National Camp School

[Hoohaa310]

hey everyone, i have recently been informed by my council chief executive that i will be sent to national camp school this summer to be trained as an Outdoor Skills Director. Any tips or advice or words of wisdom (i'm sure some of you have some...) that you'd like to give me?

 

 

[jmwalston]

They generally will send you a list of gear to pack or have. Other than that, have fun.

[John-in-KC]

Congratulations on being selected to serve Scouting's youth next season.

 

Take a mind prepared to learn. Clear your decks of other issues

[WAKWIB]

I have to think back a bit since my experience at NCS was in 1981. I was doing the Aquatics Director course, so I could serve as Ass't Lakefront Director at my council camp.

My instructors were top-notch and I really hope yours are as well. I walked away from the experience feeling very confident and qualified. I was totally busy everyday. There was very little down-time. We even had instruction well into the evening after dinner on most nights. Had a bit of a culture shock as I grew up at a huge mega-camp. The camp where NCS was held was very, very small so when I did have a bit of time to explore, getting lost would be impossible.

I felt like I was being trained the "right/best" way, and unlearned some old habits and ideas. Got to meet and work with a bunch of great guys from around the region, and also grew closer to the guys from my council that were attending.

A real plus was that I got super-training, 3 meals a day, and a tent to stay in, all for free. You'll have a good time, I'll bet. And really, you should consider it a bit of an honor to be selected by your council to lead that department next summer, and to be able to take advantage of the National Camp School experience.

[TheScout]

I went to the Ecology Director Section in 2005. We did some concurrent training with the Outdoor Skills people. I thought it was a great experience. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of great people, and all the staff were top notch. The Ecology, and from what I know of the Outdoor Skills section, is not hard at all and the course should be no worries.

 

Good to see your council is squared away enough to have picked a director for 2009 already.

[donnaw1]

I was living in Fairbanks, AK when I went back in the 1980's. We went to Anchorage for the school. They set us up with a place to stay and the plane trip I think we paid for our meals. We stated as soon as we got there and trained late into the night. 4 or 5 days?? I remember being tired and wondering why we had to work after dinner but I also remmeber it being more fun then I have had in a long time.

I went for program Director and did cub day camp 2 years after that before we moved back to the lower 48 and I went on to girl scouts with my daughter. Back then women didn't do boy scouts and my sons had gotten older. Now Grandma is back with my grandson and who knows I may end up a camping school again.

[BulldogBlitz]

I did NCS in 1991 near Gainesville, FL. Long days and nights, it was some concentrated training. Like someone else said, be sure to clear your plate of everything else before you go.

[shortridge]

Congrats. I did that section in 1998 and had a great time. While each camp and instructors vary, here's my basic advice:

 

* Ask lots of questions. There'll be a great mix of people, some with no experience and some with lots. I'd taught outdoors skills badges for four years before I went, and still learned a ton - much of it from my fellow directors.

 

* Take lots of notes. Bring several pens and several notepads. Small reporters'-style pads are best - long, slim and fit in a back pocket for when you're moving around.

 

* Bring your own ideas. Got an oddball notion for a program? Odds are someone else has done it, or something like it. You'll get great feedback from people who've BT/DT.

 

* Bring plenty of equipment for practicing in your few off-hours - plenty of rope, a hatchet/axe, stave, compass & maps of your camp, etc.

 

* Stay in touch after the fact. You'll probably get addresses and contact info for everyone at the camp - at least in your section. Makes a valuable start to a Scouting rolodex.

 

* Pack for a backpacking trek - so don't just bring a day pack and a duffel, unless you go ultralight. We did an overnight a couple miles away from the main camp. It was a great opportunity to cook on a can stove, munch on pepperoni sticks and tell dirty stories around the campfire. (The silence when we realized the camp director had quietly come off the trail to join us during the latter was deafening. He very kindly pretended not to have heard and accepted an offer of pepperoni.)

 

Overall, it was a great experience, but I found there was a not-insignificant amount of B.S. accompanying it. Mealtimes were very regimented, and the camp director had a huge cult of personality going on that I found rather off-putting. NCS does have quite a few attendees who have zero Boy Scouting experience, though, so a lot of that is for their benefit - they've got to get a crash course.

 

I know I had it easier than the folks who accompanied me from my home camp going for COPE, aquatics and shooting sports. They really worked their butts off.

[Eagle92]

AH camp school, remember it like it was yeasterday. It is an intense week with lots of fun. I did COPE Director training and we started very soon after registering and placing stuff in tents. Long days and nites, so be prepared. I only had one night off the entire week, as did most of the camp, because of weather.

 

Ditto all the advice given previously an HAVE FUN!

Eagle92

[cjmiam]

I went 3 times in program and management. There are a lot of variables with NCS staff. They should be "the best", but sometimes they are just some person filling the spot. You could have a blast and you could be let down. The good thing is even if you have a less than stellar instructor, there is still a lot to learn from the others in your session. Take things that your camp does well along with you to share with others. Be ready for some long days and like others said keep an open mind. Your session will probably be a lot more fun than my last couple management sessions were. I do envy the program guys