219 scouts at summer camp, 9 leaders at pre camp meeting

[Scoutfish]

Okay, I readily admit that since this is my first year at summer camp with a troop, I may not understand things or know things nearly as much as any other adult leare in atroop.

 

But Thursday night, we had a pre-camp leaders meeting at the camp and only 9 of us attended - including the council development director.

 

Found out that 209 scouts are going to the first session of summer camp alone - so that does not include scouts going to the 2nd or 3rd sessions.

 

BUT.....the meeting was for ALL leaderes of ALL sessions.

 

Just wondering if this was a normal thing for leaders to not show up for this meeting.

 

Even though it was my first meeting of this type for my first year of sumer camp...it was made very clear that quite a few changes were being made from the previous years itenerary. I assume they will be for the better, but again, since I did not attendend Boy Scout summer camp before....I really do not know.

 

 

Anyways, I thought it was a very good informative and knowledgeable meeting.

 

 

And they fed us too!

 

[Basementdweller]

Ya know fish.....

 

This is my 5 year of attending summer camp with the troop and I have attended all of the meetings.....The information never really changes. I had attended this year and it will be my last.....

 

 

 

[moosetracker]

Sounds like you think it is the real pre-meeting. Could be, camps do things differently.

 

With my camp the "All are invited" pre-meeting was optional.. Happens during our kick-off each year. Then came the manditory pre-meeting which is about a week before your camp week.. (Some still don't go, but it is best you do..) This gives you a week to work out problems with medical forms, Merit Badges scouts signed up for and didn't get, and payment problems.. Don't go and the medical form problems are a phone call on Saturday, when you are to arrive on Sunday, and you are scurring over the merit Badge course problems and payment issues after arrival..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

[Scoutfish]

From what the DD said, this year they changed the line up, changed a bunch of check in procedures and where you check in, they assigned specific check in times to troops, and they have a different way of doing the medical stuff.

 

Oh yeah, they changed the way you do the swim check paperwork if you did a pre camp swim check . You go to a different location entirely

 

Aside from that...with 219 scouts attending, you would think that more than 9 leaders would show up just in case there were big changes or different requirements in place.

 

 

But I suppose this is standard practice among leaders huh? Why should camp be any different than any other part of the program right?

 

[Lisabob]

A couple thoughts:

 

1. Maybe many troops attending camp are from out of council and it would be a very long drive for a couple-hours meeting? (This has been the case for my son's troops in past, as we don't/didn't have a council camp of our own and often end up going out of state for summer camp.)

 

2. Maybe the "big new changes!" theme wasn't communicated effectively to long-time troop leaders. Alternately, maybe the changes were communicated so effectively in the leader guide, that a lot of folks felt little need to sit through a meeting to be told what they'd already read.

 

3. Maybe it is worth the DD asking leaders of the troops who did not participate, what caused them not to? If done in an info-gathering "how can we make this more useful" spirit (not the Spanish inquisition), the DD might get helpful feedback about what leaders do and don't want or need.

 

4. Maybe the timing of the meeting is just bad. Around here, the first full weekend in June mark the end of school and graduation for practically everybody, and every little town is having some kind of art/craft/something festival, plus many scout troops in the area are REALLY busy about now. Scout leaders are just booked up. Perhaps doing the pre-camp meeting earlier in the spring would work better.

 

[Scoutfish]

This was the week ( and 3 days) out meeting from summer camp. 1st session is June 17 - June 23rd.

 

The leaders guide list the chnages, but does not give specifics. Some just say swim check @ Lake and Med Center. Doesn't explain that you do not go to both or have a either or/choice.

 

Med forms go to site nurse @ med center, but does not explain new policy or procedures from last year.

 

We did have a leader from out of council. I live 2 hours from the camp myself. As it turned out, most of the leaders present were the ones who live the farthest fron camp.

 

 

Again, though, it doesn't seem to be any different than any other planning meeting, RT, council/district function I have ever been too.

 

Won't be the first time we hear somebody at a event or camp say: "Since when did this happen? Nobody told me!"

[Eagledad]

We send the SPL, an adult may or may not go depending on the camp.

 

Barry

[infoscouter]

Our pre-camp meetings are in April and some leaders don't feel the urgency of going. Also, since our camps are 3-5 hours from our major population center, they are held in various areas of the council not at camp. I haven't had to go for years - I don't go to summer camp with the troop. However, when I did, the attendance was high - probably 70%. That may have been because it was for Webelos camp and most of the leaders weren't experienced.

[Eagledad]

How many troops in camp?

 

Barry

[Basementdweller]

Unless the Camp Director or course director changes........Not much changes....

[Twocubdad]

Apparently no one understands the value of the meeting -- or may they do!

[DeanRx]

I'd take two things away from this meeting...

 

1) You are in it for YOUR scouts in YOUR unit and you went to the meeting so that you can have good info and "be prepared" as best you can for taking YOUR unit to summer camp. You can't control how prepared or unprepared other leaders are, so let it go... not on your plate of responsibility.

 

2) Knowing the # of scouts attending and the # of leaders that showed up (or lack thereof), be ready for the potential chaos that is camp check in.

 

Boils down to you can only control how well prepared you and your unit is...

 

If possible have all your ducks in a row so your unit's check in and activities run as smooth as possible. Have the boys do a pre-camp swim check if allowed... anything to get your unit OUT of the way of the others who may or may not be prepared for the event.

 

Just remember to be flexible and have fun and the boys will do the same.

 

Dean

 

[desertrat77]

I like Barry's idea of sending the SPL. He can take notes and later brief the adults, and the PL.

 

Agreed with the previous posts...either poor comm on the camp's part that big changes were going to be briefed, and folks, even the old timers, needed to show up. Or the long-time scouters knew they could figure out what's up pretty quickly without taking time away from something else to go to the meeting.

[resqman]

Our troop rotates through 5-7 camps in and out of council as well as in and out of state within a 5 hr radius. So for most of the scouts from our troop attending, it is a new and different camp every summer. More experienced adult leaders may have been to the camp of the year but not likely. So every year it is a completely new experience for the adults and scouts. But at the same time, every summer camp is pretty much the same.

 

The current SM takes a day trip to the camp a couple of weeks before the troop attends to get the lay of the land. Of my gosh, our campsite is all slope and not a flat place in site, the tents all need new guy lines, the dining hall is so far we need to add 15 minutes just for the hike, etc.

 

This will be my 6th summer camp as an adult and the first repeat. Looking forward to the particular camp because I have a basic idea of what to expect and can show the guys a cool waterfall about a 30 minute hike away. Should be fun to see how things changed since last time.

 

So, no our troop does not send representation to camp Pre-meetings. We schedule a dedicated trip to the camp to get the details we think we may need. Otherwise we adopt the battle cry of Semper Gumby! Always flexible.

 

 

[Basementdweller]

Now if our troop rotated camps every year I could see attending......We attend the same camp in the same campsite on the same week year after year.

 

 

So you send the SPL......how does he get there????? I know for a fact that our Old SPL couldn't have done it.....Single parent too many siblings.......