Technology ruining summer camp ?

[Sir_Scoutalot 10]

A few years back I opened what turned out to be a lengthy string on the use of cell phones at summer camp, which I opposed at the time. Cell phones are so prevalent now I'm not sure that's even a battle worth waging anymore.

 

This summer I returned to summer camp for the first time in three years (now a scoutmaster "emeritus") and was a little dismayed to see units bringing in big screen theatre systems for their units to have their own movie nights. One of our boys thought he even saw equipment like this permanently installed in someone's troop trailer. I can only hope they weren't staging video game tournaments on them.

 

I must be old school, but give me the card games around the picnic table or the all camp movie night shown on the hanging bed sheet. Can we not set some of this stuff aside for one week?

 

With that said, this year's camp did not have a computer that the leaders could use to check emails and update the families back home. That technology gets my thumbs up.

[Scoutfish 16]

I totally get what your saying, but you have to stop and make a give/take situation with it now days.

 

Watching a movie on a sheet hung froma tree? Well, a few years ago, you'd have to try and find a "reel" movie to do that. Good luck. Of course, not the newest DVD players have projectors that can use the hanging sheet if you want, but a tv screen is an acceptable substitue. The kids are not whating a flat screen nor were you watchinga sheet - you were watching a movie. The movie could be shown on a sheet ,a screen, or the side of a white bulding ( been there- done that! )

 

Now, the key thing is this: Times are a changin. So a certain amount of centimentality occurs.

 

Right now, I remember being a kid opn summer vacation: We'd pack bologna sandwhiches and pimento cheese sandwhiches. Warm ( if you were lucky) water ot coolaid to drink...coffee can to pee in so dad could make better time on the highway.

 

We used to stop at a particular KFC for dinner. Back then, chicken was just fried. That's it! Either you got if fried or you didn't get any. Green beans, mashed potaoes and if we were good.... banana pudding for desert.

 

 

Hardee's had a hamburger, cheeseburger and a big delux. THAT WAS IT for the menu.

 

 

So anyways, I see campouts now with 15 different kinds of juice drinks, power drinks, sodas and what not. There are fruit rollups, candy this or that. This kid has a football, that one a nerf rocket, another has a skateboard.

I used to have a pocket knife and a half minded plan for mischeif.

 

So my point is.... alot of stuff is based on the times you live in. Alot of the current stuff would have been at camp had it been invented and an everyday par of life when you were a kid.

 

Now as for cell phones and i-Pods etc.. I think they should be left home. Maybe leaders have one for emergencies, but that's the side of me that says : Why go to camp if your gonna talk to all your friends at home anyways?"

[Eagle92 110]

You guys got movie nites at summer camp!?!?!?!?!!?! LOL. Only 1 time did that ever happen, and that was when severe weather rolled in and everyone had to go to the Dining Hall for safety. Grant you my OA lodge does it after the Ordeal Ceremonies, but everyone is too tired to do anything ( remember WWW= WORK WORK WORK! )

 

IMHO most electronics don't have a place at camp, unless serving on staff. For the long hours and low pay, if any, they get, they deserve some perks. I would make exceptions for those leaders who are doing coursework and./or school work via internet. I met a few young scouters who are taking online classes over the summer,so they do their school work when they can. Also know at least 2 IT folks who go to my camp and are on the staff wifi in order to work. But the scouts themselves, no way.

[packsaddle 753]

It is still possible to take young people into a world that doesn't rely on any of those techno gadgets. I just returned from 3 weeks with students on a trip to Dominica. No AC. No TV. No cell phones (except for mine which was only for emergencies). No radio, really, and no internet. They did have one iPod. Also, no window screens - mosquito nets only. Water from a spring, no hot showers, bathing in streams or under a shower from that cool spring water. No clocks, just a punctual sunrise and sunset. I took them to paradise and they loved it. Days never involved anything but what we could do by hiking to our destinations (or swimming to them). Nights had no sounds other than frogs, birds, insects, a very rare automobile, rain on a tin roof, and friends having a card game before we went to sleep at around 9pm only to wake early to the early morning sounds of birds, rain, the nearby stream, and perhaps another auto driving up the mountain.

 

After the first few days, they sort of settled in and forgot about all that irrelevant crap and started living real lives for just a little while, thinking about life, companionship, and - of course - the assignments. And when we got back home, I went for a solid week before I remembered the TV. They started calling on their cell phones as soon as we had service again but they knew how good it can be without all that stuff. Great trip. It is possible to do that with young people today and have them to like it. As we were flying out on the way back, a couple of them were in tears. That's the way to leave, wishing you could stay and hoping to return. I doubt that summer camp with all that crap will be as good.

[Stosh 3452]

Any camp that provides a movie night will not be on my list of potential camps for next year. Any camp that provides a mess hall is not on the list either. This is scout camp, if I wanted technology I'd go to computer or space camp.

 

"Getting away" for the week should be just that!

