Scout camp closures are big loss for us all

In Boy Scouts I learned camping skills, first aid, teamwork, leadership, and made some of the greatest life long friends a person could have. Boy Scouts rewards empathy and compassion. I met people from all walks of life that I would otherwise never meet.

It's hard to stay in the Boy Scouts. Social norms are straying further from constructive organizations that build adults who embrace their futures with the proper tools, and values. The Boy Scouts gave me those gifts. Gifts from people who grew up in a time when there were no smartphones, video games, or the internet where you spend all day inside watching other people experience the world.

The Boy Scouts gave me the world. I now see participation in my childhood council drop by 40 percent and camps closing where I spent many weekends building camp infrastructure and experienced some of the most surreal and beautiful events of my life.

I will never be able to share those places with my children. It's like the world is being taken away from future generations.

There are very few if any organizations like the Boy Scouts. This is a great loss for all of us.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Scout camp closures are big loss for us all."