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PhillyScout

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About PhillyScout

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  1. I'm hoping that doesn't happen. I did find out that one of our staff members (a retired NY police officer) is a counselor for it. That should help a little bit .
  2. Thank you so much for all the input! I love the idea of fingerprinting and have incorporated it into the program already. I'm working with my cd and se to explore and fit in geocaching, metalwork, space exploration, and public health and am continuing to research the possibility of some of the other ones mentioned. I'm sure our ranger would be on board with your idea, mnscout. Thanks again everyone. It really helps to know what units actually enjoy rather than trying to predict what they might like. My goal is to make sure that every scout has fun and falls in love with camp
  3. What's the most interesting/merit badge that was the most fun for the boys in your troop? I'm trying to incorporate new things into my camp's program and was interested in seeing if you have ever seen any non traditional "camp" merit badges done well. Thanks!
  4. We use badge tracker (http://www.badgetracker.com/) I don't have any firsthand experience with it, but both our units and camp admin speak highly of it.
  5. From personal experience, the info usually pops up on the net around December/January. You could try to give National a call but my guess is that dates/locations are still being confirmed. Your best (see:quickest) bet may be to contact the ranger(s) at the camp(s) that NCS normally takes place in your area. Here's the northeast's camp school page (not yet updated; who knows if it will be):http://nerbsa.org/sitecore/content/Regions/Northeast/program/campschool/residentcamps.aspx Good luck! Let us know if you find a doc. I have to send a few guys to NCS next year as well.
  6. From what I've heard the program and food are good. The one negative that I've heard from at least 2 troops is that it was somewhat overcrowded. They were running 600+ campers a week this summer. One scoutmaster said that they were sharing a campsite with 3 other troops. With that said, my troop had a good experience and are planning to return as far as I know.
  7. Great camps you guys have in Del-Mar-Va, shortridge. It amazed my unit and I that a council relatively small compared to our own (Cradle of Liberty) can maintain 2 reservations and be building a new one when we can only operate one. What's the secret? We were at Rodney for a weekend this past winter and were really impressed by the camp as well as the campmaster program.
  8. "Director shall at all times reserve the authority to review or retest all participants to ensure the standards have been maintained." This is pretty important. At the end of the day as a director, the well being of the boys in the water is the responsibility of you and your staff. I personally never ran into the problem (all units were encouraged to take the tests at camp) but as long as the tests were conducted by someone with a camp school card. You're average 16 year old BSA lifeguard doesn't have specific enough training to conduct swim tests without the supervision of a director (a
  9. I assume you are referring to a repeat after me and do as i do song? "The Buffalo Dance" and "Singing in the Rain" are personal favorites of mine. Both can be found with a google search.
  10. The BSA is not regulated by HIPPA however, in a resident camp setting, medical information is distributed only on a need to know basis to unit leaders and select staff members. Standard M20 reads: "The camp director and unit leaders are informed of campers with limitations so that the appropriate staff members are alerted" As a former waterfront director and current COPE director, information about scouts with asthma, sting allergies, and other relevant conditions is generally made available to me by the health officer at the start of each week.
  11. Something that I have observed as both a leader and a member of camp staff is that parents tend to take their kids off of their add/adhd meds when they send them off to summer camp. My point: taking them off meds isnt going to do them any good. Talk to the parents and ensure that they will be sending the meds with their kids.
  12. The spider web is a COPE low course element. There is some danger associated with this. Ideally, you want a certified COPE director or instructor to facilitate the event but if that isn't an option, here are a few pointers for you: Feet first! Going through head first greatly increases chance of injury. Make sure everyone is spotting the person going through. If it gets rowdy, don't be afraid to stop the event. Make sure that you are over a soft surface. I also generally discourage use of elements in timed competition as this generally leads to increased safety risks. Also, on
  13. I agree with the FOS also. Council camps are a service to the troops, not a business venture or fundraiser for council. I also couldn't agree more with you, Eagle732. Sure ooc troops provide diversity in a camp and an infinite expanse of potential "customers" but serving the units in your council should be emphasized. If your own troops don't want to go to your camp, what makes them think that ooc troops will want to? A couple more issues I have: Camp operates for 6 weeks or more w/900+ campers. If the camp is providing a quality program to the kids that are at camp and are r
  14. I have to agree with WAKWIB. Most of my favorite things/times in scouting have come from working at camp. It's so cool to see kids smile because of a skit you did at the campfire or a song you sung in the dining hall. You realize how much of an impact this program has on kids when they come up to you at the end of the week and thank you for working with them on a mb or helping them have an awesome week. I have been lucky enough to go to camp school twice and have met some amazing people from across the country. I have also had the privilege of working with international scouts. The
  15. Along with others, I agree that it would be a lot easier to tell with a picture. I'm relatively young (22) and consider myself to be pretty aware of popular culture. From what you described, I see nothing gang related or negative at all. Its a common pose in pictures and the like. There's no real meaning to it that I'm aware. In a social situation, a sign similar to that is used as a parting gesture. It's a derivative of the term "peace out" and was/is the accompanying gesture. Perhaps it was originally a gang related thing but it is now very much a mainstream thing. Now if they start sha
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