District camping committee and all district events

[kahits]

I have a quick question. How does your district plan and run their district events, both for packs and troops, and is it done under the supervision of the camping committee, or a different committee. Our district has the Activities and Camping chairs seperate (but equal) on the committee, with everything planned and executed by the Activities chair. The Camping chair reports on monthly tour permits, and long term camps in the summer, and very little else. The OA chapter adviser, although and member of the committee, only reports on the direct activities of the chapter (elections, tapout, ordeal, and in theory, camping promotion). There is no direct connection between the camping committee and the OA chapter, in all of this.

 

One of our new district committee members, and his son, were telling me they had never seen a structure, as I just described, and had, for the most part, only seen all district activities done under the supervision of the Camping chair and his committee. This included the Activities chair, who worked closely with the teams heading up each district event. I can see an opportunity where the OA chapter might benefit from having a more direct connection to these district activities, and if they are not playing a major role in the running of the event, such as Spring Camporee, they could at least run the campfire.

 

Right now the activities chair is undersupported in our organizational structure and the camping chair is sitting on his thumbs, summarising the tour permits every month, at the District committee meeting, while the activities chair tries to get things done, even if they were not able to form a committee.

 

Our Spring Camporee, 3 springs ago, was run totally by the OA chapter, and it was a very fun event, with everything done at night, starting after dark on Friday night, with your start time depending on when you got to camp and checked in. As hot and dry (no fires allowed) as it was, doing it at night was a wonderful break. I can see a reason to tie the OA chapter, together with the Camping and Activities, and give the arrowmen an opportunity to take the lead in designing stations and running them. Maybe that is asking alot of them, with everything else they do (they currently do not ceremonies at the lodge, but we hope to change that..). I'm curious what kinds district committee structures you are using for your district activities.

 

We are considering proposing a change to the Chairman, but I thought I would ask here, first? Thanks,

[MarkS]

Our OA Chapter puts together two camporees and a klondike for our District each program year. Camp staff and activities are primarily boy led by OA members. OA advisors support the efforts of the boys.

 

Webelos dens are invited to camp with a host troop at the camporees. However, the scouts and Webelos attend different activities during the day. The only activity they do together away from unit camp sites is attend a campfire.(This message has been edited by MarkS)

[kahits]

Thanks, Mark,

I think this is the ideal, and how this should absolutely be done. It will build the chapter, and motivate the boys to step up and lead, as arrowmen, which is the purpose of OA, especially for anything related to camping. Our chapter has suffered mightily, because it has been left out of these kinds of opportunities, and just plugs away with the minimum of purpose (OA elections, AOL and tapout ceremonies). The current Spring Camporee has been taken over by one of the troops, for the past 2 years, and the end result has been they have won it, the past 2 years. Other troops have elected not to attend future camporees, because of this, and the chapter is in a box, at camporee, doing only the tapout, and disappearing for another year, never to be seen at another district camping event. As it now stands, I am the camping chair for the district and the chapter adviser, and I think the district committee needs to reconsider what it has been doing, and why we are all here as adults. The chapter will need time to build for this kind of capacity, but they did the 06 Camporee, and it was fun and cool seeing these arrowmen running it.

[FScouter]

The BSA book The District Committee #33070 will answer most of your questions about the structure of the various district subcommittes. You can also refer the the Camping Committee Guide and the Activities and Civis Service Guide. The Camping chair may be sitting on his hands, but so is the rest of the committee. A Camporee is an "activity", even though it involves an overnight. It could be he does understand the structure, has read his respective book and found "Camporee" not mentioned at all.

 

If the problem is staffing the Activities committee, the answer is not to move the camporee to the Camping committee. Why not ask the district chairman if he would assist the Activities committee recruit some members?

[kahits]

Thanks, FS... the SM of that troop was just made the activities chair for the district, since the last Spring camporee. He maintains that he still wants to continue to run the event, as he has the last 2 years, and without a viable alternative, that will probably be the way it will go. Currently, all of the stations are being run by adults (leaders from other units or outside of scouting). The Chapter is in no condition to take on something like this, so it would seem this is a self fulfilling endeavor, but it does not have to be that way. Of course, that is just my opinion on this committee, and I am sure this process was not created by accident.

[infoscouter]

In "A Handbook for District Operations" item #34739, 2007 printing, the District Activities and Civic Service Committee has as one of its responsibilities "Promote and conduct displays and skill events: (a) booth shows, (b) camporees, © first aid contests, (d) swim meets, (e) window displays and (f) shopping mall shows.

 

The District Camp Promotion and Outdoor Committee "provides outdoor programs that most units are unable to provide on their own, and outdoor programs are often the main reason youth join a Scout unit. From Cub Scout day camp to high-adventure programs, this committee helps make exciting outdoor programs available for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers." Camporees are not listed. We often call this committee the camping committee, but you'll notice the official name is Camp *PROMOTION* (emphasis added). One of the committee's main jobs is to track the outdoor program of each unit (partly through tour permits) and encourage each unit to have an active outdoor program.

 

My district operates in the same way as yours kahits, which seems to be the way BSA envisions the committees operating. In a small district, I could see how these roles could get combined into a single committee.

 

BTW - the publication is silent as to *how* the Activities committee carries out their responsiblity. I have seen it delegated on a rotating basis to troops who volunteer to plan and run the event. I have seen it all run by adults. I have seen the OA have varying degrees of participation. If the committee presents an exciting event, in which the majority of the troops in the district participate, perhaps any of those method is valid?