Cub Scout Camp Promotions

[fotoscout]

Hello Everybody,

 

Ive been asked to join the CS Camp Committee; possibly as the chair (a surprise is on the way Im told). One of the functions of the committee members is to go out and do Camp Promotions. I am wondering how other people do their Cub Scout Camp Promotions?

 

The Camp Promotions that I have seen have been informational but not very inspiring. Id like to make the promotion more CS friendly. Any and all thoughts would be welcome.

 

Thanks,

foto

 

[Adrianvs]

I made camp promotions to boy scout troops as a member of the OA for a few years, so this may or may not apply to your situation.

 

I would usually talk with the scouts themselves about their recent troop camping experiences and tell them about the opportunities that we would be offering at camp. The adults would listen and contribute, but I wasn't really talking to them. I think that works better than rattling off facts to the parents or scouters while ignoring the scouts. I understand that packs have likely had less camping experience, but you could adjust that to the types of activities they have been doing. The parents will be listening and you can answer any questions they may have, but getting the youth engaged is as important in attendence as the parents. And parents find camp promotion lectures as boring as scouts do; they just handle it better. You may even want to bring a couple of staffers along to interact with or lead the cub scouts in some song or activity. Give them a small taste of camp during the meeting. While the youth are engaged, then you could give some more of the details to the adults as needed.

 

Just some thoughts..

[Twocubdad]

In years past, our problem has been "What the heck do we do with all these kids," not how to get more to attend. This year we have more space and have the opportunity to do some promotions.

 

In the past, our only promotions have been to the units through Roundtable. We start with preview flyer in January, do our big presentation in February, a reminder in March with registration due in April. We will continue to do that, but the problem with Roundtable is that you're going to miss a portion of units who just don't go to Roundtable. You're also counting on the unit leaders to do the promotions directly to your customers, the Scouts.

 

Our council does a fancy, full-color summer camp promotion mailer to every Scout in late February. It is usually geared toward Boy Scout camp, so this year we are piggy-backing an inexpensive photocopied flyer about day camp onto the ones being mailed to Cubs in our district. This will put a promotional flyer directly in the hands of every Cub at no additional mailing expense to us. In addition to building interest in the camp generally, we hope this will bypass the slack units/leaders who don't get the information to their Scouts.

 

This year we have offered to do a camp promotion presentation at February and March pack meetings. So far, we have left it up to the pack leaders to ask for a presentation. Our plan is to target those units who don't attend camp or only have a few Scouts attending by contacting the leaders ourselves and asking if we can come do the presentations. The presentations generally involve someone in costume related to the camp theme talking up camp and distributing flyers. As with all presentation to Scouts, explosions, flames and screams are always a nice addition.

 

Have you been to camp school, Foto? Part of what you will learn there involves marketing your camp.

[Eamonn]

As a council we send a Camp Edition of the council newspaper to each Cubscout family via USPS. There is a camp promotion video that each district camping committee is to show to all the packs. We also have placemats with camp info. which packs can order for their B&G.

That along with a few/lot of plugs at Roundtable.

Sad thing is that we have the packs that always go and the packs that never go. Some packs just can't wait to go and then there are those that for whatever "Reason" just don't.

Getting these little fellows to camp is something that works best if it is promoted at the den and pack level. If we don't get the Cubmaster and Den Leader to buy into the idea we are lost.

Eamonn

[fotoscout]

Hi Guys,

 

Twocub, I havent been to Camp School yet. My schedule for this year doesnt allow it, maybe next year. I would really like to go, Ive heard a lot of very good things about it!

 

We do the placemats for B&G, and we publish a big four page glossy flyer (separate flyers for CS & BS) that gets mailed to all registered leaders and scouts. Continuous Roundtable promos start in February and continue until June. All of our camp and camping programs seem to be rolled into the promos. Parent-Cub, Family Camp, CS/Webelos Resident Camp, our traveling CS Day Camp, and our eight week scout camp based CS day camp are all showcased in the promos.

 

Unfortunately we dont have a video. I have plenty of photos and I suppose I could make some of them into overheads or posters.

 

Adrianvs, a short activity of some sort is the kind of thing that I was looking for. But I would think that it really needs to be camp like and different than the things that are done in a den or pack. Anyone have some suggestions?

 

 

 

[Gidget]

Hi, fotoscout. I'm the District Cub Scout Day Camp Chair. We're currently trying to get help from the Order of the Arrow for camp promotions. This falls under their responsibility, but we're not having a lot of success. (It's our first year trying. I think we'll have better luck next year because we'll start asking for help earlier.)

