Boy Scouts earn a Model Design and Building merit badge by completing mock reeving project. From left to right: L-627’s Gary Bain, and Scouts Henry Flatt and Nathan Schrepfer.
Scouts complete mock reeving project with Local 627
BOY SCOUTS AND Boilermaker goals matched up perfectly when Scouts from the Boy Scouts of America Grand Canyon Council met up with Local 627 (Phoenix) and the Western States Apprenticeship Program. The Scouts fulfilled a goal to provide its members with career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. The local got an audience of young, prospective apprentices to educate. And the Scouts themselves earned their Model Design and Building merit badges.
Eighteen Scouts, ages 13 to 18, and a few parents gathered in the union hall and apprentice training center in Phoenix on a Saturday morning to discover the multiple skills Boilermakers can acquire and the benefits of joining a trade union.
The five-hour class started with L-627 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Jacob Evenson giving a brief introduction to the career paths a Boilermaker can take, including how a person could participate in the Western States Helper Program and the Boilermakers National Apprenticeship Program. To bring his words to life, Evenson showed the Scouts two videos: Boilermakers — “This is Our History” and “Helper Program Innovates.”
Local 627’s Gary Bain and four apprentices led groups in a hands-on training exercise for a mock reeving project. The instructors went over job safety analysis, and each group got a blueprint of the project.
Scouts measured pre-cut building materials and matched them with the information on the blueprint. After each Scout suited up in personal protective equipment, they took turns tack welding and fitting up the block reeve.
“Besides learning a practical skill, it was good for the boys to work in a group toward a common goal. They had to negotiate who did what and when,” said Trish Sierra, mother to three Scouts.
“I was surprised how many things Boilermakers do,” said William Sierra, 13. “The class was great because it wasn’t just people talking — that’s boring. I liked the videos and working with my hands.”
“We provide an active way to teach youth and their parents about the many opportunities open to a Boilermaker,” said Evenson, noting the importance of regularly offering classes to local community groups, like the Scouts.
L-627 plans to offer three more Model Design and Building merit badge courses over the next year.
