Boy Scouts teach outdoor skills to Annandale Boys & Girls Club campers

Kids participating in the Annandale Boys and Girls Club’s summer program learned some outdoor skills from Boy Scout Troop 150 at Ossian Hall Park on Aug. 2.

The scouts taught the kids how to tie knots, build a fire, set up a tent, and lash branches together to make a structure. The scouts then helped the kids perform skits and treated them to deep-fried Oreos.

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“It’s a great opportunity to give the kids exposure to new skills,” said Assistant Scoutmaster Darryl Drevna. “It also gives the scouts a chance to give back and practice their own skills. We take community service very seriously.”

The Annandale Boys and Girls Club summer camp meets at the Annandale Community Center on Heritage Drive. The club is part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington; it is not to be confused with the sports club also called the Annandale Boys and Girls Club.

The event with the Boy Scouts is just one of the activities this summer planned by Annandale Boys and Girls Club Director Jasmin Richerson.

The club received a $20,000 grant from Cox Communications for an Innovation Lab with AI software for animation, VR headsets, and a computer-controlled lighting system for an indoor garden.

The Cox Innovation Lab will be unveiled Aug. 29. The event will feature former New England Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

Richerson is working with the Inova Healthy Plate Club on a cooking class for the kids at the AUMC Mission Center on Heritage Drive.

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A group called EcoAction helped the kids create recycled paper with embedded seeds that can be planted. Richerson is also planning to start an e-sports club for teens in the summer program.

The teens are starting a podcast with donated equipment and coaching from Riester Influence, a strategic communications company. Next week, they’ll be interviewing Andres Jimenez, the Democratic candidate for Mason District supervisor.