Council Outdoor Event Suggestions
Responses to the question: “Are there any other types of outdoor events you would like to see your council offer?”
Multiple responses are noted in italics. Responses are listed "as is" from the survey. They have not been edited for spelling or grammar.
Multiple responses are noted in italics. Responses are listed "as is" from the survey. They have not been edited for spelling or grammar.
- A very expensive ropes course was built at a Girl Scout property, Camp Hoffman in RI, it is hardly ever used. My troop has wanted to use it for over a year.
- 1) Themed workshop events / weekends where the girls focus on survival skills - i.e. fire, shelter, food, water, - something as simple as an ice storm or bad weather preparedness 2) Outdoor skills workshops - the skills taught to the leaders taught to the girls directly! 3) Travel / Destinations or Interest groups 4) Support the few interest groups that aren't "funded well" i.e. our outdoor adventure group isn't nearly funded like the Tejas riders...
- A more cost friendly alternative to what we have now. All we have is summer camp and the fall and spring adventure camps from our council. More outdoor offerings for Cadette and above. But mainly an equal outdoor approach across the board, year round, for all age levels. We are positioned as such where at least one of our council camps should not be closed at all during the winter months as it has cabins on site.
- A Outdoor Journey based on Camp Craft and Skills
- A real day camp for Anne Arundel County. More outdoor stuff (canoeing, camping, etc) actually run by council as opposed to money earning groups (some are great, but some are horribly organized and the girls get very little out of them).
- A Scouting Model that keeps the focus on the girl- not on cookie sales, and financial literacy. There is such a focus on becoming a professional, a corporate leader, and STEM emphasis. Who will raise our kids? Every girl has potential to become who she was created to be- a leader in her home, community, at ANY job. GSNEO has offered the Free to be Me program which is nice- but it was also held at a Mall and the girls stay up all night and shop. Spa Days etc.
- Absolutely! Outdoor skills would be great! Swimming events, specific badge/Journey skills, etc.
- Actual camping and cooking skills, survival skills
- Advanced outdoor cooking weekends
- Adventure activities/ outward bound/ leadership/ stewardship
- Affordable camping, horseback riding, swimming, archery, general outdoor skills...
- Affordable events and multiple dates
- Age level
- Age level sleepovers, camp skills, program aide outdoor training, camporee's for specific age levels, more archery and horseback riding dates, MORE outdoor training for leaders
- Age specific training for the leaders.
- All actual outdoor skills- we aren't seeing any survival or camping training for the girls.
- All of the above (9 responses)
- All of the above much more frequently. I want to see it offered for Daisies and for Cadettes and above, not just aiming activities at brownies and juniors. They can't figure out why we are losing older girls at a fast rate. There are limited programs for them! They want to be outside, not studying financial literacy or STEM - that is too much like school. Let the teachers handle school.
- All of the above would be awesome!! Also bringing back sleep away camp/day camp for Camp Louise would be great too.
- All of the above, on a more frequent schedule!
- All of the above! Our council does not offer many options that are not on week nights other than summer camp. We are 1 hour away from the nearest property, so we cannot do activities on a school night.
- All of the above!!!! All year long!!! It would be so nice to just show up and not have to plan EVERYTHING at the district level
- All of the above. Unfortunately all outdoor programming at the established camp is in the hands of enthusiastic, but unevenly trained troop leaders and GS alumnae who were camp counselors in the old days. Events are weekend only or four-day sessions, not enough for campers to become accustomed to the rather rugged environment at the camp. I would like the council to hire a camp director and a full staff and offer one-week sessions, as an established camp should. Girls need mentoring from someone other than the same leaders all the time. This reinforces the messages and ideology of Girl Scouting.
- All of the above. We don't have anything but holiday events at ours
- All of the above...but closer to our location in St. Mary's county.
- All of them and for a variety of age levels.
- All of these are on a very limited basis. They are not really "events" but are available for troops. Due to the climate and weather of the council, it’s hard to have actual events like this. Would like a LOW-ROPES course.
- All the old outfit badges. They were great, and I lot more diverse and were great for the girls who loved being outside
- Any and all - my co and I have to plan those adventures/events ourselves or we join a neighboring council...we are right on the border.
- Any and all type of outdoor programs would be great.
- Any event locally
- Any or all of the above but not ridiculously far away. The San Fernando Valley is horribly under served. The search engine on the council website does not provide ANY events for juniors within a 30 mile radius, indoor or outdoor. This is a heavily populated Los Angeles suburb.
- Any outdoor program would be great, we have climbing towers, rope courses and water sports, but we are not allowed to use for troop camping nor any events offered on these. Only used for resident camp.
- Any skills based events
- Any, all! Our council is NOT promoting an outdoor program. Our camps and program properties are not being utilized!
- Anything beyond the basic Outdoor Core.
- Anything challenging, SKILL BUILDING, and high adventure, at a reasonable cost. We can do some events locally here at half the price council charges, all inclusive. If it is something I can do on my own with the training I currently have, we can do it locally at about 1/5 the price per girl that council charges.
