Bridge Camp

[fotoscout 15]

We will be offering Bridge Camp this Summer for new Scouts. I am wondering if anyone else does this, and if so what issues have come up in the process??

 

The boys will participate in our Brownsea program but will be "segregated" as a group of newly bridged Webelos. The target audience is new scouts before they go off with the troop to summer camp, and, scouts who have not yet started with a troop. New scouts looking for an extra week of camp are also welcome.

[fotoscout 15]

Has anyone ever heard of this???????????

 

foto

[Joni4TA 10]

I don't know about anyone else, but I am trying to understand the concept.

 

Do you mean your Webelos don't crossover to a Troop before the Spring and instead wait until Summer? Do you mean Crossover as opposed to Bridge?

[Joni4TA 10]

Or do you mean having the New Scouts/ Former Webelos do a separate rendition of Summer Camp as opposed to regular summer camp with the rest of the Troop?

[fotoscout 15]

Without the as opposed too the answer is yes to all the above.

 

The intent is very simple. Provisional Boy Scout Summer camp in a troop that is limited to new scouts. It will be available to New Scouts as an additional week of camp, and/or it they are not comfortable going out of council with their own troop this summer. Yes, it will be available to New Scouts who have not yet signed up with a troop, or those who have decided to wait until September before becoming active in the troop.

 

[nldscout 18]

 

My question would be , why would you not want to integrate your new scouts with the troop? Why would you even consider segrigating them from the experianced scouts? This goes against all the program info I have ever seen and goes against the Patrol system.

 

No, I would never indorse such an idea.

[scoutldr 726]

Most camps have a first year camper program designed to work on requirements from Tenderfoot to First Class...usually a half day with an overnighter included ("outpost hike"). The rest of the time, though, they are with their own troops, especially for meals, flags, evening wide games, troop swims, etc. I, too, am having a hard time with segregating them into a "provisional troop" all their own.

[fotoscout 15]

Maybe Im not being clear.

This is not an attempt to remove new boys from their Troop. This is a Specialty camp and not necessarily intended as an option to summer camp with your troop. Although that may in fact occur with some boys. We do not plan to run this program every week of camp, but rather on selected weeks.

Here are some of the realities of the Webelos to Scout transition with respect to summer camp.

 

1. Many Webelos dont move to a troop until late April, May or even June.

2. Many troops wont take the new boys to summer camp if they havent had sufficient time to become comfortable with the new boys and have had them on an overnighter at least once before summer camp.

3. Many Webelos, after seeing the huge age difference of the boys in the troop, are afraid to go to summer camp with them.

4. Ditto number three for the parents. Mom simply wont let an 11 year old go off in the woods for a week with what is largely a group of much older boys.

5. Many (too many I say tongue-in-cheek), go to summer camp out of council; many new scouts and the parents are not ready for this kind of trip. Mom or Dad want to be able to show up at camp check up on little Johnny.

Yes like everyone else we run a first year camper program, we call it Brownsea. The boys in Bridge Camp would participate in Brownsea along with the first year campers who happen to be in camp with their Troop. When the day is over, the Troop campers will return to their Troops and these boys with return to their provisional campsite as a group.

I was told yesterday that this is not a new program for us; we just havent offered it for a few years. There is a lot of excitement about offering it again!