Many of you may have already noticed that we have canceled some Cub Scout programming in April and removed Session 3 from the Bear Creek Summer Camp page and are wondering why? We are adjusting our focus from quantity to quality and redesigning the Adventures that we offer.
Why are we doing this? Membership in the BSA as a whole had a very large decline during the pandemic and we are still recovering. National BSA membership dropped from over 2 million scouts to just over 700,000 scouts. We have grown to over a million scouts since then but getting us back to our pre-pandemic numbers is going to take time. We are thankful for the many leaders and parents out there working with us locally and nationally to help the BSA grow so that we can continue to reach as many youth as possible. Many other councils are considering making the same tough decisions we are making now. (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP)
What does this mean for Bear Creek Scouts BSA Summer Camp? We have made the choice to remove Session 3 and run 2 full weeks of camp this year. We are working very hard to ensure that we have a full summer camp staff this year to be able to provide the quality program that we promise to each and every one of our scouts and leaders. We have been pushing this all year (I’m sure you have seen the emails or you talked to us at CWC at our in person recruitment table). If we run more weeks with low attendance numbers, we have to start trimming down our staff and that means cutting the number of classes we offer or limiting our programs. Is running a week with less program and staff doable? Yes, absolutely, but is it the best use of our resources? Not necessarily. For one, it creates tired staff that is stretched thin trying to provide the same quality of program that we could provide with a full staff. We believe having the full program and the full staff and a full camp for 2 weeks is the better choice.
What does this mean for Akela Adventure Camp? We are committed to running two full sessions of Akela Adventure Camp! Please note that this camp has been moved from our regular time slot in July to being our first camp in June. Our staff and camp is ready to host you this summer! Session 1 Session 2
What does this mean for Cub Scout Day Camp? We are running 3 full weeks at McGimsey Scout Park (2 day camps and 1 twilight camp), our Boerne Day Camp, our Canyon Lake Day Camp, our Tiger Day Camp and our Lion Welcome Event in 2023. We will be reviewing these events to see if they should continue into the 2024 schedule or if we should consider redesigning them.
What does this mean for events going forward? As we said above, our focus this year and in 2024 for the AAC Outdoor Adventures is “Quality over Quantity”. Meaning that we are going to decrease the number of smaller events we run and we are going to focus on running larger events very well. When we say decrease, we don’t mean we are removing any of the program that we have run before – we plan to combine them into larger events where more programming options are available for you to choose from. Our goal is to be smart with our resources. When we mention the word “resources” many people automatically think of financial resources. As a “Volunteer Led Organization that is Professionally Advised” we are talking about our adult leaders and professional staff. When our youth membership dropped so did our adult membership, ultimately affecting the number of volunteers available to provide Council level program. Did we stop running that program? No, we just asked a number of volunteers to help out with more than they were doing before, stretching them more than necessary. By combining these smaller events into larger ones we are combining committees and groups of volunteers into a larger force to help.
We hope that you can understand the direction we are moving in and will continue to support us. We are always looking for help and ideas. If you want to be a part of where the Alamo Area Council Outdoor Adventures is going in 2023 and 2024, please reach out to us at Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org
We encourage you to register to attend Cub Scout Day Camp, Akela Adventure Camp (WEBELOS Resident Camp) or the 2 weeks of Scouts BSA Summer Camp that our camp staff has been working very hard to prepare for you. Our Campmaster Corps, Rangers, Properties Committee, NCAP Committee, and even some of our youth and adult unit volunteers have been up at Bear Creek and at McGimsey Scout Park working to prepare the camps for you. We are ready for the most exciting year of camp in 2023, are you?!!!
