Campouts, 1 nite or 2?

[Abraiu]

Our troop camps two nights...We leave on Friday night, everone is assembled at 6pm and we leave as soon as everone is assembled. All scouts are instructed to eat before or plan on bringing something to eat while in route. No Fri. night cooking only a cracker barrel. This way the scouts will have all day Sat. to do things. We usually break camp around noon depending on the drive. Vespers is at 10am on Sunday (A Scout is reverent) I always incourage the scouts to plan it this way so they can get the most of their out-door time with out being so rushed. We learn to go with the flo during winter when it is dark early. Good Luck...

[mk9750]

Laura,

 

Let's see if I can beat Bob making this point:

 

The requirements you speak about for 1st Class is to participate in 10 Troop or Patrol ACTIVITIES, other than meetings. This is in contrast to 10 campouts, and especially in contrast to 10 Nights of camping.

 

A troop or patrol activity could include a day hike, a service project, a learning experience (once a year our guys plan a trip to the local fire department where an officer does a first aid class and a CPR class (over two weeks). If the PLC plans this for an evening IN ADDITION to a regular weekly meeting, we count this as an activity).

 

Most of our boys have their 10 activity requirement for 1st Class done within 3 - 4 months of crossing. We only do one campout a month, so it's the extra stuff that gets them there. In addition, even a two night campout is counted as only one activity.

 

Increasing to two nights would decrease the time it takes to meet Camping MB requirements, as well as OA membership requirements. And there is plenty of value in the experience and fun boys would have by having the extra night. But it makes no difference to a boy's rank advancement to 1st Class.

 

Mark

[Bob White]

Mark is correct. You can achieve First Class with three camping trips of one night each. Star and Life do not require any.

Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Compass]

LauraT7,

 

Having difficulty persuading the PLC and/or troop as a whole? How about getting your son's patrol interested in going on their own patrol campout? Get them charged up about their very own campout, then through persuasion encourage a two-nighter. An incentive could be earning the National Honor Patrol Award, which might be a first for a patrol in your troop-- it always seems to be in any troop I've been in --which means your son's patrol is really the coolest/bestest/etc. patrol in the troop! Hey, if you doubt it, just ask any of its members! A two-nighter might not happen on their first campout, but might be more likely after they get the NHP Award (they have to exceed their earlier accomplishments, right?).

 

Then, once your son's patrol gains fame, then one of its members becomes more likely to be elected to SPL, or be picked as ASPL. At the same time, other boys in the troop become more interested in duplicating the 'cool patrol' and its methods/approach.

 

Of course, don't stop there; encourage patrol pride through patrol flag(s), patrol emblems on the equipment, etc.

 

Nothing brings about change faster than perceived success and its rewards...

 

Anyway, it might be easier bring about change at the patrol level first, then influence the troop as a whole through the patrol's results and impact.(This message has been edited by Compass)

[LauraT7]

Compass -

 

now that's a truly "scoutlike" suggestion! I LIKE it!

 

We'll have to work on that with Jon's patrol - which is already the best running in the troop (has more of the outside-the-box thinkers)

 

And I AM mixing up the camping merit badge with the rank requirements! I didn't have the book handy at the time of my original post -

 

thanks for the ideas!