- ANYTHING specifically outdoor/adventure at the older girl level, during the school year.
- Anything that gets the girls outdoors, in the woods or on the water
- Anything traditional scouting. Themes now are indoor activities they do every day just outside vs. preparing our girls for every occasion.
- Anything, camporee, family camping, troop camping
- Anything, everything. There isn't anything outdoors by our council offered in our area (nearest is 1.5 hours away).
- Archery (3 responses)
- Archery, Low and high ropes
- Archery would be great. We have the equipment, but it is rarely used. Horseback riding would be wonderful to have back too!
- Archery, backpacking, high adventure
- Archery, backpacking, outdoor skills, everything you listed in the last question
- Archery, camping, kayaking and hiking
- Archery, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, orienteering, hiking, outdoor survival
- Archery, high ropes
- Archery, water sports, backpacking
- As a Service Unit manager for a regional area we offer and outdoor skills weekend that is not sponsored by the council but is opened up to everyone in the council. For the last 2 years we have filled camp and had to turn people away. Our council could offer a similar weekend but will need to have more people trained to help facilitate the weekends. Currently our staff are not well versed in the basic outdoor skills.
- As a troop leader, I am not a big outdoor person especially knowing I am responsible for 11 very active girls. I know they would love to do an outdoor event. If there was an event I would feel comfortable attending with my lack of experience.
- At this point my confidence in our council's ability to provide valuable, well-organized and interesting outdoor programming is so low that I really have no opinion on this. We have tried probably 10 outdoor events over the years and they have been uniformly poorly run, structured and managed.
- Back to Basics - camping being what it should be
- Back to Basics - Outdoor Skills
- Backpacking etc.
- Backpacking trips, teen camping weekends (more - lots more), camp skills for adults, camp skills for girls - more opportunities for more areas - GSGLA is huge & fails to reach all areas and all members
- Backpacking, High Adventure Trips.
- Backpacking, high adventure, river rafting trips, more astronomy, nature identification, survival skills, cross country skiing
- Backpacking, High Adventure, Sailing
- Backpacking, hiking
- Backpacking, more outdoor skill development for Cadettes and up
- Backpacking, survival tips, knots, lashing, compass work and map reading, lifeguarding, orienteering, geocaching, tents up
- Backpacking, tent camping.
- Backpacking. Backwoods camping.
- Badge and/or journey centered
- Badge based and STEM based such as Astronomy and Botony
- Badge or journey workshop weekend would be great
- Badge or journey workshops/events (9 responses)
- Badge work, journey work, stem, older girl activities, adventure activities,
- Badge workshops, outdoor themed events with quality programming; they depend on troops to host and manage everything
- Badge/journey, Shotgun/Riflery, Water sports, Hiking
- Basic camp/outdoor skills for girls (7 responses)
- Basic camping skills, you can't learn it in a one night program. Teach pitching tents, gathering wood, cooking food, cleaning up etc....
- Basic Eight patch program, OBIS
- Basic outdoor skills that troops and girls used to do in the past and were part of many of the badges that were taken away. Trail signs, outdoor cooking (all different ways to cook, including using a propane stove), knife skills (many troop leaders don't even know this one), survival skills, different types of campfires (don't always make "edible fires" but let girls actually make & light the fires), lashing and knot tying.......there are many more outdoor skills everyone needs to learn in order to survive and appreciate the outdoors.
- Basic outdoor skills, high adventures
- Basic skills - tent pitching, knot tying, fire starting, identifying edible plants, first aid, orienteering
- Basic skills like fire building, knife skills, hiking, trail blazing. Anything back to basics.
- Basic survivor training....
- Bring back Aide training and CIT (counselor in training) in the camps
- Bring back family camping weekend, Father/Daughter camp out, mother/ Daughter camp out. Earth Day weekend, thinking day event at Camp Starwoods.
- Bring horses back to camp and provide horseback riding opportunities at our camp, not farmed out to outside providers who do not follow safety activity checkpoints. Would also like to see Journey programs at all locations, not just in one regional area.
- Camp basics for girls...letterboxing...astronomy
- Camp training for kids like what the adults take but at their level. Maybe call it camp skills or readiness. More specific stuff too like fire building and knot tying. Stuff I can learn WITH my girls. More family campouts or dad and me stuff. Dad and daughter archery or boating.
- Campfire cooking
- Campfire cooking and group hikes
- Camping
- Camping (like I did when I was a kid), journey workshops, STEM events, water sports (partnering with company maybe, at one camp beach is only about 10-20 min away), horseback riding, camping
- Camping & general outdoor skills, outdoor badge workshops, family events
- Camping progressions: day out, day out with cooking, evening out, overnight--as a package.
