For this to work it would have to come from the national leadership of each of these organizations and would need to be a nationwide campaign and if it succeeded would need recognition on a national level. Being a local gal I have no influence in the national arena but you asked for ideas so here you go...

I propose a campaign:

Be Prepared 101...it's not JUST for Boyscouts

• In February 2011 the Boyscouts of America will celebrate 101 years. The Boyscout motto is "Be Prepared" (ergo Be Prepared 101) The Campaign could run from Febrary to September which is National Preparedness Month - great for a Grand Finale

• The Red Cross, in addition to responding in emergency and disaster situations also provides tons of literature, videos and training. They could team up with FEMA to provide training materials and literature that even kids could present.
• Citizen Corps includes CERT, Neighborhood Watch, Fire Corps Etc...participates in neighborhood events, disaster exercises, trainings of all kinds. These are all hazards, all purpose volunteers, they are ready and willing to help...let's call them up.

What if ...in 2011 ...we had a campaign that used Red Cross Preparedness materials presented by Boyscouts to their communities with the help and support of local Citizen Corps programs? BE PREPARED 101

What if we challeneged every Red Cross to assist as many Boy Scouts as possible to get their merit badges and complete Red Cross training courses and then honored the Red Cross units who help the most kids?

And what if we challenged every Citizen Corps to include Boyscouts in their activities and assist the scouts in getting the word out to their community about preparedness and then honored the ones who did the best job of including local scouts and parents in their activities?

And what if we challeneged each scout to present the preparedness training to as many people as possible and honored the ones who trained the most? They could train in their schools, sports teams, churches, community centers, seniors,etc.

Each organization would be working within the boundaries of their own missions but by purposefully combining those efforts and helping each other... everyone wins!

What's In It for Them?

Boyscouts get merit badges, cool opportunities and presentation experience.
Red Cross gets their message out and builds stronger community ties, maybe even influencing the next generations of volunteers. Those same "wins" would also apply to local Citizen Corps, especially in areas where Citizen Corps are not as well known.

What's in in for America?

Duh? If these groups actaully joined forces every community that has even one of these programs active in its midst would benefit. We have a lot of great individual efforts going on even now...I'm certainly not criticizing...but what if we banded together..what if United We Served our communities.

Think of the possibilities...

If successfully implemented (meaning many people doing much work with massive coordination and cooperation)...

Preparedness for Disasters...is important.
Inter-agency Cooperation ...is important.
Community Engagement and Strengthening...is important.
Individual Effort, Achievement and Recognition...is important.
Saving Lives, Enriching Programs, Building Relationships...is important.

This is not political or partisan, it's just a powerful opportunity to work together to achieve something worthy and honorable, something in which we can all be proud to have played a part.

This idea is only important if it works or inspires a better idea.