From: kary@col.hp.com (Dan Kary)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: Re: Webelos - Summer Camp
Date: 13 Dec 1992 02:02:23 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
NNTP-Posting-Host: hplsdak.col.hp.com

mturner@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Mark Turner) writes:
> Our council runs a week-long day camp in each of the three districts. 

Pikes Peak Council in Colorado Springs does much the same thing.  There
is a National Camp School program for Day Camp Directors and Program
Directors.  Usually it is run twice in each Region in January and February.
Like most training events the training is organized and presented by
volunteers with a professional staff advisor.  The year I went it was great,
the next year the attendees from our Council said it wasn't worth the trip.

> The council also has a severl-day resident camp for Cub Scouts and Webelos
> (separate) at the council camp about 40 miles from town.

Pikes Peak Council also does a resident camp, there are 2 half week sessions
run the week after the regular summer camp ends.  The camp is open to Cubs
of all ages, each Cub is required to have an adult partner attending with
him.  One adult with 2 Cubs is permitted with permission from the camp
director.  I went twice with my younger son.  It was without doubt the best
scouting experience I've ever had (and I've done a few things).  The program
includes swimming, boating, archery, BB gun shooting, crafts, nature, etc.
Pretty much the kind of things you'd expect Cubs to do outdoors.  The 1:1
ratio between parents and boys is what made it so special for me.  At most
outings there are a few adults and lots of boys.  Even though I've gone on
literally dozens of Boy Scout camping trips with my older son, I've never
spent as much time with him on campouts as I did with my younger son at
resident camp.  The age difference has something to do with it, Cubs are
young enough that they still would rather be with a parent than just about
anyone else, at Boy Scout age they are ready to start breaking away.  The
presence of older boys tends to encourage this in my opinion and I think it
is a good thing.  But I do regret not having the resident camp experience
with my older son, I was just not aware of it when he was a Cub.  Our Council
has about 4000 Cubs, about 1500 will go to Day Camp but only about 150 will
go to resident camp.  The cost is about $90 for the Cub and adult partner for
4 days and 3 nights.  There is also a National Camp School program for Resident
Camp Directors and Program Directors, also conducted by Region.

> At roundtable last night a proposal was brought up to hold a week-long
> family camp at the council camp at the end of the summer camp season.  The
> program would be aimed at Cub-scout aged people, including female siblings
> using Girl Scout and Campfire program materials.  The consensus of those
> present was that the $80 per person proposed charge was too high, and that
> older siblings needed program activities as well.  I doubt that the
> proposal will go anywhere.  Any experience with this sort of thing elsewhere?

If the $80 includes meals served in the camp dining hall, I'd sure like to
know what anyone was complaining about!  A program like you describe is run
by the Philmont Training Center (PTC).  The PTC is a cluster of buildings and a
tent city adjacent to the Villa Philmonte, just down the road from the Philmont
High Adventure Base near Cimarron, New Mexico.  The purpose of the PTC is to
provide training on Scouting topics of District and Council level interest.
There are typically programs for Key 3, Roundtable, etc.  To attend you need
an invitation from the Chief Scout Executive (Ben Love), talk to your DE.
Councils decide who they would like to attend and forward the names to the 
National Council.  It is actually a little late to be trying to get into PTC
this summer, but since it is a Jamboree year your chances of getting in are
better since many Scouters active in Council and District functions will be
at the Jamboree.  If you go to a training program at PTC, your family is also
invited.  Programs are conducted for boys, girls and spouses (male or female)
by age groups.  They conduct a Cub Day Camp for 7 - 10 year boys, a Boy Scout
Summer Camp (Rocky Mountain Scout Camp) for 11 - 12 year boys, and a high
adventure backpack trek for boys, girls, men and women 13 and up.  There are
also programs for girls in several age categories.

I went to PTC with my family in 1989.  The program I attended was an
introduction to The New Troop Plan implemented in 1990 (new First Class
Advancement, New Boy Patrol, etc).  My younger son went to Cub Day Camp,
my older son went to RMSC, my daughter went to a program for 10 year old
girls and my wife went to her choice of spouse programs.  RMSC is several
miles from PTC, so we didn't see our older son until the end of the week.
The rest of us stayed in the tent city.  The total cost was about $700 for
my family of 5, this included meals served in the dining hall, lodging in
the tent city and all program materials except my wife's craft projects.
My wife said it was the best vacation she ever had, no cooking, no cleaning
and paid professionals to take care of the kids all day every day.  I can't
imagine where else you can get all that for so little money.

The training I received at PTC was the best I've had in my scouting career.
The trainers were mostly volunteers, but they were people with very extensive
experience.  Each course also has an advisor from the National Council, my
course advisor was T.J. Van Houten who at the time was advisor to the
Advancement Committee of the National Council (volunteers).  His job included
writing merit badge pamphlets, venture pamphlets, etc.  It seems when I talk
to the local DE's they never have good answers to difficult questions.  Let
me tell you, the executives from National Council are people who give straight
answers to tough questions.  Even they were stumped on a couple occasions,
but they always came back the next session or next day with good answers.  It
was reassuring to see that there is such a high level of professionalism at
National Council.  In the local councils I've been involved with it has always
been very clearly the case that there is far more scouting knowledge,
experience and spirit in the volunteers than in the professional staff.

You or your DE can write to PTC to get pamphlets and a schedule of their 
programs.  They will include an overview of the various age group programs
and you can get a schedule of daily activities in each program if you request
it.  This would be an excellent starting point for the Council camp that was
proposed at your roundtable.  The various National Camp Schools can provide
training on organizing and conducting the various age level programs.

> -- Mark Turner
> mturner@henson.cc.wwu.edu
> Committee Chair, Pack 2, Bellingham, Washington

WWW
Dan Kary
--
"And that, my leige, is how we know the earth to be banana shaped."
-- 
"And that, my leige, is how we know the earth to be banana shaped."
Newsgroups: rec.scouting