Summer Camp

Many people are probably going to say "What you are already thinking about summer camp, in January, are you crazy". My response to this statement is that in order to ensure a successful summer camp experience for as many scouts as possible, planning for summer camp should ideally in August of the year before camp but at the very least summer camp planning and reminders should start coming out during the January of the year you are attending camp to ensure the following tasks are completed by each family:

1. Physicals- It is now a requirement to have a physical on a annual basis for all scouts, not matter what age
2. Medical Forms- Annual Updates for each scout
3. Troop Permission Slips- Some Troops do one annual Troop permission slip and some do a permission slip on each outing.
4. Money- Many Scouts have financial difficulties or trouble with coming up with money at the last minute especially during recession years. We are most definitely in a recession.
5. Dates- The dates of the camp need to be known in order for families to make decisions on other trips and vacations that they may be going on.

This list of tasks is no where complete but the idea is that families have a lot of work to do in order to prepare their son for summer camp. Giving adequate time to parents in regards to this large and very important event ensures that scouts get the most that they can out of the experience.

Remember the saying "Prior planning prevents poor performance".

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616