Unsolicited Troop Hosting Of A Camproee

[oldisnewagain1]

More carrots, fewer sticks.

It could be as simple as special patches or ribbons for the hosting troop ... Or serious street cred.

 

I can hear it now...

As host of the camproee you get the oppertunity to purchase these special patches and ribbons (will only cost you this much more than the regular patch)

[NJCubScouter]

Yes, it could be at the council camp (for a fee)

So in other words, a subdivision of the council (a district) wants to have an event, so they are going to conscript a unit to host and run the event, and if the unit wants to host it at the council's own camp, the council will charge a fee?

 

Do I have that right?

 

Putting myself in the shoes of the first troop whose name is pulled out of the hat, a response quickly comes to mind, but it would take a little longer to think of a way to put the response in Scoutlike language.

[oldisnewagain1]

So in other words, a subdivision of the council (a district) wants to have an event, so they are going to conscript a unit to host and run the event, and if the unit wants to host it at the council's own camp, the council will charge a fee?

 

Do I have that right?

 

 

 

Yes

[LeCastor]

ROFL!!! @@JoeBob has the right idea!!! I would donate $300 to have a seat at THAT RT to watch the fireworks!!!

 

Is that what it would take to get you to attend Roundtable??     ZING!

[LeCastor]

Oldisnew, the way you are describing it I would certainly object.  Is this a real scenario?  

 

Why would the district committee delegate only a portion of the responsibility to the randomly-selected Troop?  If the district were to pick a theme, activities, etc why would they not follow through with selecting the campground, etc?  Something ain't right here....

[moosetracker]

Our camp would charge to.. It is the way camps are going, you pay whether a Boy Scout group or on outside group.. The camps charge us to host our District trainings there also.. It is harder to find a place other then the camp, but a lot cheaper.. Especially for training where you may end up with only three or four signing up for the training and the camp wants to charge $100 to $150 to use their camp.. It makes it very expensive training for those 3 or 4 participants..

 

Our district also asks for troops to host the camporee or hike-a-thon, we do not have enough volunteers at district level, and usually the older scouter set many of who don't camp anymore.. Those with kids in the program are volunteering at the troop level..  But it is definitely street-cred..  Our troop started something that many other troops after us followed.. The troop got to design the patch, and you were not to put the hosting troops troop number on it.. Still you found some slick way to sneak it into the design where it passed the inspection.. After the patches were made the troops would show off where the numbers were hidden in the design.

[Eagle94-A1]

Unfortunately paying a fee for scout camp use is the norm in my neck of the woods.  I had to pay useage fees for day camp and various camporees. It is  incorporated into the event budget, so it's in the fee for the event, and most folks do not notice.

 

You may say I've drunk the council Kool Aid, but I'm for it because the camp usage fees are used to take care of the camp in addition to the designated council budget funds. So the more the local council camps are used, the more money that camp gets. And that is a good thing compared to before. When I first got into the council, the there was no fees, but very, and I stress VERY little maintence done at the local, non-summer camp Scout camp. So little was done that individual troops and the OA chapters that used the camp did more for the camps than council did.  Also units really didn't use the camp, going instead to state parks and other camp grounds that also charged fees.

 

When we got a new Scout Executive, he told us what he wanted to do; have a fee and use the fees to maintain and improve the different camps. Yes there was some grumbling, but 7 years later, the local camp is SO much better than it was before. Improvements and repairs have been made, and a new boating center was built (although a large chunck of the money was a estate bequest). And while I have not visited all of our council's camps, I do know improvements have been made at them as well.

 

The local camp has improved so much since fee went into effect, we have increased the number of folks using the camp dramatically.  I don't know overall numbers, but I know one event at the camp has quadrupled in attendancesince it came out 6 years ago. And we have OOC units using it as well. And I see increased use at the local camp since it's the only Scout camp in the council that Cubs can go boating on ( all the others are located on open water). So now that the Cub Scout boating restrictions have been removed, I see more Packs using the place to go canoeing, kayaking, etc.

[Stosh]

If our district started a randomly selected troop to host camporees, we would never have a camporee again.

 

A troop volunteered this spring and came in, ran program Friday night and Saturday morning and then left after lunch on Saturday.

 

The three remaining troops got together Saturday night and we did our own campfire program.    Then one of the troops took us on a after dark (full moon) nature hike to see how many animals could be identified by sound.  It was really kinda fun.  The boys were super impressed when we got to this swampy area and the frogs were going full chorus.  He pointed out the sounds of 4 different frogs and spoke in whispers.  Then he turned and shouted as loud as he could.  It was like someone had flipped a switch, it was immediately total silence!

