By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

Two Scouts from BSA Troop 106 in Ironton completed the National Youth Leadership Training program at Camp Oyo in Friendship—located in Scioto County.
Luke Davisson and Mitchell Heighton were elected by their individual patrol as honorary patrol leaders of their groups for NYLT 2024.
Davisson, who is heading into his sophomore year at Ironton High School this fall, said participants can complete the program in a week or over two weekends.
“Essentially, it’s meant for people who hold positions in a troop,” he said. “It is designed to enhance your leadership abilities, your ability to handle stress and your ability to work in patrols.”
It was more mentally demanding than it was physically, according to Davisson.
“Especially, considering which course you’re taking and depending on the weather,” he said. “There is some physical to it but it’s mentally demanding—especially for a week of it.”
There are some challenges and activities throughout the week of training. Davisson said there are also presentations delivered by staff who are teaching skills.
“There are two or three each day,” he said. “In the afternoon, you will do activities and scenarios, building off what they taught you previously before noon.”
At NYLT, a patrol is a group of six to seven people led by a patrol leader. There is also an assistant patrol leader. Within a troop setting, the patrol can consist of up to 16 people.
“That’s also run by a patrol leader and an assistant patrol leader,” Davisson said.
At NYLT, it’s usually guided by a person called a troop guide who oversees the patrol but steps back and helps when needed.
Davisson, a Scout of 10-plus years, said attaining Eagle Scout rank was “a very long and hard” process. He earned it just before the last day of his eighth-grade year when he was just 14.
“Fortunately, I got it at a young age,” he said. “It was a battle at that time. It takes at least two years to get it. It took me three.”
Attaining Eagle Scout is “a very big challenge.”
“It takes a lot of work, knowledge and leadership,” Davisson said. “It takes a lot of maturity, too.”
It was “a struggle” for Davisson to earn Eagle Scout so young; he received concerns from the national Scouting organization because he wasn’t even in high school yet.
“It was definitely a big challenge in that aspect,” he said.
Heighton, who is in his seventh year of Scouting, said he learned a lot of new leadership skills in NYLT that he can use for his troop and community.
“It signifies me as a Scout,” he said. “Being a leader in Scouts, it will help me during sports, school and in the future in college.”
The Ironton St. Joe eighth grader (this fall) has worked his way through the various levels of Scouting. Currently, he’s a Life Scout. One of his goals is to become an Eagle Scout by next year.
Benefits of the training for the troop, according to Heighton, include leaders becoming better organized by creating a duty roster. Heighton said during campouts, they can become more efficient on time and do more fun activities.
“It’s an honor to be in Scouts,” Heighton said.
David M. Lucas, Ph.D., scoutmaster of Troop 106, said Scouting offers “carefully planned training and programming.”
“We teach leadership with the intent that they learn it early and get this done now,” he said. “They will be leaders in their peer group. We teach cooperative communication, group communication and problem solving.”
Lucas said Troop 106 stresses responsibility to community and country.
“This training they took and in which they excelled is the highest training available for youth in Scouting,” he said.
Heighton serves as senior patrol leader and Davisson continues his service in Troop 106. This is the 94th year of continuous service for the troop, which—according to Lucas—is “an historically significant milestone.”