Alamo Area BSA

 
Boy Scouts of America

Live Scouting

Cub Scouts

Short Term Camp Administrators Needed

by

Effective January 1, 2021 our National Camping Administration Program (NCAP) standards have changed to define our camps that were previously known as Family Camps to Short Term Camps.  In addition, their is now a position required to run a Short Term Camp.  The Short Term Camps now encompass many of our events, activities and trainings that included an overnight.  We are asking for all volunteers to consider taking on this roll for us.

Please read on for the definition and volunteer position responsibilities, along with training requirements.

What is a Short-Term Camp?

A short-term camp is any council-organized overnight camping program, whether one-time or continuing, that is one, two or three nights in length where the council or its agents provide the staffing and may provide program and food services, and includes camps conducted off council properties. National training courses are subject to the short-term camp requirements, regardless of format or duration.

Examples of Alamo Area Council Events/Trainings that are now classified as Short Term Camps and require a Short Term Camp Administrator:

Wood Badge, NYLT, Camp O Rees, Bear Creek Adventure, Web O Rees, Council Wide Campout, VOA or Venturing Overnight Council Level Events, Cub Scout Family Camps, Spook O Ree, Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, BALOO, LNT/OE Training, Order of the Arrow overnight events, Conservation Awards Weekend, Powder Horn, Climbing Instructor Training…any council or district level event that includes an overnight but less than 4 nights long, or any training that includes an overnight.

If you still have questions, please see the FAQ’s provided by National for clarification, CLICK HERE

Short-Term Camp Administrator Job Description:  Each short-term camp must have a short-term camp administrator. This person is responsible for ensuring that the planned camp complies with the NCAP Short-term Camp Standards.  This means walking the property to ensure that it is appropriate for the event; ensuring that paperwork is filed and any written BSA approvals are completed and obtained through the council; confirms facilities and program are safe and in good order before starting operation; and that appropriate health, safety and sanitation provisions are made.  This individual also ensures that all activities at the short-term camp comply with the applicable BSA National Camp Standards.

Pre-Qualifications:  The short-term camp administrator must be a registered Scouter who holds either a current NCAP short-term camp administrator certification issued by the BSA or holds a resident camp director certificate from BSA National Camping School. Refer to NCAP Standard SQ-403.

How do I get trained to be a Short-Term Camp Administrator?

The Alamo Area Council has scheduled multiple opportunities to receive the training over the next 4 months.  These trainings will be held on Zoom from the comfort of your home.  The training is just over 8 hours long so the training has been set up in 2 weeknight sessions or a Saturday session, you choose the session/s that fit your schedule.

Is there a cost to be trained?

There is a fee that National charges for the supplies of $55 that we will collect upon registration.  If you are a designated Short Term Camp Administrator for a specified Alamo Area Council event, email Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org and request a discount code for your training registration as these fees are included in the budget of your event (1 per event).   You will need the discount code to complete your registration without paying the registration fee.

Available Training Dates and Times (Click to Register):

January 12th and 14th, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

February 9th and 11th, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

February 13th, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

March 2nd and 3rd, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

March 27th, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

April 13th and 15th, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

2021 Cub Scout Day Camp Staff/Counselors and Counselors in Training Needed – Apply Now

by

Each year as we recruit more Cub Scouts into our units we give what is called a “cub talk”, which is designed around sharing with the youth all the fun and exciting things they can do if they join us.  We promise them that they are going to get to shoot BB Guns, Archery, and Slingshots.  That they will fish, learn new games, and be able to focus on STEM activities that are hands on.  All year long they work to complete rank requirements and learn new things, but it is at CAMP that they truly get to experience everything we promised them in that Cub Talk.

We are looking for the right people to join our Day Camp team and help us to KEEP THE PROMISE.

Our Camps are led by two Directors that are National Camp School Trained. Working with those Directors, we have many other staff positions that are open for application.

