This one’s basically for the adults — but if Scouts want to take a look that’s fine too.
Since the Troop has a lot of activities, we have to do a lot of planning. Some of the things that trip coordinators should think about can be found here. This is pretty much a draft — feel free to contact the Scoutmaster, the Committee, or any experienced trip coordinators for more information. If you see a problem with the information here, please contact the Webmasters (160webmaster -at- troop160 -dot- com).
TOUR PERMITS. One thing to consider is that we need to have Tour Permits for many of our activities, and essentially all of our overnight trips. The Boston Minuteman Council recently (Nov. 2006) came out with a new policy on when Tour Permits are needed. All event coordinators should take a look at this policy. Links to the Tour Permit forms can be found on our Resources page, under “Forms and Guides.” Notice that all events that require Tour Permits must have at least one registered adult who has completed Youth Protection Training. Certain kinds of other events, such as those that involve water sports or climbing, may require additional trained adults, so think about this early. See the main Resources page for links to various kinds of training. UPDATE 4/13/08: Boston Minuteman Council will not process Tour Permits on Thursdays or Fridays. They have also announced that after 1 June 2008 they will not process Tour Permits submitted less than 10 days in advance.
PLANNING TIMELINE. We’ve found over time that it helps to start planning a trip, and announcing it, pretty early. Some events, like long high-adventure tours, need lots of prep time. Some shorter trips, like overnight campouts nearby, might not need as much. This Excel spreadsheet lays out a time-line that should work for most trips; you may want to try to shorten it for local trips. Discussion of the time-line is found in this document. The timeline calls for all of the permission slips and payments to be in three Troop meetings before the event, in order to form temporary patrols (if needed) and let the Scouts plan and buy their food. For local trips, though, we think it would be good if slips could be accepted two meetings before the event. This means that the coordinator will have to work with the Scoutmaster to form the temporary patrols and get back to the patrol leaders before the next Troop meeting.
PERMISSION SLIPS. The permission slips need to have enough detail that parents are explicitly consenting to the trip; that we have permission to get the Scouts treated in case of an emergency; and that we know what medications and so on that the Scouts need. A draft permission slip is found here.
MEDICAL FORMS. The Troop maintains a notebook of medical forms. Everyone who goes to summer camp must submit a medical form, and we keep the forms in case they are needed on other events. The trip leader should take the notebook of medical forms along, just to be safe. (We’ve had cases where this has been really handy — and cases where it would have been, if we’d brought it.) If anyone is going on a trip who has not submitted a medical form for summer camp, we suggest that the trip coordinator urge that person to submit one. They’ll probably need it later, and it might be useful before summer camp. See the “Forms and Guides” section on the main Resources page for a link to the medical form.
FOOD COSTS. We’ve collected some data and done some experiments lately (May 2007) on food costs. We’ve found that good cost targets are:
That comes out to $8 per day which is actually a little heavy. $1.50 for breakfast may seem light, but in fact it can be done a whole lot cheaper than that. Scoutmaster Hank Manz made up five menus and all priced out below $1.50, including juice as part of the meal.
ADVANCEMENT. Very often the activities that are planned for the trip will have some connection with advancement, especially for the lower ranks. It’s important for the trip coordinator to find out from the Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leaders’ Council what activities are planned, and what advancement might be expected. If merit badge work is planned, make sure there’s an appropriate merit badge counselor on the trip. It’s also a good idea to get a list of requirements needed for next ranks for the Scouts attending, so that you can help them make sure they’re doing what they need to. Sometimes this might mean working with a Scout on identifying plants and animals while on a hike, for example. Keep track of the advancement that’s done, and sign the Scouts’ handbooks if possible. On return home, give the advancement list to the Advancement Coordinator, along with a list of all attendees (used for other advancement items). If you’re a Troopmaster user, you can go ahead and enter the data, but it’s probably a good idea to let the Advancement Coordinator know you’ve done so.
COMING HOME. We all know that it’s important to count the Scouts whenever we go someplace. It’s also important to remember that the Scouts are supposed to check in and check out with the Senior Patrol Leader at the beginning and end of each event. This sounds trivial, but sometimes it’s not. On local trips, Scouts sometimes have to arrive late or leave early due to sports or other commitments. On longer trips, cars can arrive back at St. Brigid’s at different times, and early-returning Scouts can leave the church for home before late-returning adults even get there. Either way, it can sometimes become unclear exactly how many Scouts you’re supposed to have. It’s a good idea for the Senior Patrol Leader and the adult leaders to all have a written copy of the trip roster. Be sure to keep the check-in and check-out up to date — and be sure to get it from the Senior Patrol Leader before he goes home.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING. As soon as possible after the trip, please get a final accounting of all costs to the Troop Treasurer. The Treasurer can then cut reimbursement checks for all outstanding expenses.
EVENT CREDIT. Scouts need to get event credit for a number of advancement purposes. As soon as possible after the event, get an event roster to the Advancement Coordinator — or, if you’re one of the Troopmaster users, go ahead and enter the data yourself (but again, let the Advancement Coordinator know.) This can be done at the same time that other advancement data is submitted or entered.
EVENT OUTCOME AND ISSUES. We try to discuss the outcome of the events at the next Troop Committee meeting. If you can attend, that’s great; if not, try to send a note about the outcomes (good and bad) to the Scoutmaster and Committee Chair. Be sure to include any specific behavior issues that they should know about for future events.