Assistant Scoutmaster

[Mister T]

Well, my son has been in the troop for a year and its nearing the time that we will break for the summer.

 

My question is: Why do scout troops break for the summer? Because the school does? We are not school. Isn't summertime a great time to be a scout? It's tough to go camping here in the far north in the Cold Season, but summers are fantastic, just when it starts to get warm enough to go outside, we put the troop on hold until it gets too cold again.

 

Does anybody go year-round? If so, how did you bring this subject up to the Scoutmaster?

[OldGreyEagle]

The troop I serve foes year round, now, in the summer when youth will be on a staggered schedule with family vacations and other camps, we do meetings on the first and third Thursday rather than every Thursday but we still run events, except fr July, thats summer camp month

[SR540Beaver]

Do you really mean a troop or do you mean a pack? Packs pretty much follow the school year, but might possibly have a few events or day camp or half week resident camps.

 

I know of only one troop in my council that "shuts down" for the summer. They don't have meetings from the time they go to summer camp until school starts. This troop is very, very adult led though. Generally, troops go year round.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Our troop is very active during the summer. In addition to summer camp, this year the PLC planned a spelunking campout (3 nights) and a 70 mile canoe trip. They also scheduled a 1 day canoe trip (during the week), a daysail on a 47' sailboat around the bay, a surfing outing (a Friday or Saturday, weather permitting)and a Rifle and Shotgun Shoot (weekend day). The only meetings we will drop will be the Monday after we return from camp and after the long canoe trip.

[ScoutNut]

The only thing our Troop does during the summer is 1 week of summer camp.

 

Other than that they shut down.

 

[Stosh]

Every Monday night 50 weeks of the year. No scout meeting at summer camp and take off a Monday during Christmas break. Extra activities throughout the summer. Camporees, summer camp, high adventure, hikes, all planned throughout the year. COH every time Monday falls on a 5th Monday of the month. Before I came they used to not have a meeting on Monday night when the Packers play. We no longer follow that tradition.

 

Too busy? Maybe, but if a boy has to miss there's something coming on its heels.

 

One boy couldn't make summer camp where we planned on going, so he signed up for provisional at another camp.

 

Juggling schedules especially in the summer is quite a feat.

 

Stosh

[Mister T]

OK, Good.

 

I just thought this was the way troops are. There are 2 troops in the area and they both shut down for summer, except council summer camp.

 

I'll bring this up to Mister J tomorrow. Perhaps we just inherited a bad habit. Hi Beaver, yep, its a Troop, not a Pack of Cub Scouts.

 

ScoutNut, why did you decide to shut down for summers?

[SMT224]

Our Troop meets all year and goes camping every month except December. The numbers attending meetings and outings does decrease during the summer, but there are still plenty of boys who show up to meetings and want to camp in June and August. We are at summer camp in July.

[CA_Scouter]

We've actually been trying to get the school to break for us! ;-)

 

We are similar to Jblake. An outing every month of the year, meetings almost every Monday, High Adventure, Camporee, Summer Camp, etc. We don't really see a drop off in attendance in the summer, its pretty consistent all year round.

 

Ye old Scoutmaster tries to schedule the Monday of the NCAA Men's BB final to be one of those 'off' weeks, but has not been very successful. I did get the Committee to move a COH to the next week one time though...

 

 

 

 

[scoutldr]

As our DE used to drill into us, "Parents are paying for a year-round program and that's what they should be getting". Doesn't matter if it's a Pack, Troop, Crew or Ship...there is nothing that says units should "shut down" over the summer. It's a proven phenomenon that you'll lose members that way. Keep them engaged and active. Summer camp/Day Camp just counts as the outdoor activity for that month.

[Eagle92]

The only time my old troop, which met on Friday nites, did not hold meetings were the following:

 

1) Good Friday

 

2)Friday nite of summer camp

 

3) Whenever we were leaving friday nite for a trip.

 

4) the two weeks off for Christmas (and usually we had a contingent going to winter camp).

 

5) COHs

 

In the immortal words of Porky Pig, "a the the the the that's all folks!"(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[ReneScout]

We continue as usual throughout the year. Our attendance is lower during the summer months, since they are out having fun with their families, but we still keep our schedule going strong, usually with several hiking and camping trips.

[regi]

Our troop runs all year round.We have about 20% who are camp staffers during the summer so we are down a few but still able to run summer program.

[emb021]

I've never heard of a troop (or crew) which shut down for the summer (packs, yes).

 

Sure, some kids will not be there for a week or two because of family vacations, but most troops still have their program, and will use summer for their week of summer camp, week-long 'high adventure' or similiar trips and the like. (same for crews).

 

 

[OneHour]

We do Summer Camp in June, High Adventure trips in July, and then we start back up on the regular campout in August and run through May. June and July troop meetings are devoted to preparation of Summer Camp, High Adventure, or just plain catch up, ie. get the TFC guys going. So ... 11.5 months of scouting. We may have two weeks in July that we may not have any troop meeting!

 

The pack that I am associating with runs 12 months. We may not have pack meeting or den meeting in summer time, but we have pack activities: June - Cub Day Camp, July - Astros game and/or pool party, August - waterblaster (where all cub get drenched by the firetruck water hose).

 

1Hour