Family outings and the Patrol Method

[Buffalo Skipper]

I too have seen things go awry when relating to "Family and Sibling" events. We used to have one particualar campout in which families and siblings were invited. When I became SM, and I was going on this activity for the first time, I saw family participation (including younger siblings) as being a serious safety issue, as it was primarily a snorkeling and boating event. From my perspective, I saw that this event was going to be difficult to pull off withing BSA guidelines with families coming along, so I said NO to the families.

 

As a result, only 6 of 20 scouts showed up, even though fundraising had covered most of the espense of the outing. Some of the families who made a stink about it all ended up leaving the troop (only 1 transfered to another troop).

 

Has anyone else had bad experiences with family/sibling campouts? How did you work to resolve these issues?

[Eagle92]

YES!

 

We planned a trip the weekend after Thanksgiving, We were going to Shiloh National Military Park to do one of the hikes there. Well somehow the idea of having families along came up and was allowed.We did have a few families show up, and one of them had 9 kids not involved in Boy Scouts; Cub Scouts, Girls Scouts, and not old enoughs yes, but only 1 Scout at the time.

 

Anyway we drive the 7+ hours there and we get settled in the the church's gym we were using. Now the weather was cold and wet, but the scouts knew the drill as we watched the weather channel, made sure patrols knew what to expect, and were ready for the hike.

 

 

BUT the moms were complaining that it was too cold and wet for anyone to go hiking as the siblings didn't have the proper gear for the event. Scouts however were prepared as we have camped in the weather before. So the decision was made to drive around the trails, get the answers to the questions in order to say we did the trail. Well the Scouts were ticked, but we drove 7+ hours to see the park and see what we had been learning up close so we decided to ride around, see the areas we learned about etc.

 

Well the first car load goes to the first stopping point on the trail in the pouring rain, and get out. Siblings get soaked, scouts are warm and dry, but are dripping all over the car seats, and the car doors are drenched form the rain. parents decide to call it a day and drive us to the gym.

 

Scouts are ticked off and vow never again to allow siblings. Then it gets worse. One of the younger siblings stops up the commode in the bathroom above us on the ground floor. Water starts going everywhere on the first floor, then starts dripping down into the basement gym where we were. We were furious. Church was furious. The ASM paid for the the damages, and we never went back.

 

It was five, possibly six years before we did another family event. The family that caused the problem was still in the troop, but the kids were older so that helped. That was a water and boating activity, but the families were informed of BSA procedures in advance, there were 4 lifeguards present, one of whom was the SM, and we had no problems.

 

My suggestion is the following.

 

1) make sure the parents know what to expect in advance, and that the scouts will do whatthey have planned.

 

2) ALL BSA rules will be followed by parents and siblings alike as this is a scouting event, do not be afraid to ask them to leave.

 

3) make sure the PLC wants this event.

 

 

[GKlose]

I told part of this story in another thread, so it was probably lost in the shuffle.

 

First committee annual planning meeting I went to -- it was basically everyone meeting at the SM's house to talk about what we wanted to do over the next year. Since I was new, I didn't really understand that in this troop this is what they did. There was no real PLC that was functioning. The annual plan consisted mostly of "this is what they enjoyed last year, so should we do it again?". I was kind of flabbergasted.

 

Here was the kicker, though. The troop was kind of flush with cash, after good fundraising, and not spending it on much. So the committee was talking about getting around to the high adventure trip that they'd been talking about for years. It degenerated into a discussion about backpacking out west, or canoeing somewhere in the east. I'd suggested that we pull together all of the older scouts in the troop and ask them to plan the kind of trip they'd like to do. You know, a venture patrol concept. That eventually became a troop meeting where the SM described a trip either backpacking out west, or canoeing in the east, and then taking a vote from the entire troop.

 

Anyway, at this committee meeting, the committee's "outdoor coordinator" was arguing for a white water rafting trip, or perhaps a visit to Acadia. "So that way families can come along and the women go shopping and that sort of thing." I don't think I said it at the time, but I told some others later that I didn't think that families and shopping was high adventure. It still kind of irks me. The shopping guy, who basically had only coordinated two trips a year (a ski trip to a lodge in NH, and a white water rafting trip in May, both trips well over $100 each), didn't end up going on the trip that we did arrange.

 

A high adventure trip did take place. Canoeing on the West Branch of the Penobscot in Maine. I ended up not going on the trip, due to the timing, but my older son did. The trip went well, and the troop is repeating it again this August.

 

Guy

[SR540Beaver]

Our troop has a tradition of two family campouts per year. One is a canoe trip in August. It started many years ago as a father/son campout. Now it is referred to as a parent/son campout. There is no patrol campong or cooking on this particular campout. Boys can tent with their parent or with other boys as they choose. Saturday dinner after the canoe trip is grilled steaks and potatoes baked in the coals of a fire.

 

The other is our thanksgiving campout. We have a gentleman who used to be part of the troop who has rural land close by. We dig a 30'x3'x4' trench and feed firewood that we've cut over the previous few months into it from midnight until 6 AM. At 7 AM, the boys take turkeys, butter them and wrap them in layers of foil. Then we wrap them in chicken wire laced up with baling wire attached to a large and long stick and lower them into individual holes dug in the coals and put a layer of dirt over the top. We pull them out of the pit at 1 PM. Each patrol camps in their own patrol site and is responsible for making real mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and green beans. They also have to bake a pumpkin pie in their patrol site. Each patrol has to prepare enough to feed their patrol and family guests. Dinner is served at 3 PM. Some parents and siblings come and camp away from the patrols, others show up for dinner. We typically feed around 150 most years.

 

Other than the canoe trip, it is strictly patrol camping complete with adults and youth asking permission to enter another's campsite. One of the first lessons taught any new parents is that they leave the boys and their patrol sites alone and vice versa.

 

Works for us!(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

I don't see an issue with troop family events, but in my opinion, these events need to be clearly defined. A troop program is not an ongoing family outing, most events need to be true patrol camping events, with boy ran program. When I say most, to me, that number is over 90% of program. P

 

arents/guardians can't be denied access to events, but they can be excluded from program, and given tasks to perform that keep them far from the scouts on non-family outing. As far as siblings, you can say no, and should for non-family outings.

[Oak Tree]

We've never held a true "family" outing.

 

We do permit chaperones to bring along siblings if they are willing to take full responsibility. However it hardly ever happens.

 

If we were to try a real family trip, we'd set it up pretty differently. I don't think we'd focus on the patrol method.