 

Stosh

[gwd-scouter 11]

Oh my, I have to agree with the "no technology" at summer camp. We have a troop in our district that for the past few years that have brought a DVD and projector to show movies on the side of a building, then upgraded to a flat screen, along with a slushie machine.

 

Funny thing. They have invited our guys to join them, but our guys always hang around our campsite in the late evening. Let's get real. This is summer camp. It is still possible to take boys into the woods for a few days or a week and expect them to do without all the comforts of home. It is even possible to expect the same of the adults.

[WAKWIB 107]

A troop attending our summer camp has to have a laptop, and somebody who can navigate through whatever chaos they have chosen to do the merit badge records. It's all digital now.

[WAKWIB 107]

A troop attending our summer camp has to have a laptop, and somebody who can navigate through whatever chaos they have chosen to do the merit badge records. It's all digital now.

[Scoutfish 16]

Now, as a youth, I was never a scout nor did I go to scout camps. But i did go camping with my dad: A US Coiast Guardsman who was an avid fisherman. My mom was from the outerbanks NC.

 

So we went to the outerbanks ALOT as a family. This was back before there were condos everywhere. We slept in tents. Campfires at night, no radio, tv or anything electric during the whole week except a battery operated flashlight. The stoves, lanterns and all were Coleman kerosene.

 

I had a freaking blast!

 

One year, my dad finally broke down and rented a pop-up camper through MWR ( or the coastie version of it) . Not as fun!

 

So, as I said, technology is what you make it, but at our pack campouts, even our tigers get more from sitting around the campfire than watching dvds or movies. A few boys brought their DS 's or gameboys, but they never really used them until they were in bed.

[Engineer61 19]

I don't qualify as a "camping person".

 

The family and I last went camping last summer. We used a 31' RV. We had a good time and for the majority of us...it was a close to nature as we cared to get.

 

I always disliked camping as a kid....guess it carried over to adulthood. Nothing enjoyable about packing a bunch of stuff in, sweating like a dog setting up camp, getting camp wiped out by rain in the afternoon, fighting off the asthma from the fire smoke and fighting the bugs at night.

 

Yep...31' was just fine with me.

[Knot Head 10]

Our troop still plays cards in our camp at night. Some nights the just talk and tell jokes.

 

Don't have a movie screen in the trailer. Can't see it ever happening in our troop.

 

I do like having cell coverage and wireless at the admin building at camp so I can keep up with work in the mornings while the boys are in MB class I can do some work. After lunch the adults all go go fishing or hang out and shoot the breeze.

 

We don't allow cell phones in summer camp for the scouts. Maybe one year but not yet.

[Narraticong 15]

I am not by any means a "techie" guy. I don't own an Ipod and generally have difficulty programming my watch, much less dealing with all the stuff on my cell phone. But that is me...

 

We have to remember that this "game" belongs to the boys and not us. Their generation has grown up with electronics, and I am pretty sure they are not going away. One sure way to chase boys away from Scouting is to give the impression we are "old fashioned" and "boring". Restricting or disallowing electronics will without a doubt send that message.

 

It makes sense that we older adults need to learn to compromise if we want to live in a world of young people. Kids use phones and ipods every day. Get used to it!

 

If we are smart, and really care about Scouting, we will provide a top notch program that will keep the boys busy. If Scouting is as fun as we claim, they will put down the electronics. Or most of them will. Those that can't are probably not cut out for Scouting, and we would lose them regardless of electronics.

 

A couple of years ago, I had all young boys at camp with the exception of one older Scout who was the "Pied Piper". One night all the boys were gathered around him and he had them listening to classical music from his Ipod. Was that a bad thing? I don't think so.

 

So, I think it is more of a matter of perspective. We older guys don't like electronics in the woods because they aren't part of "our" game. But it isn't "our" game that matters.

 

Ken

[Scoutfish 16]

Ken,

 

WOW! That's great insight and true.

 

But I am older-ish so I am gonna throw rocks at you and yell : "GIT!"

[evmori 11]

I love technology. I think it's great. But it does have it's place and that isn't at summer camp. Movie night????? Laptops???

 

If you can't get away from this stuff for one week, then it's time to find a 12 step program to get over your addiction.(This message has been edited by evmori)

[shortridge 184]

"If Scouting is as fun as we claim, they will put down the electronics."

 

Well said! Hear, hear!

 

Personally, I don't like electronics and technology outdoors. While some items can be useful, especially in emergencies, by and large it disconnects us from the natural world. The human race got along just fine exploring and adventuring for thousands upon thousands of years without cell phones or GPS devices or iPods.

 

There's also the small issue of class distinctions. Not every kid can afford the latest electronic doohickey. But almost everyone can afford the few items it takes to go camping - or can make them, or borrow them. A compass is still a lot cheaper than a GPS. Signaling flags are still a lot cheaper than a cell phone. A pocketknife is still a lot cheaper than a portable game device.