chief027

2 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

Lucky!! I had to come home every weekend due to being under 18. Same for this year.. I’m jealous you have cabins.

Yeah the staff pretty much all stay in camp on the weekend because the council that runs the camp is about 3-6hrs away(depending on where in the council)  from the camp so it isn’t really an option to leave. It sucks that you don’t get cabins, but as long as the tent is big enough it’s not ideal but doable 

Thanks for all the tips so far!

just to awnser a question I will be a Lifeguard (and waterfront MB teacher), this camp is on Huntington Lake and there is no pool. The camp is about a 2hr drive from home so I can come home each weekend but am not required to.

Staff are provided cabins to stay in which have power but no HVAC.

thanks for all the advice so far, please keep it up

Hello,

  This summer I will be working as Paid Camp Staff for the first time (Camp Kern, CA). I was asking to see if the forum had advice for me and all new Camp Staff (what to bring, what not to bring, compensation, etc.). Additionally, I thought it would be kinda cool to hear everyone’s stories from there time on staff

Thanks

Our older scouts like snow trips but since e we have Klondike at our council camp (Chawanakee) next month. They prefer to find a place with a cabin and tents. Older scouts and adults in the cabin, and younger scouts in tents to prepare them for Klondike. This January we are staying and Camp Three Falls, as for black ice it pretty rare in CA unless going above 6000 ft

 I talked with a few people in our troop and we had an idea. We will are winter camping next month at our council camp. The two super bad scouts are in the same patrol so and it looks like only one other scout in their patrols attending, we will separate the patrols about 500 ft from the adult camp in the middle. It is still a safe distance but it will be difficult for them to survive. Additionally instead of SPL and ASPL eating with the patrols all the Senior Scouts- Life and Up wiill be camping separately about 1/4th of a mile away. With only 3 scouts in one patrol the boys that don't work will be forced to help. Grandpa will be to far away to attend to the boys every need and we will distract him by having him teach the other patrol a skill or something of that sort. What do you guys think?

I suggest calling your council service center and asking the clerk to email you a list of all Merit Badge Counselors in the district. My council along with other do this. Bonus Points: if you share the list with your troop SM he can help other scouts who need to find a MB counselor out of camp. 

The MB requirements state:

Quote

a. Camp a total of at least 20 nights at designated Scouting activities or events.^{[Note 3][Note 4]} One long-term camping experience of up to six consecutive nights may be applied toward this requirement. Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. If the camp provides a tent that has already been pitched, you need not pitch your own tent.

b. On any of these camping experiences, you must do TWO of the following, only with proper preparation and under qualified supervision:

1. Hike up a mountain where, at some point, you are at least 1,000 feet higher in elevation from where you started.^{[Note 5]}

2. Backpack, snowshoe, or cross-country ski for at least 4 miles.

3. Take a bike trip of at least 15 miles or at least four hours.

4. Take a nonmotorized trip on the water of at least four hours or 5 miles.

5. Plan and carry out an overnight snow camping experience.

6. Rappel down a rappel route of 30 feet or more.

As far as if am aware in Kentucky you can do all of the following except for Snow camping (option 5) or Snowshoe or cross country ski ( you can still backpack). You can still complete 5 of the options available this was designed with everyone in mind. So people who lived in the Great Plains with no mountains could snow camp, and so people who live in warmer climates(i.e. Kentucky) can take a hike

Not to be rude but it sounds like you trying to plan around something you already are going to do instead of making the effort.

Suggest to the scout he plan a rappelling trip (most troops don't do that kind of thing so with his research he can guide the SPL and get good leadership experience, or take a paddle/ sail craft out for 4 hours. Depending on what camp you go to those may be an option based on the camps climate and quality of program. I'm assuming everyone gets the hike in.

