Summer Camp! More Dos and Don'ts

Summer camp is a big part of most Troop annual programs. A week of opportunity awaits and what follows is some advice on how to make the best of it.

Preparing Scouts for camp is relatively simple, preparing adults is somewhat more difficult and important.

Without wishing to sound like a broken record most difficulties in Scouting arise from adults who misunderstand their role.

Simply put the role of adults at camp is not any different than their year-round responsibilities; to enable the Scouts to plan, prepare and lead their own program. DO encourage Scouts to plan, prepare and lead their week at camp – DON’T impose your goals and aspirations on them.

Adults in camp should plan to spend much of their day at one remove from the Scouts. DO look for opportunities to preform a service project, offer or present adult leader training, or do something with your fellow adults. DON’T leave a lot of time on your hands and interfere with the autonomy of youth leadership. The Adult to Scout ratio seems to have grown over the past few years at our camp. It has reached 1 Adult to 2 Scouts in some Troops!

While the interest and engagement is laudable it is also likely to erode the experience for the Scouts. DO be aware that too many cooks spoil the broth, DON’T let the numbers get out of hand.

Scouting is a game. We are the coaches, the Scouts are the players. Our place is on the sidelines, theirs on the field. DO watch the game with pride and confidence win, lose or draw. DON’T cross the line and take the field from the players.