Independent Summer Camp

[T129ASM]

Our Troop has decided to conduct it's own Summer Camp. Has anyone done this, and if so, what suggestions do you have?

Thank you!!

Tim

[Bill Pitcher]

Hmmmmmmmm . . . . . you will need a place, MB Councilors, a Medical person, food, sanitation, be approved by your local Board of Health, a fire prevention program, and INSURANCE, just to name a few of the basics. Are you sure you want to do this?

[FrankJ]

A summer camp for multiple troops might require all this. A roll your own summer camp for one troop would not. It is really more like a week long(er) excursion. Troops do them all the time. BSA provides primary liability insurance for troop activities (or at least that is what they told my charter org.)

Dig up a Scouter master Handbook from the early 60s. It has a lot of detail on your doing yourown summer camp. Obviously you will have to use current YP rules.

Other questions what are the goals for the summer camp? Merit badges, activities, focus on a specific skill set?
You obviously will need leadership in place qualified to do what ever you are planning on.
Planning: just how much (hopefully a lot) & how are you going to involve the youth in planning?
Logistics: You want to eat & have place to sleep.
Any guided trips during the camp. You can hire out rafting, caving, climbing, etc activities to add high adventure to the camp.

[jr56]

When I was a youth, my troop joined with another to do a joint summer camp one summer.
It was ok, but the youth miss out on the interaction with all the other scouts from all the other units in camp. Some of those units are from other councils. It gives the youth an opportunity to make acquantances they might otherwise not make.