@MattR I like your ideas , and the SM and I will probably start including the scout law on our permission slips, we recently developed a new 4 step system for campouts (1-Warning, 2- loss of privilege/ extra duty (depends in punishment, 3-Call home and 4-go home) The PLC came up with the idea at our last meeting, and plans on enforcing it. We will probably have to tell Grandpa he needs stay out off the way. I will suggest to the SPL that Adults leaders and Grandpa stay on the complete other side of the campground as grandsons patrol ( we have 3 patrols) and SPL, ASPL, and JASM camp separate from the patrols

@SSScout will do the mini-NAYLE  but our council only offers NYLT once a year no NAYLE

The other scouts with supportive parents what should we do with them in the area we are in calling the parents isn't always an option, and I don't want to get rid of the problem and loses boys we want to fix the problem.

Yes I am a ASM, (19yo), other adults have tried. I will take it to the committee but the grandpa is on the committee. But, that is only one of the boys the other boys have less bad parents but the parents never attend and think their child is an angel. The other scouts parents are trying  to help us with handling the behavior but the parents aren't always with us so the SM and I want to have some tools to give the PLC, to help the boys deal with the problem on their own.

Addition- @SSScout I like the positive peer pressure think will have them try but maybe an ice cream on the may home or PLC & adults, make your patrol peach cobbler on the next trip because $64 is way to much to spend on bribery

@Oldscout448 The non-ASM father is attending because 1. we need adults for transportation, and 2. He likes to be with his grandson (father/ mother is-not in picture), I don't think his grandson has ever been on a campout with out them, including the past three years at summer camp (he has attended a decent amount of campouts and this started on day 1, 3 years ago and is know really been escalated to the Adult level.

@fred8033 We are also having issues finding enough adult leaders so we really don't have any to spare.

1 minute ago, fred8033 said:

It's also a great way to separate the scout from his parent.  Often kids do better when their parents are not present.

@fred8033 We try that but the parent thinks he is an adult leader (he's not even close) So he likes to 'supervise' the boys and make suggestions to our SPL which makes it difficult

*Note: His position is committee member which he is trying to get out of since it's "to much work"

8 minutes ago, Oldscout448 said:

He who will not work neither shall he eat.  II Thes 3:10

 it worked in ny troop back in the day

@Oldscout448 I wish we could do that but we can't that because one of the snowflakes parents is always at a campout so he will just feed him, and second because Im pretty sure that violates G2SS.

@Eagledad I like the idea of making them work as a team, but it is difficult due to opportunities, one thing that seems to work for us our Councils Klondike at a summer camp it is held in February and requires the patrols to sled in and working as a team kind of like a winter camporee

One idea the SPL and I had to create bonding between the patrols is separating them patrol A is 100m away from patrol b unless we are doing patrol vs patrol activities, and maybe we have patrol campfires one night and troop campfire the other, where each patrol performs a joke or maybe a skit (our scouts HATE skits, songs, and cheers, I guess they think there for babies) what do you guys think is seriating the patrols a good idea

Chief027

Hey all,

My troop was been struggling with the same problem for about a year now and despite everything we try we can't get it done. Here's what happens PL reminds his patrol member that according to the duty roster it's patrol members turn to do dishes. Patrol Member either refuses or tries argue how me did it last campout (they should have to it at every campout). Patrol Leader tells SPL, and the SPL asks him to do it the patrol member usually refuses, and the SPL, PL, and other patrol members have to pick up the slack. If they tell the adult leader the SM tries to solve the problem but the kids usually don't respond. We speculate there are multiple reasons why this occur, one scout is a spoiled brat, whose grandfather always attends the campout, or the kid is a spoiled frat who does nothing and home so refuses do anything on the campout. 

   The problem is really effecting our troop because parents are upset that their "special snowflake" has to dishes so often, and are moving their scouts to the troop that is the pet of DE (another conversation in and of itself, or scouts are quoting because there tired of picking up the slack. Our older scouts have tried to work through the problem posting duty roster, lead by example, let 'natural consequence occur' (awful idea by our old ASM), etc. But it seems nothing will work. What can we do?

Thank You,

chief027

If the council employees that answer the phones at the Service Center/ Scout office are being difficult, calling or emailing the Council Scout Executive, his email will be in this format first.last@scouting.org, is always on option. His or her name and email should be available on the council website.