Sections and their Scouter teams are a key part of executing Camporee. With a lot on their plates, it can be hard to remember everything. These Prep Notes are here to help, share the link and/or print them out and share with your team. You are part of a team.
Section Registration Preparation
Determine the overall budget and the section’s camp participant fees. Expenses include Food, Camp Fees, consumables, theme costume and site decoration costs, activity station materials)
Communicate camp information with section families, including a kit list
Collect fees from participants, register your section, pay the section registration fee.
If your section has a youth with special needs or mobility constraints that would prevent their attendance, please let the Registrar know during registration, so the Event Team can explore accommodations.
Collect and collate required medical forms, attach a copy of your (unsigned) AAF, and submit the medical package to the Registrar by May 1. See Registration Centre for details.
Section Camp Preparation
Develop an activity idea with your youth. Determine your section’s campfire song, skit, cheer. Practice them.
Submit your section’s activity idea, campfire song, skit, cheer. Once the activity is approved, test it with your youth. Submit your Activity Card (Venturer Companies have a different process)
(Optional) Consider attending the Camporee Learning Session, especially if a Scouter hasn’t attended Camporee before.
Review the Point System for Awards, so the section can decide how best to compete
Review all youth's food allergies and medical requirements
Develop a camp menu with section youth, and duty roster with youth and/or adults.
Prepare materials for camp costumes, tent and site decorations
Oversee completion of any screening requirements for non-members attending
Identify what section or Group equipment is needed for camp, and reserve or rent it. Consider bringing a cart to transport water cans and gear.
Schedule a time to check group camping equipment and test stoves, lanterns
Hold a Scouter and/or section leadership team meeting to determine prep task assignments
Complete your section's Risk Management and Emergency Response Plan, and get an Adventure Application Form (AAF) approved by your Group Commissioner.
Make sure your section’s Emergency Contact / Home Contact (the person not at camp) has all the participant contact information they need in case you need them to act on the emergency process you have implemented with them
Youth/Family Preparation
Remind families to bring required medication to camp in a ziplock bag with youth’s full information inside, including schedule and dosage, and depending upon age, to hand over to Scouters.
Review the What to Pack page on the website, supplement with any desired additional items, and distribute a kit list to attending families. Emphasize key safety items:
a water bottle (filled)
their necker (this identifies your Group, helps with reunification)
sunscreen, sun hat and insect repellent
Remind families not to include food in youth’s camping packs
Provide any participants parents/guardians who will be parking their car at camp with a completed off-site parking pass - don’t forget to add your Group's name and section to the off-site pass before distribution to families by email. The off-site pass should be placed on their dash as they enter the Park.
Ensure that all parents know your Group and section name, they will be asked upon entry to camp
Have families review the Arrival information page.
Educate your youth about:
Staying hydrated / how to recognize heat exhaustion
how to properly layer for warm weather and avoid getting overheated.
what to do if they get lost at the event (look for someone they know, or an Event Team member wearing [item TBD], ask a Scouter for help).
Scouter Preparation
Review the Camp Rules, FAQs page, arrival/departure information, and schedule on the event website.
Print or Download onto mobile device (for offline use) the Camporee Safety Plan for Section Scouters [not available yet].
Print and bring a copy of the event site map and schedule for personal use.
In case of event changes or cancellation, the Camporee website will be updated. Check it periodically leading up to the event.
Bring (One or more Scouters in the section)
Extra water bottle and mess kit w/ditty bag. A member of the section may forget to bring theirs to camp.
Extra sleeping bags, extra tent. In case of loss/damage during event.
Forms
Member Detail Forms for each member with emergency contact, medical and dietary information. Have on paper or in local digital form - do not depend upon network access during an emergency.
Physical Fitness Form for each non-member
Scouts Canada Individual Release and Hold Harmless Agreement for each non-member youth attending, except trial youth.
a couple of blank copies of the Incident Report Form, if you don’t already have them in your section’s first aid kit.
A copy of any medical forms updated after the section’s medical package was submitted on May 1. These are given to the Registrar at the 9pm Safety Briefing.
Section cooking equipment, shelter, tents, tarps, ropes, gear, food, fuel, mantles, garbage bags, water canisters and anything else for your section
Packs and Colonies - for the fire pits, a fire extinguisher and a shovel are required to be placed in a central location in front of the cooking area (a metal pail is also recommended).