 

I'm thinking the fun didn't really start for the boys until after the host troop left.

 

After discussing it for a while, the boys thought that they could invite just another troop or two who practice boy-led, patrol-method and do a camporee that way.  At least they are now thinking about it.

[oldisnewagain1]

Oldisnew, the way you are describing it I would certainly object.  Is this a real scenario?  

 

Why would the district committee delegate only a portion of the responsibility to the randomly-selected Troop?  If the district were to pick a theme, activities, etc why would they not follow through with selecting the campground, etc?  Something ain't right here....

 

It is not in practice yet but is being pushed hard by a DC member and may be in place by fall. The reasoning goes something like this; it will promote District participation, will assure having enough volunteers for the events, and takes the burden off the host troop of coming up with a theme/events

 

Personally, I think it will have the opposite effect.   

[scoutergipper]

I can't imagine a Troop that would say "yes" to such a proposal.  But you never know.

[desertrat77]

It is not in practice yet but is being pushed hard by a DC member and may be in place by fall. The reasoning goes something like this; it will promote District participation, will assure having enough volunteers for the events, and takes the burden off the host troop of coming up with a theme/events

 

Personally, I think it will have the opposite effect.   

 Oldisnewagain1, I agree, it's all backwards!

- It won't promote district participation, at least not the participation of the district staff

- Enough volunteers?   Sure.   Instead of the district recruiting volunteers to serve as staff, the burden will fall on the troop to find the volunteers to run the district camporee.   I recall my troop days--it was challenging enough to get enough adults to take the troop to the camporee, much less find more people to run the entire thing.

- Taking the "burden" off the troop of coming up with the theme/events?  Again, all backwards.    Creating a theme and list of events is the easy part.   Getting the manpower and executing the events it the hard part.

 

I could almost buy the concept (but not quite) IF the troop had the say-so on theme and events.   Then they'd have the motivation really put on a great camporee.   But to be the designated flunky manpower pool for the district?   So wrong, so many levels.

 

I guess the DC member proposing this "concept" must have this in mind as a creed:  "Nothing is impossible...as long as you are not the one doing the work!:

Edited May 11, 2015 by desertrat77

[fred johnson]

Nope. Districts and councils serve the units, not the other way around.

 

My son's recruiter often said "Attitude is everything."   IMHO, that attitude kills districts.  There are few magical district scouters that exist just to serve scouting.  Most district scouters are ALSO active in troops or packs.  

 

While I agree you can't force troops to attend or support district activities, districts are much stronger when many troops have volunteers that help staff district positions.

[SeattlePioneer]

<<Nope. Districts and councils serve the units, not the other way around.          >>

 

 

 

That's my understanding of how things should work.

 

 

When I was rebuilding a Cub Pack pretty much from scratch, it was a huge benefit to have an excellent district bowling tournament and district marble tournament for our small, weak pack to participate in,  as well as an excellent day camp.

 

 

Thjey provided yartdsticks the mpack could use in setting standards for our own pack activities.

[desertrat77]

  There are few magical district scouters that exist just to serve scouting.  Most district scouters are ALSO active in troops or packs.  

Fred, I must respectfully disagree...as an adult scouter, I've served on five different district staffs across the US.   Except for my present district, all of them had plenty of district scouters that thought scouting began and ended at the district, and the units "worked for the district."   Many of them had not served at the unit level in years, if ever.  

 

It is the district scouters' "I outrank you" attitude that makes a hash of things.   As I mentioned earlier, it's tough enough to get your troop to camporee much less be tasked to run the thing--with zero creative input, no less.

Edited May 11, 2015 by desertrat77

[Gone]

My son's recruiter often said "Attitude is everything."   IMHO, that attitude kills districts.  There are few magical district scouters that exist just to serve scouting.  Most district scouters are ALSO active in troops or packs.  

 

While I agree you can't force troops to attend or support district activities, districts are much stronger when many troops have volunteers that help staff district positions.

 

So you think units should serve districts and councils?

 

I agree that IF districts and councils are actively serving their units that the units should return the favor. But when so many districts simply put upon the units to do stuff for them and give nothing of value in return, serving the district takes away from my unit....and those are the people who pay my unit to plan and execute a quality program. So I will put my time and effort where I serve the mission of Scouting....and so should districts and councils.

 

If killing off useless districts is the outcome of districts that are run poorly, perhaps councils should spend more time supporting districts, and districts in turn the units. THAT is how the money flows. Without the units, districts and councils will be out of stuff to do.