How many years do the boys in your troop go to summercamp?

[ICanCanoeCanU]

On average, how many years do your boys go to summer camp AS A CAMPER (not as a CIT or Counselor)?

In our troop, most boys go 6-7 years, basically every year they can, depends on what month they turn 18. This is their highlight of scouting. But a friend of mine, in another troop, claims that boys in her troop only go for 4 years and that's it. I find this very hard to believe. I don’t know of one boy in our troop that only went 4 times.

With all the discussion about making summer camp more appealing for the older scouts with limits on age for certain badges, I just wonder what the average years are for most boys. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for keeping the interest of older boys, and creating a special feel or incentive to them. This can have a very positive effect on the younger boys too, having that goal to look forward to. I am wondering if this policy has had any true results where already implemented and if it’s needed.

For those that do have boys only going a few years, could you please explain why?

[Fibonacci]

I'd guess that fewer than 50% of our Scouts continue going to camp after turning 16. Mostly it's the three W's ~ Wheels, Women, & Work. But several of the boys are now 15 or 16, have attended summer camp every year, and have almost every MB offered at camp. (They attend different camps, but the offerings are fairly consistent.)

Most of the older boys participate in a troop 50 Mile hike; some of those guys go to summer camp and some do not.

[Hubert]

We usually go every year. as long as they are active. We however change the place, due to some going to the same one for years.

[wagionvigil]

I find this interesting when I had the troop the boys attended from entrance until Graduaton at 18. It was the thing to do. WE had rules for the older scouts 16 & 17 that were Eagle or just a bit away and everyone wanted to get to that point.

[bearpatrolleaderinctown]

i think that the average for our troop will be about five or six years in about 10 or 12 years but then again you never know with around my area. i know that it is three years down the road and that this might not be the right place for it but how do you handle rechartering for boys that age out in the next year but their birthday is in january or febuary of the next year

[Mrw]

You re-charter them the same way as anyone else!

We had three turn 18 during this past year. One in November and we promoted him to ASM after his birthday. The other two right at the end of the charter. They just dropped off at the end of the charter year since they did not want to be adult scouters at this point.

[optimist]

In our troop, if you're in the troop, you go to summer camp. Scouts that stay in seven years go to camp seven times.

[bearpatrolleaderinctown]

i was just asking because i will turn 18 2 weeks after i have to recharter in 3 years

[Mrw]

i was just asking because i will turn 18 2 weeks after i have to recharter in 3 years

At that point, rather than recharter two weeks before you turn 18, Just fill out an adult application and become an ASM.

[scoutaholic]

On average, how many years do your boys go to summer camp AS A CAMPER (not as a CIT or Counselor)?

In our troop, most boys go 6-7 years, basically every year they can, depends on what month they turn 18. This is their highlight of scouting. But a friend of mine, in another troop, claims that boys in her troop only go for 4 years and that's it. I find this very hard to believe. I don’t know of one boy in our troop that only went 4 times.

With all the discussion about making summer camp more appealing for the older scouts with limits on age for certain badges, I just wonder what the average years are for most boys. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for keeping the interest of older boys, and creating a special feel or incentive to them. This can have a very positive effect on the younger boys too, having that goal to look forward to. I am wondering if this policy has had any true results where already implemented and if it’s needed.

For those that do have boys only going a few years, could you please explain why?

Many boys in our troop only get to go to a BSA Council camp once.

Our troop is sponsored by the LDS church. Church rules specify that 11-year-old scouts can only camp 3 times, and none of those more than overnight. Which means they can't go until they are 12. Then they are moved from the Troop to the Team on their 14th birthday. They are only camp elegible members of the troop for 2 years.

Our Stake (an LDS unit made up of several smaller local congregations similar to a catholic parish) sponsors their own scout camp every other year (12 troops in the stake get together and run their own camp). That means we can only go to Council camp every other year.

Before the stake started doing their camps, we normally did council camp every other year, and then on the off years we would plan a troop rough camp. If I had my way, we would make it a three year rotation (Stake camp one year, council camp one year, and troop camp one year). To make sure every boy got the chance to do all three, we would have to invite the Varsity team to join us, and then each boy would have 4 years of summer camping. This would mean that SOME boys got a 2nd council camp.

[Mrw]

Our boys average 4 years at summer camp, but range from 0-7.

The family whose boys have never come to summer camp have a vacation scheduled around when the father's factory shuts each year for annual maintenance and that is the only family vacation time they have. They recognized this conflict early on and it has not slower either boy down at bit.

They will be the first two I have had complete E Sci on their own though.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Scoutaholic - very interesting. How hard is it for the scouts to earn the camping MB? Do many scouts in the LDS church earn Eagle?

Not trying to sound funny here, just uneducated as to the ways of LDS.

[Billiken]

Last year we had:

3 - 7 yrs (all now 18 and gone)
2 - 6 yrs
2 - 5 yrs
4 - 1 yrs

This year (two weeks from now):

2 - 2nd yrs
3 - 1st yr.

All of our old guys left to join Venturing Crew.

[scoutaholic]

Scoutaholic - very interesting. How hard is it for the scouts to earn the camping MB? Do many scouts in the LDS church earn Eagle?

Not trying to sound funny here, just uneducated as to the ways of LDS.

Our Council, which is 90+% LDS has more Eagles than any other council (over 5%), if the council is reporting stats to us correctly.

Camping MB specifically limits long-term camp to only one week of the 20 nights, so going to additional years of council summer camp wouldn't help anyway. The requirement specifying that it MUST be SCOUT camping is new this year. I guess the stake camp would be up for interpretation by the MBC on that one. I would count it, just like we count all the weekend camps done by the troop. The stake camp offers classes in ~24 MBs, so they have similar MB opportunities to the council camp. In fact, they are taught be adults who tend to teach more of the material correctly than at the council camps.

Our Council sponsors a Year-Round-Camping award. To earn it, the troop has to camp in 10 months during a year, including a 5-night camp. Just doing that would be 14 nights/year. My troop has earned the year-round-camping award for the last 8 years. I have personally earned it 13+ years.

If a boy in my troop goes to all the camps the troop offers, he will have 3 before he turns 12, 14 during the year he is 12, and will finish his 20 nights 3 months after he turns 13. (Assuming he doesn't do OA, or NYLT, or find some other way of getting more nights.)

Some Varsity Teams join the troops at summer camps, which gives the boys more opportunities for week-long camps.

[pipestone1991]

3-5 years is our average before they quit or stop being active until they get their Eagles at 17.99........

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Scoutaholic - thanks for the reply.

Guess I got confused by this paragraph

Our troop is sponsored by the LDS church. Church rules specify that 11-year-old scouts can only camp 3 times, and none of those more than overnight. Which means they can't go until they are 12. Then they are moved from the Troop to the Team on their 14th birthday. They are only camp elegible members of the troop for 2 years.

but I think I've got it now.