GILEAD – Members of one of Maine’s uniformed youth organization will gather on Saturday, July 31, for a week of outdoor skill-training, readiness-preparedness initiatives and leadership challenges.

The youths will take a land navigation course, track at night while using special light-sensitive vision goggles and spend a day with parents on visitors’ day.

Nearly 50 boys and girls between the ages of 8 through 18 will head to the Maine Army National Guard’s Bog Brook training facility where they will be put into practice the skills they have been learning during their regular meetings.

The program focuses on character building through a combination of self-discipline, teamwork and leadership, and promotes a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, and the annual Bog Brook Encampment allows the youth to put the training into action in a safe, outdoor setting under adult supervision.

“The encampments are designed to bring our Young Marine to really work as a team and to develop leadership skills,” said Robert Veilleux, commanding officer of the Kennebec Valley Young Marines based in Gardiner.

The encampment draws Young Marines from all over the state. This year, the majority are coming from the Farmington and Augusta area and will be under the supervision of 14 adults. U.S. Sen. Susan M. Collins has brought in some federal agencies’ speakers. Responding were NASA, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

State and local agencies from across Maine are also chipping in: DARE from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police K-9 team, Bethel Fire Department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team. Members of the 112th will land a Black Hawk helicopter.