Firewood should not be transported to camp, except kiln-dried non-pressure-treated lumber. Firewood is available from a vendor across from the Park entrance, and from the Park store (along to road to the lower parking lot).
If not using printed documents, at least one Scouter must have a cell phone with a portable recharging ability that can last the entire event. This enables access local saved documents and communications to parents or guardians.
NEW for this year: (optional) a section FRS Radio, with either enough replacement batteries or portable recharging ability for entire event
Radio will be used for event communications and emergency communications
Radio Channels will be listed at camp
Section Arrival
Section equipment, including equipment for section’s activity station, can arrive any time after 4pm on Camporee Friday, and must depart by 1pm Sunday.
Consider when section gear will arrive relative to Scouters, youth, and length of setup time needed.
The on-site parking pass for the section can be picked up at HQ, from 4pm-8pm Friday.
Plan and schedule youth to arrive after at least 2 Scouters plan to arrive at camp.
Inspect youth upon arrival for the wearing of required clothing and packed required camp items. If you can't make them safe with extras on hand, contact parents.
Have parents and Scouters that are staying drop their gear and park in the off-site parking lot before returning to set up their tent.
After 8:30pm, only vehicles with on-site passes should be in the Group camping area. All other vehicles should be parked in the lower (beach) parking lot, with off-site passes displayed on the dash.
The vehicle with the off-site pass should be accessible to the road, and facing the road with the off-site pass displayed.
In your campsite dining area, post your emergency plan, duty roster, camp schedule, menu, and (optional) consider posting cooking instructions.
All adult and youth participants in the section are to be briefed on the location of the section’s fire extinguisher, the location of the assembly areas and the signal to start the assembly drill.
Section's primary First Aider is to collect youth medication (if applicable). When possible, medication is to travel with the section at all times during camp, in case of emergency evacuation. If medication is kept in a cooler, make sure cooler location is known by all Scouters. In an emergency evacuation, the cooler should be a priority item to evacuate with the section.
See the ‘Arrival’ page, for detailed participant arrival information, and share it with your section's families.
During the Event
Potable water is available throughout the camp. Periodically advise participants to drink.
Periodically advise participants to apply/re-apply sunscreen.
Section head counts should be taken at the beginning of each activity.
Have your section members wash/sanitize their hands before meals/snacks and after going to the bathroom. Sanitizer is provided on site at kybos, but sections should have their own supply.
Monitor youth for signs of heat exhaustion.
Use your on-site vehicle as a location to store food safely out of reach of raccoons and squirrels.
Troop and Company Scouters should carry their vehicle car keys with them on Saturday in case vehicle access is required (i.e. shelter-in-place at the beach)
Contact a member of the Event Team (in person or via FRS Radio) if:
a member of your section has an injury requiring dedicated MedVent/First Aiders and/or an Emergency Medical Response
your section loses a youth (see Lost Youth Emergency Response).
a member of your section sees a dangerous animal (other than Scouters without sufficient coffee)
a member of your section encounters an intruder
your section decides to depart the event early
your section has a participant that requires an emergency pickup of their child
Section Departure
Upon the conclusion of the Closing Ceremony, sections return to their campsite to finish packing up
Remember to do a sweep of your section’s campsite after everything is packed up to ensure nothing is left behind and all garbage is picked up
Provincial Park garbage bins are available at the top of the horseshoe, and at the entrance to each public campground. If bins are already full, take it home, do not leave beside the dumpster. They are for garbage only, not recycling or compost. There is also an orange bin for disposable propane canisters.
Plan for someone to take home recycling and compost.
After Closing Ceremony, vehicles will be permitted to start coming into the camping area
Please remind everyone that there will be lots of traffic and people around, so to be extra careful during this period.
Scouters must maintain the Two-Scouter Rule, even when packing up camp or going to collect cars at lower parking lot
Youth pickup can be scheduled by your section for anywhere between 11pm and noon. If a youth is not picked up on time, activate the "Abandoned Youth" Emergency Response, and contact the camp's Event Leads if pickup is 1 hour late.
In the case of emergency evacuation, the Scouter-in-Charge of the section notifies the Event Leads when their last member is departing the event.
At pickup or later after departure, remind all youth and families to conduct a tick check.
Always
Remember that this is an annual, exciting, and very busy event for everyone. Keep an open mind and a positive attitude. Together we all aim to make this a comfortable and FUN event for everyone!