t24parent

Thought I would give a quick update on the camping situation. Since my last post (in February) the troop has gone camping one time and attended summer camp. A second scheduled camping trip was cancelled.

Summer camp was very successful with a large number of boys attending. The Scoutmaster did not attend summer camp but we had more than enough leaders/adults for the number of scouts who went. I'm not sure why the other regular trips are cancelled for wet weather when it appears we have enough leaders to function on a camping trip without the SM having to attend.

I did come across a piece of information that bothers me quite a bit. It turns out that the troop is giving scouts with rank first class and above full credit for camping time even when the actual camping trips are cancelled. This can't be normal policy can it? This helps explain how they are continuing to be able to advance the boys with hardly any actual camping time throughout the year. If I'm not mistaken this also affects eligibility for Order of the Arrow (and possibly other awards) as well?

Thanks for all the responses everyone. Some very good questions and suggestions.

I did a bit of asking around and, unfortunately, it looks like the reason for the day trips may be the weather. Specifically he does not like camping in the rain. There is rain in the forecast for our Klondike this weekend (raining now actually) so that fits. best I can remember there was in rain during previous outing weekends. Again, this isn't the official answer from leadership (no real answer is given when they are asked) but it fits.

I can say with confidence that the problem does not lie in the organization. We are fortunate to have some very active adult volunteers in the troop. The activity calender is planned out a year in advance. Transportation, the the best of my knowledge, has never been a major problem. If they ever need some extra seats they send out an email and parents answer the call. The grubmasters and quartermasters do a very good job with their equipment and purchasing.

Under the previous scoutmaster, the troop would go camping no matter the weather. In fact, I remember one of the scoutmasters making the remark 'you can't learn how to camp in the rain without camping in the rain' when heading out on a trip during a downpour.

Now I just need to figure out a way to discuss this issues without causing any major problems. While asking around I discovered I'm not the only one with this concern. The boys missed out on a large part of our council's Wizard Safari (http://www.wizardsafari.com/) and looks like their going to miss out on a lot of the Klondike adventure all because of rain.

Of course this also means I need to put my money where my mouth is. If I expect someone to take these boys camping in the rain, I better get trained so I can be one of those someones.

Is there any 'formal' requirement in Boy Scouts on the minimum number of overnight camping trips per year?

Our troop used to have a very active outdoor program (~9-10 overnights per year). In the past year we've had a leadership change. After that change the boys haven't had a single overnight trip in the past 7 months. Several have been scheduled but a reason has always been found to turn them into 'day trips' instead of camping trips. A couple of these have been council events where our boys get to see other troops breaking out their gear and setting up camp while they are getting into the cars to head home.

I think the proverbial last straw for my son was tonight when it was announced the camping portion of our Klondike outing this weekend was canceled and they would just be heading out for the day on Saturday.

We sat down for a bit and talked about possibly looking at other troops in the area but since all his friends from school are in this troop, he: 'doesn't want to change.... I just want to go camping' (his words). It pains me to see him this discouraged and I think he's now missing out on a HUGE part of the scouting experience.

I've tried approaching leadership but I was told I could bring it up at the next parents meeting (which is weeks away). Any suggestions on how I can handle this?

Thanks for the welcome and the quick replies.

Just to clarify my post:

I'm not saying they're sent home to get the item they forgot and then return. I'm saying they're sent home. Goodbye. Try again next week.

I'm not debating the uniform. I'm debating sending a 12 year old home crying because his socks are not BSA issue.

When is too much emphasis placed on uniforms? How about this excerpt from a email my sons troop recently sent out:

"Next, at this coming meeting we are going to be doing uniform inspections. If you do not have the proper uniform (this includes socks, pants, shirt, neckercheif, and slide) on you will be sent home. A Boyscout rule is being at the meeting in complete uniform."

This policy has been implemented for ALL meetings. Full uniform or you go home.

To me, that's too far. Sending a boy home when his is missing an element of the uniform? That is denying a boy access to scouting based solely on his access to a uniform. What if the family can't afford it? What if he lost a sock during the last camping trip? I know of one boy whose step father steadfastly refuses to spend any money on what he calls 'frivolous' items like a scout uniform. The boy dresses the best he can using a mish-mash of hand me down uniform parts from other families. He doesn't have anything close to a full uniform however. Tough luck for that young man, I guess he just gets to stay home now.