Our most important team members are our Camp Counselors.  They are the heart and soul of what happens at camp. They are the number one reason why a camper falls in love with camp.  You can be a Counselor and be given the opportunity to impact somebody’s forever! This year, you will be mentoring and working with groups of 8-10 Cub Scouts all week, and will get to know them, help them grow, and keep them safe at camp with us.  We are looking for high energy team members that are willing to sing, dance, and do everything they can to bring our theme alive.

We offer a Counselor in Training (CIT) program, as well.  A CIT works closely with the staff members and Camp Counselors to ensure a quality and safe program while learning what it means to be a Camp Counselor.  This is a great way to get that on the job training for when you reach the age to be on Camp Staff, while introducing you to the different roles and areas so you can decide where your heart leads you in your Camp Career. CITs are not paid staff, but receive credit for their volunteer hours.

Area Directors and Program Staff are another part of our Camp Staff.  We are always looking for qualified team members to help us run our Shooting Sports Activities, Aquatics, Games, Crafts, and other areas.  Some of these areas have age requirements but all who apply should be 16 years or older. To apply to be on Aquatics, Shooting Sports, or General Camp Staff.

TO APPLY TO BE ON STAFF – PLEASE CLICK HERE AND THEN FOLLOW THE LINKS TO THE CIT APPLICATION OR THE DAY CAMP STAFF APPLICATION. 

PARENTS who are interested in attending camp the week their scout is attending camp, and would like to VOLUNTEER at camp the same week may receive one free scout admission to that camp.  In order to be considered for this, you must apply to be on camp staff by January 30th, go through the interview process, and be selected to fill a position.  At all the camps outside of McGimsey units are required to maintain a 1 adult to every 2 scout ratio for supervision (Den Walkers).  The volunteers receiving one free scout to camp are not Den Walkers in these camps, they must fill a program area position.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me directly at Linda.Dieguez@scouting.org or you may text me at 210-740-9370

 

Cub Scout Recruiting Materials

by

Looking for a new gathering activity? Or a fun way for your Cub Scouts to invite their friends to an upcoming event/meeting? Download our Coloring Pages and personalize them to suit your packs needs!

You can use them as invitations!

Gathering Activities!

Drop them off at Libraries or Community Centers to invite youth to join your units!

Add them to your Pack’s Welcome Packet!

The Coloring pages are saved as a PDF please contact Lesley.vinka@scouting.org and she can customize them for you!

Coloring-Pages-WebsiteDownload

Virtual Roundtable – July 2020

by

The last Roundtable of the summer was held on Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 7:00 pm. More than 175 adult volunteers and leaders tuned in to learn about Popcorn, Training, Woodbadge, Powder Horn, NYLT, Jamboree and OA! A lot was covered in the 45 minutes that was our July Roundtable.

As promised, you can download the slides that were presented below. We encourage you to share the information with other leaders and parents in your unit. Encourage your Scouts to continue Scouting! We may be in the middle of a global pandemic, but Scouting is Alive, and with your help Scouting will continue!

What’s coming up?

Be on the look out for more information to come about our Annual Scouting Expo: A Virtual Experience happening on August 6, 2020 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

July 2020 Roundtable – General SessionDownload

Shooting Sports Trainings (NRA and Archery) and Opportunities to Get Involved

by

The Alamo Area Council Shooting Sports Advocates are working hard to bring opportunities for you to get involved with one of the most beloved and exciting parts of the scouting program….Shooting! Who doesn’t love knocking that clay pigeon out of the air with a well placed shotgun shot or creating holes in it with a BB Gun at one of our camps?  These activities are vital to the excitement of our program and one of top reasons scouts initially join the Boy Scouts of America.

Volunteers are a vital part of this program and trained volunteers are extremely hard to find in the shooting arena. For older units (Scouts BSA, Venture, Sea Scouts) if you have trained adults you can run a program in your unit.  How nice would it be to add some range time to one of your weekend rentals at Bear Creek Scout Reservation?  You can do it.  For Cub Scout Packs, scouts can only shoot at a Council level event and we always need volunteers willing to help on the ranges during those events.  The more volunteers we have, the more likely we are to be able to share the load (schedule 1-2 hours volunteer on the range instead of volunteers giving their whole day).

