Blue Cards from Camp--ARRGH!

[Hunt 11]

I guess this is just venting, but I'm annoyed by the blue cards I see from some summer camps. I was looking at some last night for a boy who is about to make Eagle, and there are cards from a camp in another district (he transferred several years ago). Some of these are signed, some are stamped with a signature, some are stamped "Passed at Camp." A couple are stamped "Partial" and then "Complete" is written by hand--no signature. Fortunately there are only a couple of those, and he has enough without them.

(I'll add that some of the "signed" cards aren't much better, with totally illegible signatures, and no printed or typed counselor name anywhere.)

[CA_Scouter 11]

Yup, its venting!

 

:-)

 

[TheScout 10]

I was an Ecology Director at a camp last summer so I was responsible for hundreds of cards. They were all stamped with my name, title, the camp, council, and year in the couselor record, all stamped with my signature, and all stamped with complete.

 

It doesnt matter if they are signed or stamped with a signature, its the same thing. If they were stamped with just "Passed with Camp" somebody should have requested a new card from the counselor because that is unacceptable. Same thing if complete is written over, someone should have asked for a counselor signature before they left camp.

[Hunt 11]

You're right, but I'd have to have a time machine and detective skills to find that "someone." I'm just going to try to ensure that it doesn't happen in the future.

[TheScout 10]

Thats what I mean, always check before you leave camp. With hundreds of cards a week it is often possible to make errors and some counselors are plain incompetent.

[anarchist 10]

Heck, I am getting so frustrated with Summer Camp merit badge sessions, I am ready to say "no Eagle M.B.s at camp"... too many sessions are jokes, pure and simple.

The boys "do the time" and get the card...without the real work, knowledge or any effort...

venting

Anarchist

 

[frankj 10]

Anarchist -- I feel your pain ... The merit badge cards from camp cause me the most problems. At one camp, they drew an "X" across the part of the card where you are supposed to list the requirements completed. At this particular camp it meant "all completed." I wasn;t looking for them to list each completed requirement by number, and then initial and date each one -- but the way they did it strikes me as a little too "production oriented" and some Scouts who didn't actually complete all the requirements can slip through.

[scoutingagain 20]

Hey, at least you have Blue Cards. Our council camp doesn't use them so cheer up! We use MB Applications which are every bit as frustrating as poorly documented Blue Cards and they use up many more trees!

 

SA

[Herms 10]

Yup, same problem and with 40 boys at camp this year it was a NIGHTMARE. The Scribe, Advancement Chair and I (I was the campmaster for this event) are just now getting a handle on it, and we checked several times during camp! The problem is that the reports/blue cards are put off until the end of the week when the councilors are just ready to get away for the weekend.

 

Additionally, I dont particularly care to see the boys get the required's at camp like Environmental Science which takes experiments, Communications which requires a lot of writing, Emergency Prep which requires some home work etc Swimming, Lifesaving are some good ones but most of the others But just try telling a parent that you are going to make their boy do a little more work before you award the MB and see what kind of flak you get!! Been there, done that!