Wolves Camping

[April-D]

I can't find the guidelines to verify - but we have a couple of council sponsored events coming up and I'd love to go with my den of wolves to them. Our Outdoor Activities Director will not be in town for a couple of them (she's acclimating as ASM to Boy Scouts with her eldest that crosses over in February) so she won't be organizing this as a Pack event... but I'd still like to encourage my den to go and participate... this is allowed right? Since it's a council event?

[Bob White]

That depends on what the event is can you provide more information?

[Oak Tree]

Typically the answer would be yes, you should be fine at a council sponsored event. You can presumably ask directly to the person that you're signing up with - or someone at council who's in charge of the event. I'll bet that they'll tell you it's fine.

[John-in-KC]

http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss03.html

 

Extracted from the Guide to Safe Scouting:

Overnight camping by Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Cub Scout dens as dens is not approved and certificates of liability insurance will not be provided by the Boy Scouts of America.

 

Tiger Cubs policy rule omitted.

 

Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts may participate in a resident overnight camping program operating under BSA National Camping School-trained leadership and managed by the council.

 

Welcome to the Forums Ms (I presume) April-D.

 

The magic question to ask your Council is if the event is Council-managed, and if the leadership (Director/PD) are National Camp School Trained. If they are, take your den and have fun!

 

If they are not, then the basic rule of "No Wolves camping as dens" applies.

 

If your Pack organizes a full up Family Camping trip (see rules in the url on the Guide to Safe Scouting above), then your Wolf age youth, in family groupings (no less than 1/1 parent-child coverage) may go. Here's the url for that: http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss03.html#bb (copy/paste this url including the #bb)

 

As always, boldface in the G2SS denotes policy.

 

RFE: 2d url needed clarifying instructions(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[April-D]

This is the link to the actual registration form

 

http://www.longhorncouncil.org/events01/flyers/cub_family_adventures_2007-2008.pdf

 

I'm just saying... if we promote it as a pack thing but no one but my den decides to go -- can we still go as a representation of our pack but just be a den?

[Bob White]

This is a Cub Family activity. So the cubs would go as family members more so than as a Den. However you can certainly promote it through the Den and help parents plan for it.

 

Yes, according to the registration Wolf Cub age scouts and their families are eligible to attend.

 

Note the first two items on the Rules to Help You Plan section. These are very important. Each scout in attendance should be responsible to a specific adult, preferable their own parent or legal guardian. This should be an adult other than you as the Den leader (except for your own children).

[John-in-KC]

This does sound like a resident overnight camping program of the Council. I'd call and confirm, then the opportunity is there to sign up and have fun!

[mtm25653]

If it is a pack event (everyone in the pack is invited) then it isn't den camping, even if only one den attends.

 

Pack camping does require at least one BALOO trained leader.

[April-D]

I am BALOO trained... and ok, that makes total sense -- advertised as a pack event and even if we're the only den that attends -- it's still our pack going... just only my den... gotcha! This is not our Council's resident camp... that isn't until another time.

[John-in-KC]

Just tried calling Longhorn Service Center. Guess y'all are having a dry winter... lots of fire restrictions. Gotta wonder if there'll be fires at the campfires

 

(As an aside, one year at our Scout Reservation in the Ozarks we had a burn ban so bad that we had to bring in a fire pumper and a 2000 gallon tanker truck for the County and the Corps of Engineers to give us a one-evening campfire permit!)

[April-D]

Yes, we had 40-50 MPH winds yesterday -- don't htink they'd be too hip on fires in brush areas then. However, in March, who knows how it'll be. I can hope.. but I think the meals are all in the mess hall anyway but it'd still be fun to do a campfire at our campsite each night!

[Pack212Scouter]

Two things stand out from that flyer. It is Council run and it is promoted as Family camping. Both of these items mean that it is not camping as your den. You can promote it within your den, but it is Council's resposibility to have tained personel there.

 

Plan it as a Pack, but you will register as individual families. There are no worries that I can see as being the only ones there.

 

The "no camping as a den" rule applies to you taking your den out camping on its own.(This message has been edited by Pack212Scouter)

[ScoutNut]

This is a council family camp. The registration is per family, NOT per Pack/den, even though they keep the families in Pack groups and expect the Packs to organize their families.

 

I would hand out the flier to all Pack families and have them return the completed form, along with all fees to a Pack contact person (you?). Then the contact person can take the forms and payments to the council offices. I would keep copies of the forms so you know if anyone is missing when you get to camp.

 

It sounds like a fun time and it gives the families the option of coming for the day only and not camping (you should find out if there is a reduced fee for the no camping group).

[infoscouter]

To reinforce what others have said with BSA published info:

 

This is what is referred to as a "Council Organized Family Camp"

 

From: Cub Scout Outdoor Program Guidelines for 2007-2008:

"Council-organized family camps are overnight camping activities involving more than one pack. The local council or district provides the elements of the outdoor experience, such as staffing, food service, housing, and program. These overnighters often are referred to as Parent-Pal or Adventure Weekends. In most cases, the youth member will be under the supervision of a parent or guardian. In all cases, each youth participant is responsible to a specific adult.

 

Leadership of these functions is provided through the family camp administrator, who is at least 21 years of age and has successfully completed National Camping School training in Resident Camp Management. It is his or her responsibility to promote, schedule, and oversee the family camping opportunities in the council. The family camp administrator has the responsibility to train family camp directors and other staff who will be providing leadership for the family camping activities."

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-361/index.html

 

the Age appropriate Guidelines showing Wolves as being eligible for Family Camping http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/18-260/chart.html.