Day Camp Question

[speeglevillemom]

Thank you for all of the advice. I better understand my "official" role a bit better. For what it is worth, I would have expected more information to come down from Council by now, but alas I have had to beg and plead just for the theme. For whatever reason our council is mismanaged and has caused our district to become the ugly stepchild noone wants at the adults table. I am okay with the thought that I will need to "remind" them on a daily basis that we are putting on a day camp, just like we have every year in June and that I will be here to run it. My intentions are to be the pd this year then when camp is over head up to the Council office, in a land far far away from our district, and demand things be taken care of much sooner. I firmly believe that you CAN NOT complain to anyone about what is happening until you spend time in the muck. This is me wading in the muck. For all I know the Council has no idea things are so bad here and that there is a problem. Maybe they just need a gentle reminder (the kind only a wife can give) that this is not okay and things need to change if they expect the programs to help the kids.

 

Mr White: When it comes to my children I would gladly walk through hell. After the debacle that was last years day camp I immediatly volunteered to help with this year. DE approched me recently and asked if I would run it. I jumped at the idea because I knew it was something I was not only compasionate about ie something my son is involved in, but also something I would greatly enjoy. And I have very much enjoyed planning this years day camp. For whatever reason our council, like so many others, has hit a brick wall where they are not running as efficiantly as they could. Maybe I have been put in this position by the powers that be to create the program it was intended to be. Whats the worst that could happen?! I understand you may have had bad experiences in the past or are lucky enough to have a council that runs like clock work, but for those of us that do not have that opportunity please keep the argumentative comments from cyber space. They are not helpful and only come accross as mean spirited. Which I am told is not the scouting way.

[ScoutNut]

"For all I know the Council has no idea things are so bad here and that there is a problem. Maybe they just need a gentle reminder (the kind only a wife can give) that this is not okay and things need to change if they expect the programs to help the kids."

 

 

Oh they know all right.

 

One of the things you will learn at Camp School is that all Council Summer Camps, including Day Camps, have a set of criteria they are expected to meet. One of those criteria is that there be a professional council rep at the Day Camp. Another, is that the Camp is to be inspected, and graded, by the Council.

 

You should ask to see the inspection report from last year's Day Camp. It might prove to be interesting.

 

[John-in-KC]

speeglevillemom...

 

Practical questions to ask both your DE and your predeccesor PD and Director:

 

- Where's the paperwork you guys had last year? Much of camp standards is gathering paperwork, much of the paperwork changes with a date from year to year.

 

- Mr DE, how important is this to you? The week before camp and the week fo camp, your DE should be joined with you and your director at the hip. If not, there's a priorities issue out there, and you need that resolved.

 

- Do you and your Director have a registrar, who might even have served last year? That's the business side, vice the program side, but...

 

- What was the budget last year for program? What materials were bought in bulk and and stored in someone's garage or stroage unit? Something is out there.

 

- Have you had a Tot Lot in the past (for kids of staff, as well as non-Scouting sibs of participants (age or gender)? Who will staff that this year?

 

- Since you've talked about promotion, how is your Director going to help you in promoting Day Camp? (Let me give you a hint, meet with the District Commissioner and the District Activities Chair and slough some of this burden off on them!)

 

Keeping taking single bites of the elephant ... BTW, when you're done, the people you want to have a heart-to-heart business conversation with are the Chairpeople of the:

- Council Camping Committee

- Council Activities Committee

 

When you do that, though, make sure you've spent time with your District Chairman, Commish, and DE ... so they know what you're going to say and can have your back!

[Bob White]

Hi Speeglevillemom,

I hope things do go well for you, my concern is not about what is the worst thing that can happen my concern is that the chances that the best that can happen are limited due to the level of leadership in being shown you by the District/Council people that recruited you.

 

You do not need to live in a District that runs like clockwork to have leadership that respects they people they recruit. You admit your own concern about the lack of information you have been given, I merely agree with you that you should be concerned about it.

