2nd Annual Trails to Trades Expo

Scouts Learn About the Building Trades Unions

More than 150 Scouts and their parents gathered for the 2025 Trails to Trades showcase on Sat., June 15 where children and teens were introduced to roles heavy construction machinery, tools and equipment play in the building and construction trades.

The scout, accompanied by troop leaders, parents and chaperones from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, visited the wide open areas of the IUOE Local 137 Training here in Northwestern Westchester County.

The day-long showcase also gave scouts the opportunity to earn a Surveying Merit Badge through both classroom and field work. Scouts discovered how land is measured and how it is described so that others can know where boundary lines are, explained David Ryan, training director of Union’s learning center.

A group of Scouts converged in mid-June at the Operating Engineers Local 137 Training Center in Montrose, NY, to explore the Trails to Trades program, which encourages youth to learn more about the building and construction trades.

T2T for Scouts of All Ages

The mission of Trails to Trades is to harness the personal qualities of character growth, skills development, teamwork and learning which are acquired through scouting. The program explains how young people can apply the values of scouting and how they relate to the careers that await them in the union building trades.

“Scouting organizations and trade unions share a common value system,” explained Matt Kosara, a co-founder of Trail to Trades. “Helping each other as well as anyone in need is a cornerstone of these groups.”

Trails to Trades is a nationwide, non-profit group that teaches young people about the skills and careers available through the Building Trades, Mr. Kosara added. It has grown organically from the natural partnership that exists between the Building Trades unions and scouting organizations. “We exist to facilitate ways for these groups to come together and share their skills and values.”

Union Locals participating at this year’s event included:
Bricklayers Local 1
Carpenters 279
Iron Workers Local 417
Laborers Locals 60 and 235
Operating Engineers 137 and 15D
Painters & Allied Trades DC9 Local 113
Plumbers Local 21
Teamsters Local 456

For more information on Trails to Trades, contact T2T board member Matt Pepe of the Building Contractors Association at 914-631-6070 or matt@cicnys.org. or Mr. Kosara at matt.kosara@gmail.com

Published: July 2, 2025

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