After what seemed like a long winter, it appears that we have moved directly into summer, skipping the whole spring thing. I don’t mind that; I have always enjoyed hotter weather. With the hotter weather comes more outdoor activities, especially when it comes to Scouting.
Safety first.
This coming weekend is Camporee weekend at the Oregon Trail Council. The Southern Service Area and Central Service areas have their Camporees scheduled at Camp Mooney and Camp Murnane. They run from Friday through Sunday. Chintimini District has decided to have their Camporee this fall. With these types of activities and others planned throughout Scouting, we need to ensure that we are providing a quality experience for our youth. In addition to the quality program that the committees are working on, we also need to provide a safe environment for our youth and adult leaders.
Many of you may not know this, however, any council organized overnight camping program 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, including camps conducted off council properties must go through a short-term camp assessment.
Once again, we do this to 1.) Promote the health, safety, and well-being of every camper, leader, visitor, and staff member while participating in a BSA-accredited camp program. 2.) Guide our programs so that each camper and leader obtain a quality program consistent with the BSA brand.
We encourage all of our units to keep safety in mind as they plan their program and activities throughout the year, as well. As a matter of fact, a great practice for units to get into is to start every Scout meeting with a safety moment. The National Office is strongly suggesting that we do that with every Scout meeting. We started that practice at council level. Districts are starting to do the same.
We also need to remember that timely, clear, concise, and complete incident reports allow for an appropriate response and an opportunity for analysis while promoting continuous improvement of our programs. You can report incidents, near misses, and youth protection / membership infraction incidents to the council or enter them yourself. For more information on incident reports, you can go to https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/incident-report/ .
It is our commitment within Scouting, that we will not compromise the safety of our youth, volunteers, and employees. Safety is a value that must be taught and reinforced at every opportunity. We are all responsible and must hold each other accountable to provide a safe environment for all participants.
As always, you all have my appreciation for what you do in Scouting! Thank you for taking the time to read this article! And, again, thank you so much for your time, energy, and dedication to Scouting! Have a great and SAFE summer!
Yours in Scouting,
