Boy Scout Troop 542 Participates in 50th Anniversary of American-Canadian International Exchange

Troop 542 was among approximately 375 Scouts from Ontario, Canada and suburban Philadelphia spent the weekend celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first international exchange, which occurred in 1967. The exchange program, now known as SCOPE—for Scout Centenary Ontario Pennsylvania Expedition—occurs every few years, when busloads of US Scouting contingents travel to the Greater Toronto area and their Canadian counterparts travel to suburban Philadelphia for a long weekend.

This year, two busloads of more than 100 Canadian Scouts were hosted by American Scouts representing several different troops in the Boy Scouts of America’s Cradle of Liberty Council. They spent a few days experiencing Philadelphia history, sampling traditional Philadelphia cuisine and absorbing the culture with their American hosts before convening at Musser Scout Reservation in Pennsburg, Pa. There, they spent a weekend of fellowship, camping, music, fireworks, and a program of activities including BMX biking, STEM experiments, shooting sports, archery, canoeing, tomahawk throwing, and rock climbing.

The Pennsylvania-based American Scouting contingent is scheduled to visit Ontario, Canada for SCOPE in 2019. Troop 542, based at Supplee Presbyterian Church in Maple Glen, has more than 100 youth members and is led by Scoutmaster John Schultz.