 

The adults on our District Day Camp Committee (8 of us) have put together a skit that we take out and do at the pack meetings in March and April. Roundtables promote to adults. To get attendance you need to promote to the cubs. We have 30 packs, so scheduling the visits is interesting to say the least! We started doing this last year, and found that it didn't seem to make a lot of difference in the packs that already have been attending and have good attendance - their attendance stayed about the same. BUT it has made a difference in the packs that haven't traditionally come, with one pack jumping from 18 to 42 cubs attending! The skits are funny and based on the theme, not serious. I think that's why they go over so well. They take about 5 minutes. We show up in costume, go on and do the skit, introduce the Pack Coordinator at the end of the skit and then we're out of there. Last year we had 3 packs in one night! It was a lot of fun.

 

Gidget

[John-in-KC]

Gidget,

 

As an Arrowman (albeit long removed from my youth), may I offer some suggestions:

 

1) Visit with the Chapter Advisor first. He or she reports to the District camping committee, as do you. Enlist him or her into your campaign.

 

2) For Arrowmen 14 and older, offer them J-staff positions. If you have any 13 year old Arrowmen, offer them Den Chief positions with their registration and fees underwritten by the District. Amazing what a kid will do for free T-shirts. Consider asking the Cub Grub guy or gal to throw a "loaded baked potato" lunch for them one day during the DC week.

 

3) While you are offering them J-staff slots, remember some of them will want to go on J-staff at the Resident Camps in their 15th and 16th summers (and beyond). Make sure that they know you will give them references.

 

4) Remember, you are not asking the District OA leadership ... you are asking, through them, for the OATRs to canvass their Troops and look for Scouts willing to do this!

 

5) Make sure you have support materials for them. Asking them to go in without information and support is a non-starter for any young man.

 

6) Consider picking up the Public Speaking Merit Badge on your own counseling list. Requirement 2 would be their pitch in your behalf.

 

7) When it's a win-win for the Arrowmen and you, you'll find their willingness to visit their old Packs is greater.

 

YIS John

Cub Grub guy for my district DC

[Gidget]

John:

 

Thanks for the tips! I've been told before that we should be utilizing the OA for Day Camp promotion, but was never told how to access or utilize them. This year it came up again after National Camp School. As in the past, the people we sent were told to utilize the OA, but not given any information as to how to access or utilize them. I'm going to figure we're probably a wash for this year, but will pass this information on so that we start our contacts in October 2004 for the 2005 camps.

We do utilize Boy Scouts at Day Camp, and have had them move on to paid staff positions at the council resident camps. It turns out that Day Camp staff experience on a resume is a plus for them. I've not considered acknowledging their participation in the ways you mentioned. I'll be taking a look at that, too, for possible implementation in this year's camps.

Best experience with regards to utilizing Boy Scouts at Day Camp - besides the help and the fact that our cubs love working with them is that in 2003 I was asked to write character references for 4 separate Eagle reviews. (I'm probably calling it the wrong thing!) It was quite sobering to me to receive the requests, as each request included a sentence that indicated that the Boy Scout in question had chosen me because they felt that I was a person that had a significant impact on their life. Wow! That's made me think twice!

Anyway, thanks again. I'll pass your response on!

 

Gidget

[fotoscout]

Hi folks and thanks for the suggestions. Traditionally camp promos here have been a one man or women show. Its difficult enough to get the committee together for a meaningful meeting, attempting to get them together to go out and do a promo would be require an act of biblical proportions.

 

So heres what I came up with.

As a gathering activity I ask the Pack to have the boys draw pictures of things they do at camp or when they go camping. Start the presentation by asking the boys, who likes to go to camp? and, who likes to go camping?. Then I ask the same questions of the parents. Then Ill ask the parents, who would like to go camping without all the work it entails? The parents now sit up and pay attention. At this point Ill take the drawings that the kids made and very quickly go through them with the boys identifying the pictures that represent things we do at our camps..... 99% of the pictures represent things that the boys can do at our camp so the process is very easy.

We have a 4 minute DVD slide show of the camp which I play at this point. Before starting the DVD I ask the boys to look for the things that they drew in the pictures. The DVD ends and we again VERY quickly go back to the pictures. Now the boys understand a little bit about camp, and Ill ask them to be quiet while I explain the camp programs to the parents.

Including Spring Camp, we run six separate camp formats so I touch on the high points and differences of each one moving along at a good pace. Ill make specific points about safety, first aid, staff, and especially waterfront staff.

I end by going back to the question about going camping without any of the work that goes into it. At this point Ill talk more about Parent-Cub Weekends because it really is an overnighter that requires very little effort on the parents end.

 

Of course there is some ad lib, chatter, and banter that goes on throughout, but Id say that it seems to be effective. Ill know at the end of the Summer. I'll get some quesitons at the end but not a tremendous number of them. So far I've held my ground at around 15 minutes.

 

 

[fotoscout]

If Spring Camp is any indication, our promo's are doing better this year than last.

 

Attendence at Spring Camp was double last years attendence, and I know that from my Pack, Day Camp & Resident Camp attendance will be close to double last years.