How to Prepare Your Girl Troop For Summer Camp

Preparing your girls for summer camp.

Going to camp with your girl troop this summer will create a handful of beautiful memories that will last a lifetime. Summer camp is a place for kids to enjoy being kids—it's a time for unstructured play, an opportunity to try new things, and a chance for us to enable them to feel like they are capable of making decisions for themselves. Leaders often feel like summer camp is the perfect opportunity to get to know their Scouts better and forge meaningful bonds that will benefit them as they grow older. And it's true—camp is a chance for you to serve as an example of positive leadership to your troop. So, because we know how important these moments at camp will be for you, we're here to make sure you're prepared to lead your girl troop no matter what. If you're an adult leader, read on to learn more about preparing your girl troop for summer camp (and get some helpful advice from our in-house summer camp expert while you're at it!).

We reached out to Kaleen Deatherage, Cascade Pacific Council Board Chair, and Jeremy Bell—Camping Director of Crossroads of the West Council, for advice on bringing your girl troop to summer camp!

Bell: We work to ensure all of our camp participants (youth/adults, boys/girls) get the information they need about camp early! Making sure that youth know about the activities (ropes courses, zip lines, climbing opportunities, swimming, etc.) and classes offered can help generate excitement in the weeks leading up to camp. We send personalized emails to our registered units for camp each month. These emails help prepare unit leadership about the things they need for camp and tips on how to get their youth members ready (class sign-ups, monthly physical conditioning tips).

Deatherage: Consider that we go to the places we are invited to, but we return to the places where we feel welcome. In too many instances, we have asked the girls and women in our community to join us in Scouting programs, but we haven't done all the necessary work to make them feel welcome—to ensure that they will want to keep coming back. We need to ask ourselves whether our camps are ready to provide girls with a terrific summer camp experience.

Here are a couple of things you can do to help ensure the great experience we want for our girls (and our boys) as they head to camp this summer:

Ensure all units know what to expect each day of camp before arriving. Don't assume legacy knowledge from any unit or leader. Offer a pre-camp Q&A session.

Set behavior expectations before arrival for all units.

Everyone is responsible for ensuring a healthy and welcoming environment for all campers! The reporting mechanism for unacceptable behavior should be clear and posted throughout the camp. These should be emphasized in staff training and covered at camper orientation each week. Provide a mandatory reporting example as well and make expectations clear.

We aren't usually the ones that handle deciding whether a situation should be reported— it is our job to report and allow camp leadership to assess the situation and decide what action to take. This needs to be repeated, again and again, to our Scoutmasters; too many longtime Scouters feel that they know better. This is a cultural problem!

Do You Have Questions About Going to Summer Camp? Read Our Summer Camp FAQ’s!

We want every Scout to feel excited about going to summer camp—not just this summer—but for many more summers to come. Sometimes a Scout might feel homesick (it might be their first time away from home without a parent!) or they might be a little shy about meeting new kids. To help you help them overcome these obstacles, here are some quick tips to make them feel more comfortable at summer camp.

If your girl troop members have expressed concerns about going to summer camp (or maybe, you feel one or two might feel anxious but don’t feel comfortable saying anything), having a group conversation is the best way to deal with the issue. When kids are given a chance to express how they feel, it can help adult leaders assist them in overcoming their fears. It’s a great way to help them feel more excited about all the fun they will have at camp versus the nervousness that might get in the way of that good time.

Here are some questions you could ask at your next girl troop meeting:

• What do you want to get out of camp this year?
• What are you most excited about?
• What are you most nervous about?
• What merit badges do you want to work on?
• Have you checked your camp gear?

Asking questions during your next girl troop meeting will create the opportunity for the Scouts to lead the conversation in a way that can make them feel seen, appreciated, and understood by adults! 

Deatherage: For the most part, boys and girls are going to have the same questions about Camp: What campsite is ours? Does it have platform tents or Adirondacks? What is the schedule for the week? Do I have to take a swim test? What merit badges can we earn? What activities do they have at this Camp? What are we going to eat? Etc. The girls need to know they can buy feminine products in the trading post or get them from the camp medic. They will likely want to understand the bathroom and shower situation at Camp, so make sure you have that information ready and available! They also might be curious whether any other units with girls will be at Camp while they are attending. 

The best way to make sure girls have a great time at summer camp is by providing them with the right resources so they know what to expect, and then helping generate excitement by explaining all the fun activities and classes camp has to offer! Talk things through with your girl troop at your next meeting, allow the girls to ask questions and address any concerns, and make sure they are prepared with the right gear for summer camp. From sleeping pads and inflatable pillows to lanterns, water bottles, hiking socks, and more, check out ScoutShop.org—the official online retail store of the Boy Scouts of America!