities.

“Our big thing is to get people to better understand what Scouting is about and the involvement we have in the community,” Biltz said. “We believe that Scouting leads to well-rounded young adults who can step right in and be a vital part of their communities, and Scouting builds character in every walk of life.”

The concept behind the Good Citizen Bingo Challenge is simple. Participants can cut out the bingo game card on the adjacent page of today’s Bargain Hunter and start to perform the various requirements that lead to a winning bingo entry.

As they complete each task, they must take a photo of themselves either doing a project or with a completed project.

The challenges are broken down into four categories: Team Player, House Maintenance, Health and Safety, and Community and Fun. Some of the challenges might be work- or chore-related while others might be setting up an evening of fun with the family or friends.

The game is for anyone under the age of 18, and the game can be especially beneficial to existing Scouts because it can lead to earning merit badges.

Chores like cleaning the garage, picking up trash along a county road, making lists of ways to help around the home or developing a fire escape plan are among the many ideas kids can complete.

Biltz said they have some great prizes that will go into a drawing from all of the completed bingo entries.

Biltz said the hope is to have an evening drawing after the completion of the game that will invite participants to enjoy a night together.

“We want this to be fun and a celebration,” Biltz said. “This contest is a way we can accomplish so many good things. Our hope is that we get some great participation because that will only help our young people gain some valuable insight on the importance of citizenship.”

To learn more about Scouting opportunities in the area, visit SHC at www.scoutershc.org or visit them on Facebook. The group can be emailed at scoutershc@gmail.com.

If any company would like to donate prizes for the game such as Guardians tickets, a bicycle or skateboard, an evening stay at an area cabin, movie passes, gift certificates for meals or toys, or any other prizes, they may email Biltz at the above email.