 

Would you ask someone to be on staff without telliung them what they job will be, what the time committement will be what crusial deadlines they might have or wiothout the resources needed to do their job?

 

I would hope not, however that is exactly what the DE did to you. And from your own report of the that is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems at this camp event. You have heard the complaints about the previous PD at the camp. Is there any possibillity that her problems were caused by the same leemets that you have encountered?

 

She could very likely have entered with the same enthusiasm that you have, and with the same lack of experience, the same short timetable, the same lack of information that you have been afforded, and now they are complaining about her, after a bad camp that the DE is as much responsible for if not more responsible for due to his own poor leadership. But they aren't talking about the DE behind his back they are talking about the program director.

 

My concern is that you have not been treated well as a volunteer, and dispite your enthusiasm you have not been given the tools to do the job. And should you not be able to overcome the poor administrative performance of the DE it is you they will be telling tales about behind your back by this time next year as they prepare to abuse yet another enthusiastic volunteer.

 

"I understand you may have had bad experiences in the past..."

 

On the contrary, that has not happened. As a young leader someone more experienced and wiser than I was at the time taught me how to recognize a bad situation such as this and avoid them. I learned that saying yes is nice but not always wise. So when I see someone else stepping into a trap I try to help them as I was helped.

 

Just because someone offers you a free ride in a sinking boat you don't have to say yes, even if he offers to let you steer.

[BadenP]

Gee Bob, negative, negative, negative!

 

speeglevillemom, ignore BW's comments and bitterness and enjoy your new quest for it will be fun, frustrating, and rewarding, Nothing worth doing doesn't have its moments of pain, but the rewards in the end you will receive will make it all worthwhile. Ignore the naysayers like BW, who has obviously experienced many painful moments in scouting, and do the best job you can and in the end there will be the satisfaction of a job well done.

[SSScout]

Go Hee Fat Choy...

 

I hope y'all can see the parallels in the story I'm about to relate.

 

Once upon a time, Cub son and I attended our first Parent /son overnight, ("Son and One") sponsored by the Council. It was held at an Izaac Walton League property. We were new and didn't know what to expect, but I had Scout experience and, I guess, knew what I WANTED to expect...

Saturday morn thru sunday morn. Council provided lunch and dinner and breakfast and activities. Okay until Sat. night.

Rain threatened. Along the way, I had made the acquaintance of some other Scout dads and moms. We expected a campfire, but none appeared to be in the offing. Found one of the (so I thought) organizers (turned out later he was a DE from a neighboring District. Didn't know what that was back then) and asked. He was sitting in the lodge, strumming a guitar. He said "I don't know. Not in charge of that". Well, who is? Don't know, strum, strum.

I went to my Scout acquaintances and we talked. We walked thru camp and talked to others. Some found the campfire barrel, some found some firewood, some talked about skits and cheers and ghost stories. Two of us became MCs. We had a campfire.

Later that night it poured down rain. Some of us slept in the lodge, some in cars. Some in properly pitched and sealed tents. We learned to work together rather than just trusting to the "powers that be".

I still see occassionally one or two of those Scout moms and dads at other events.

To my knowledge, nothing was ever said about the S&O campfire that was not "officially" held.

[rjscout]

I think that too many people read a BW reply, and if it isn't a 100% 'Go For It', it is viewed in a negative sense. I don't think that Bob is trying to deter speeglevillemom, but trying to have her look at various views that may be overlooked. The more input that speeglevillemom has from various angles, the more prepared she will be for a GREAT Day Camp. It will also help to prepare future Day Camp directors.

 

Hats off to Speeglevillemom for jumping in. Best of luck to you.

 

BW, I do appreciate your view from angles that are not always thought of.

[Bob White]

Thank you RJS, It's probably pretty obvious which posters are willing to think things through and which ones aren't, I appreciate your willingness to look beyond the fluff.