10/16/2026
Part of the Venturing Summit paperwork is a Personal Code of Conduct. Here is the one from our first Summit Kaelyn Cynthia Harling. This project and paperwork was completed in 2015, but not awarded until 2017. Please read.
My Code of Conduct
1. I will not change who I am for others, and I will stand up for my beliefs even when they are unpopular.
2. I will treat people as I want to be treated myself (the Golden Rule).
3. I will be transparent in my purpose and act in a manner that is fair and just for all concerned.
4. I will never be satisfied with anything being less than my best effort.
5. I will seek continuous improvement.
6. I will keep my promises and honor my commitments.
7. I will fulfill the functional and moral obligations of my many roles and accept accountability for my shortcomings, negligence and oversight in fulfilling these obligations.
8. I will view my life as a gift and be grateful for it and my circumstances each and every day.
9. I will be optimistic and look for a larger purpose behind my actions.
10. I will strive to help others whenever possible and to continue developing relationships with positive people wherever I travel.
When it comes to my personal code of conduct, it has been shaped by my experiences. Having traveled across the country and explored different cultures, I acknowledge that I was very lucky to have good mentors who helped me navigate interpersonal pitfalls with integrity and recognize people who attempted to challenge my honor through manipulation and other means. This has helped me mentor other youth, both in my Venturing Crew and in my daily life and teach them to learn from my challenges.
I have always been the youngest in my peer group, due to my birthday and it’s relation to the start of school. Having to hold my own academically and socially with my classmates was the first obstacle I overcame. As a Girl Scout, I committed to helping others by running a Hurricane Food Drive on my own at age 8, after having been turned down by my Troop and council. This taught me that standing up for what you believe can sometimes be hard, but is ultimately worthwhile.
Being the youngest of my peers sometimes made me the target of bullies in school. I looked around and
found others who were also singled out. I made friends with them and learned that no one deserves to
verbally or physically mistreated. I stood up to bullies and made sure to let my teachers and counselors
aware when I foresaw myself or my friends being put into situations where a bully could act out without
supervision. I have never been turned down when I asked a person directly to help monitor a situation. I
learned that asking for help monitoring a situation is the best way to alert someone that help may be
needed. I also learned that teamwork and companionship make things more tolerable.
I began helping my brothers’ BSA district as a young teen, meeting with some of the people that would
help guide my own growth in Scouting. I was asked by Mindy Little to help work Camporees. Soon after,
I was asked by James Sheckels to shape and implement a program for children who had to come on
training events. Using my past experience with my Girl Scout project “Scout Buddies” I outlined a
program that grew into KOOL (Kids of Outdoor Learners). From both Mr. Sheckels and Mrs. Little, I
learned to take a vague idea and build a plan. I learned to reach out to many resources, to be flexible
where I could or should, and to defend my plans against those who do not have the knowledge base or
experience to provide good information. All of these ideas were put to the test within this year.
As a member of Venturing Crew 32, I began to explore skills and grow in leadership, culminating in
being part of Stan LaPerriere’s fourth NYLT staff. In November 2014, I had been tasked by the
Occoneechee Council Venturing Officers Association Advisor to develop, staff, and run a camporee/
training weekend for Venturing. I met with many different resources, including Jerry Wells, and was
guided by my OCVOA Program Advisor, James Sheckels. The 2015 Venturing Kick-off was my original
Summit project. It came within three months of being produced, when I noticed all but one staff position
were staffed by Venturing Crew 32, not the OCVOA youth. I had 32 organizations lined up for the
information fair. In the end, we, the OCVOA youth, met and almost all of the others stated they would not
be present for the event, due to school. The event was tabled.
This year, 2016, I was again asked to develop, staff, and run a Venturing event. There had been personnel
changes in the OCVOA youth, although two of the original officers remained. Training was not being
offered and a more traditional camporee style was the stated request. I developed the program, had it read
through by OCVOA youth and adults, and had received permission to upload the Leader’s guide. Soon
after it was uploaded, issues that I had pointed out earlier had to be addressed. I was asked to put the
OCVOA President in as Vortex chief, which was fine. Soon, demands were made to make major changes
that I felt were detrimental or would have negative consequences to the weekend. I changed things where
it would not affect the outcome, but I was adamant about changes that I knew from past experience would
end badly.
Soon I was being harangued in every meeting. I was reprimanded for having emailed Ranger John asking
about jobs at Camp Durant to use as service projects, even though the email had been copied to the
OCVOA. Then I was reprimanded for my apology. Every meeting was me being harassed by two adults
and one youth to make the changes they desired- to a leader’s guide that had been out for more than a
month. Three of the issues I refused to change were: using the word “admin” instead of registration
(there is a sign at Camp Durant directing people to the Admin building, which was not part of Vortex),
having only 1 service project for 100+ Venturing youth (the Advisor believed that the one project she had
would last all day), and trying to run this like summer camp with a rigid schedule (after staffing 9
camporees, I know that scheduling for this type of weekend is more like a “guideline”). After one
particular negative Skyped meeting, I conferred with my Program advisor and informed him that I was
tired of being bullied and I would ask our OCVOA Scouting Executive to please look to replace the adults
who were pressing for these changes despite my explanations, after the new elections. There were no
safety concerns, but my saying “no” was apparently not something that two of the adults were used to.
In the end, they made these changes, and more. Three units ended up at the Admin building Saturday
morning. Two were run by friends of the adults and were able to get into Vortex. The third unit, however,
stayed at the admin building for two hours, then made three passes through the Vortex looking for
“admin”; this despite having communicated to the Advisor that they would be arriving Saturday morning.
My unit advisor helped them out. The service project was completed by the first two units, leaving the
rest to wander aimlessly or go back to one of the other activities. Which, by the way, contributed to the
fact that few, if any, units followed the rigid schedule. Many opted to skip things or repeat things they
thought were fun.
The way I was treated was difficult to take. I had a good sense of myself and understood why I had stood
my ground. I had hoped to prevent the problems that occurred on Vortex weekend. I learned that even
Scouting is not immune to conflict and a disregard for youth leadership. The examples of good adult
mentoring found in my unit, district, and with council members outside the OCVOA showed me that the
system was sound and allowed me to step away still believing in Scouting. After a summer staffing at
Philmont, my belief in the greatness of Scouting has been strengthened.