So, how do you get more involved?

  1. NRA (Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol) –  Click on this link to find the dates of the upcoming classes we are offering and how to register.  There is a minimum of 8 participants for a class to make, so register early and bring your friends to ensure your class holds!  NRA_BSAInstructorClassesFall2020
  2. NRA Range Safety Officer (RSO) – Any range that runs is required to have an NRA RSO present and in charge of the safety of that range.  We are currently in need of more RSOs as we need them for every range. If you hold a current NRA Instructor certification you can take the RSO training online through the NRA.  If you don’t, you will need to attend an in person class. We are gauging interest to be able to schedule a class in person at McGimsey or Mays this fall.  Please email Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org  if you are interested in attending an in person NRA RSO certification training, we will add you to a contact list and notify you when we get a class scheduled.
  3. Archery – We have a USA Archery Level 1 training scheduled for August 1 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at McGimsey Scout Park.  Course materials need to be ordered in advance so registration closes on July 15th.  Register here
  4. Cub Scout Rangemasters (BB or Archery) – To volunteer to help at a Cub Scout event you must either be NRA Trained or hold a current Cub Scout Rangemaster Training certification (good for 2 years).  You must be 18 years old to be trained as a Rangemaster.  We are offering shooting activities beginning in July at McGimsey and continuing at all of our Cub Scout Events through December 2020.  If you are interested in receiving Cub Scout Rangemaster Training for either BB or Archery please email Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org and let us know.  We will add you to a contact list and let you know when we get training scheduled.
  5. Shooting Sports Advocates – We have a wonderful committee of volunteers that are considering how to best support our scouts in both what events are offered, how they are run, and considering facility and equipment requirements.  If you are interested in joining this group, please let us know, we are happy to have you join us.  We support all the Cub Scout level events, Powderhorn, Council Wide Campout, and we host the Beast Feast and Shooting Sport University each year.  Email us at Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org and let us know you are interested in joining our Advocates and we will add you to the communications list.

Virtual Roundtable – June 2020

by

The Boy Scouts of America defines roundtable as one of the most important parts of being a Scout leader. “It is a form of commissioner service and supplemental training for volunteers at the unit level. The objectives of roundtables are to provide leaders with program ideas; information on policy and events; and training opportunities. It is a forum for sharing experiences and enjoying fun and fellowship with other Scout leaders…the roundtable experience will inspire, motivate, and enable unit leaders to provide a stronger program for their Scouts.”

This roundtable was all of the above rolled into one. We provided the 188 leaders in attendance with ideas for the upcoming Popcorn sale; shared information in regard to the new membership fee increase, Day Camp in a Box, and family camping; and we provided training on Scout retention. One of the most positive feedback we’ve received was the special guest in the Scouts BSA Breakout session, Senior Patrol Leader (SPL), Star Scout and founding member of female Troop 374, Rachel Pool. Rachel spoke about becoming SPL over Spring Break 2020 and shared with us the resources she uses to be successful. It was truly inspiring and refreshing to hear how this female Scout is making a difference in her Troop.

What’s next?

One thing many people are missing right now is the in-person district roundtables. There is nothing like the real face-to-face fellowship and interaction that was roundtable before COVID-19. The Council announced the hope and possibility to resume district in-person roundtables in September. For now, virtual roundtables will continue next month followed by the annual Council Expo in August. Be on the look out for more information to come.

In case you missed it, below are the links to all of the resources and presentations:

AAC General Session June 2020 Virtual RoundtableDownload
Cub Scouts June 2020 RoundtableDownload
Cub-Scouts-50-mile-hiking-logDownload
Cub Scouts – Sample 30 Day Challenge TemplateDownload
Scouts BSA June 2020 RoundtableDownload
National-Honor-Patrol-AwardDownload
Troop-374-meeting-template-Download
TROOP-374-PLC-Meeting-Agenda-TemplateDownload

Scouting Adventures