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"Big Ed's" Tips for Camp

by Ed Henderson

Read and reread your Summer Camp Leaders Guidebook. Highlight what is new in it. If your camp is one you go to every year it is still good advise to be very familiar with it as programs change and every new Camp & Program Director is likely to add new features. Also pay close attention to your council newsletter and the camp web site as last minute details are often announced just before camp starts.

	Many councils have pre camp events or kick off meetings to drum up interest in summer camp. Some have a 10 day out type sessions for leaders to visit the camp before the toop arrives. In this information age a few camps even have pre camp chat rooms on the web or message boards for leaders to get help with their week.
	Make sure your troop has good two deep leadership in camp at all times. It really is recommended that at least one leader be in camp the entire week so they will know what is going on from day to day, and they will know where the scouts are in any given time.
	Make sure Medical Forms are up to date for the current year, especially if you have scouts returning to camp. The form can be used for three years but still must be updated each session by a parent.
	One of the biggest failings of troops in their week of camp is not understanding the class sign up and selection process. If your camp is one that offers pre-registration of classes before the scouts arrive DO IT! Sit each scout down and find out what he wants to take and also what they need to advance. Have the Troop Librarian get out the Merit Badge books so scouts can be working on those requirements which need to be done before camp. Camps who do not pay attention to a camp's class registration procedures are likely to cause chaos, the scouts will not get the classes they want, or the camp will be forced into having crowded sessions.
	Make sure each scout has spending money for the Trading Post and suggest parents give their kids a phone card so they wont waste a bunch of coins in the Camp Pay Phone. Help the kids save money by having plenty to drink in the campsite.
	Does the camp have a promotional video? Get it out in May & have everyone watch it. There is still time to get more scouts in your troop registered.
	Leaders in camp can be a great asset. Got a spare carpenter? Put them to work. Make yourself available to the new scout area director and volunteer to go with the staff on their overnighter with the new scouts (they will be very thankful). If you know your troop will be asked to put on a skit, make it a great one by getting your props ready before you even go to camp.
	To maximize the benefits of camp prepare a strategy for getting scouts to complete their partials shortly after camp ends, even if it is a weekend campout back to the same camp where many of the facilities might still be available.
	Things that build morale and enthusiasm at camp are fantastic. Consider a Camp T-Shirt for your troop, or a cheer or yell that your troop can do at assembly or in the dining hall. It will be contagious and before the end of the week all the troops will get into the act.
	Finally, if you want to really make an impact. Consider doing a special presentation for the staff. Have a cake or pizza party for them at your site one evening or make a special award and have a contest for perhaps an "arm wrestling contest" or bring your troop mascot to camp and have it stolen and then get the camp involved with a big search complete with clues for staff and campers to go through in order to find it. Those are the things everyone remembers.
	Parents Night? Promote it, make sure all of your parents know about it so they can try to be there. Have those that can't make it send a gift pack.
	CAMPER MAIL - Camps are usually in out of the way places. Tell parents that they should even consider sending their "Dear Son" letters out the Friday or Saturday before the leave for camp on Sunday afternoon. Make sure the letter includes not only the scouts name but also camp week, troop number or campsite. A good letter from home with some extra spending money can do a lot to kill the homesickness. Never send letters to campers after Tuesday with an expectation that they will make it to the scout before he leaves on Saturday,
	Scouts who had a blast at camp might even want to come back as a Provisional Camper, or it they are 14 or older, even as a CIT (Counselor in Training). Inquire about these opportunities when speaking with the Camp Director.
	Who sponsors your troop? Summer Camp is a fantastic opportunity to invite them down for parents night. Let them see the camp & how much fun & learning everyone is doing. These kinds of things can go a long way towards building a good partnership between a sponsoring institution and a unit.
	Have your Scribe & Historian take photos and send them to your local newspaper, or even better have them come out for a photo day. If you are planning on inviting the news media, make sure your coordinate this with the Camp Director.

Every camp has their good years and their not so good ones. Some programs will be fantastic and others will be lacking. If your experience in 1999 was not what you expected, you can plan for a better experience in 2000.

Fill out evaluation forms and comments. Be clear and detailed. Consider sending a copy to the Scout Executive and the Camping Committee of the Council. Tell what you liked and want to see kept as well as problem areas and weak programs that need more work.
Often a council will have the Scout Executive in camp during the week or another top representative of the council, meet with them and keep in touch with the Camp Commissioner, Program & Camp Director during the week.
If you want to go out of council look at other nearby camps, visit their web sites, ask them to send you a copy of their leader's guides and videos. Ask other leaders from your district that went out of council for their recommendations and experiences. Read posts and check out the archives of Scouts-L on the Scouter.com web site to see what others have said about a particular camp. Look for warning signs of camps that only operate a few weeks and have very few out of council units visit. These camps often have no web site, or promotional videos, and the professional staff may not have their leader's guides out until sometime in the Spring of the year. These are often signs of a weak and dying camp.

If you are going back to your council camp your O.A. lodge is supposed to be in the business of camp promotion. If they did not visit your troop in 1999 and you are planning to return in 2000, schedule with your chapter chief a visit for your troop where unit elections can be done. Often these Arrowmen are also camp staff members. Your scouts will look up to and listen to fellow youth members who speak highly of the camp program.

Examine the Camp you pick each year. Do they have Nationally Camp School Trained staff members in positions like Scoutcraft, Nature Ecology and Chaplain (that are recommended but not required) or do they cut corners? Is the Camp Trading Post not well stocked or filled with a bunch of overpriced items from only one source or is it well stocked with a good selection of items that are affordable to the campers. Does your camp director want to be there or was it forced upon them as a punishment for not getting their FOS goal. Try to find out when the Camp & Program Directors went to National Camp School. Was it early in the spring or are they returning to camp - posessing several years of experience? These are good indicators. Watch out for camps where the Camp & Program Directors just got back from Camp School the week before camp starts. These councils that planned everything at the last minute are not likely to have good staff or proper training and your week is likely to be turbulent at best.
See what improvements are being made to the camp. Does the council have a regular program to upgrade the facilities or is the camp falling into disrepair.

CONCLUSIONS

There are many things which go into a having a great summer camp experience. A good camp will have programs for everyone from new scouts to High Adventure activities for those as old as 17 years old. Everyone has to be a part of it. Find a council that cares about their camp, get the troop leaders behind it, have the PLC spend time thinking and preparing for camp, look for a camp where the staff is pumped and well trained, and one that your comfortable with. Look for a camp that goes the extra mile with unique programs, a great web site, a decent Trading Post, a Handicraft Program area that is alive with an enthusiastic staff and lots of equipment. Ask to meet the Camp Medic, National Camp School Trained Chaplain, and Camp Commissioner. These should be well trained people who are in camp all the time. Scout Camp is a great experience! A good year can do wonders for a troop, but a hellish experience can cause kids to drop out of Scouting and even kill a troop. YOU OWE IT TO YOUR SCOUTS TO FIND A GREAT CAMP AND THEN DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO SUPPORT THEM IN EVERY WAY! Have a blast in 1999!

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Have a Camp Question? Ask "Big Ed"

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