Organizing Cub Scout Day Camp

[SeattlePioneer]

Last year my district had a day camp melt down, with the day camp director resigning a couple of weeks before the camp was scheduled to begin and little in the way of recruiting volunteers having been done.

 

 

I was pressed into being the nominal day camp director while pretty much the entire council professional staff spent much of the week staffing up the camp. We got by, but not something to be repeated.

 

This year a woman who was an excellent Tiger Cub Den Leader a year ago OFFERED to help with day camp. Our District Execeutive thanked her for agreeing to be the Day Camp Director!

 

[i think you can overdo that approach. Do that to the wrong person and they will tend to resign a couple of weeks before the activity begins].

 

However, I think she will do fine. She has already signed up to take the national training offered in how to organize day camp.

 

 

Our district has one pack that has taken "ownership" of the shooting sports ---- BB guns, archery and wrist rockets. They recruit the leaders they need from their pack and see to it they get the required training, set up the ranges and do a fine job of running that program, year after year.

 

The past two years, I've taken charge of running the Tiger Twilight camp on the same basis.

 

It occurred to me that perhaps we ought to ask other packs with strong programs to take charge of a program element such as cooking, wood working or whatver. Delegate running that program to them and let them recuit the leaders they need from their pack.

 

So I e-mailed that suggestion to the day camp director, along with the leaders of two packs that ought to be strong enough to take that kind of responsibility.

 

Perhaps she will give that a try and see how it works.

 

If it does work, it might be possible to ask those pack to to ownership of that program element in future years as well, simplifying the task of organizing the day camp.

 

 

In general, it's a good idea to take advantage of the den and pack structure when organizing Cub Scout activities, and perhaps that might apply to organizing day camp as well.

 

 

Any other bright ideas that might make it easier to organize day camp?

[ghermanno]

To try to do this all alone would be insane. If she hasn't allready, she needs to assemble her "Crew" of area directors.

 

You stated she has a range person (Archery/BB's/

Wrist Rockets)

 

She needs a Crafts person to head up and ensure crafts are available for the theme.

 

She could posibly use a Nature person to head up that area (for bugs/animal tracks/foilage/...)

 

She might need an Aquatics director if you have a pool available.

 

Don't forget Medical personnel (EMT/Nurse/...)

 

These are just some suggestions and these people would need staff for the events that they are coordinating. This takes a big load off the (what used to be called Program Director's) Directors shoulders and allows each area to be completed without the Director having to coodinate ALL the items or expect Council to do it.

 

Here again. My $0.02 (Worked for me at two camps in CA and one in Panama, RP).

 

Rick

[Twocubdad]

We required all packs to send adults and cubs to camp in a 1:4 ratio. Boys registered through their packs and we required packs to submit the adult registrations along with the boys'. This gave us plenty of adult coverage, including program staff. Occasionally, we would have a pack which just couldn't provide the adults and we would work with them. This system essentially forced every pack to help us recruit volunteers.

 

The key is to find folks with an interest in a particular program and let them run with it. I was always lucky to have really good folks who enthusiastically took on the core stations -- aquatics, shooting sports, fishing, crafts. These were folks who knew their stuff and just handled everything for their area. Several of them have run their area at day camp for many years.

 

I found that for the other stations, if I had a solid idea, it was easier to find volunteers to run them. Otherwise, they rather feel as though they've been fed to the wolves (bears, tigers and webelos, too.) To me this was great, as I really enjoyed developing the camp themes and putting together the programs.

[Eagle92]

I do not envy ya as I am in a similar role. I am trying to rebuild my day camp after having a CD who has IMHO burned out. She has too many irons in the fire.

 

My suggestion is the following

 

1) get volunteers recruited and trained ASAP for the high demand areas: First aid, BB guns, and Archery.

 

I personally would want 2 adults and 1 Program aid in BBs and Arhcery. had it last year and worked out great.

 

2)Get folks recruited for additional areas NOW.

 

3) If you can require x number of leaders to attend, do it. I would love to enforce that policty in my council, but it's already a challenge getting folks to RT to get them info.

 

4) Keep the energy HIGH!!!!!!!

 

5) Keep a notebook of mistakes you made as you don't want to repeat them

 

6) At the end of camp, have a survey of your campers to see what they like, dislike, and ant to see next year. yes you will get some crazy things, btu overall it has helped me to focus on what they want.

 

7) Ditto survey with parents.

 

80 RECRUIT 2012 STAFF AFTER 2011 CSDC

 

PM me if you need idea. Misery loves company ya know