- Camping skills; cooking outdoors skills; stargazing/astronomy
- Camping themes where girls can earn patches or journeys
- Camping, backpacking, survival skills, rock climbing, skiing, snowshoeing
- Camping, hiking, canoeing, general outdoor skills
- Camping, science nature themed
- Camporee (2 responses)
- Camporees, fishing, swimming, more skills
- Camporees, jamporees, larger scale camping events with activities for troops to participate in together
- Canoe trips, high adventure, backpacking, more outdoor skills classes/programs for girls, more outdoor based STEM activities, badge program for outdoor skills (they got rid of old council's own that had tent camping, cabin camping, campfire cooking, etc).
- Canoeing, hiking, cooking outside, tying knots, outside patch activities
- Canoeing, kayaking, etc.
- Canoeing, sailing, ropes, naturalist, camping
- Canoeing. We used to have a wonderful program but with the merger we lost the canoes and all of the people who taught it.
- Canoeing/float trips; off -site (not council property ) hiking, camping , high adventure
- Canoeing/sailing, archery
- Canoeing/ Kayaking, horseback riding, events held more often
- Challenge course and outdoor adventure type events
- Cheaper activities
- Cheaper rates and an easier way to get financial aid. Maybe smaller camps, camps closer to service units
- Classic camp and outdoor skills, more training for leaders
- Community camps
- Compass work , knots lashings back to basics, survival skills, backpacking, cooking,
- Cooking (3 responses)
- Cooking skills, survival skills, wildlife identification, long distance hiking
- Could do archery, hiking, team building, badge and journey work, sleepovers, training (we no longer offer any outdoor camping training). CEO just decided to close our only camp from October thru April. Definitely won't be available for events. Used to be used by troops all winter.
- Council or area Camporees,
- Council-wide Camporee or Jamboree held every other year offering adventure activities and outdoor skills for girls
- Crate stacking, Letter boxing, Geocaching, High ropes, Low ropes, Zip lining, Rock climbing, Repelling, Creek walking and exploring. Access to more than just one or two at a single camp
- Daisy and Brownie Days to introduce camps and camp programs to girls and parents.
- Daisy journey in a day events, any Daisy events
- Day camps, overnight troop camps at a reasonable cost. Journeys in a day.
- Day events, more high adventure activities. They did add a low ropes course. The new ranger is emptying the lake and cleaning it up! Yay!
- Day hikes for older girls
- Day use
- Different location events that involve sports such as Basketball, Baseball, or Football and More museum events that occur in Brooklyn. And if a trip is too far, to provide transportation
- Disaster Preparedness
- Discovering Nature, learning about plants and trees and how to take care of our forests
- Diversity of High and low ropes
- Environmental awareness, General outdoor skills, Backpacking, Horseback Riding
- Environmental awareness, get back to badges
- Environmental awareness and Journey events
- Events and skills girls cannot get elsewhere.
- Events at the local camp (Tweedale) not just at their preferred camps (Laughing Waters, Shelly Ridge, or Mosey Wood).
- Events in parks and at the shore (we are an urban council) that are less expensive and easier to travel to.
- Events less expensive
- Events that are skill building - team building and badge specific. Help the Leaders complete their requirements. Keep it simple and make it fun.
- Family allowed.
- Family camping options, skills building
- Family camping, individual families being able to rent a tent site or cabin and go for the weekend and cookout, etc.
- Family campouts, more high adventure for older girls. Some "just daisy" events
- Family events and outdoor events hiking, canoeing etc.
- Family events, an open house day to let the girls see what types of things they could do at summer camp (in person vs. just a video).
- Family events, more badge options, archery, better partnership of council with local resources to offer Girl Scout days instead of leaving it up to troops or communities to plan
- Family events, More weekend trainings
- Family events, outdoor skills, Journey in a Day
- Family events, swimming
- Family events. Specific badge.
- Fire building, outdoor cooking, using a compass, learning more about trees, plants, flowers. Camp songs.
- Firearm and knife safety
- First Aid- Outdoors, Knots, more advanced Hiking
- Fishing, tent camping, basic camping skills broken down for girls to learn, geocaching, tracking, survival skills
- Flower identification, creeking opportunities in addition to summer camp
- For girls to learn outdoor skills: pitching tents, hiking, building campfires, campfire cooking, etc
- For the girls: anything listed above! Multiple sessions!!!!!
- General camping skills, lashing, high adventure, fire and knife skills. Journey skills- outdoor.
- General outdoor skills, camping - family and troop, more council led activities, water sports!!!!!!!!!
- General outdoor skills, journey in a day/badges at camps, council staff to provide water safety (life guard, water - canoe), archery certified,
- General outdoor skills, parent-girl camping events, outdoor gourmet cooking, hiking
- General Outdoor Skills. Skills similar to Boy Scouts
- Geocaching and letterboxing
- Get back to basics! Learning how to build campfires, wilderness survival, swimming lessons/water safety, learning about the bugs, plants, animals of nature. There should be a badge and/or journey program offered at EACH outdoor event, especially summer camp!
- Get girls interested in outdoors young like at daisy, brownie level.
- Girls are interested in lots of things, but the required number of participants is often high, so events that are offered are cancelled because of “lack of interest." Particularly events for older girls need to have a much lower required enrollment.
- Girls keep expressing interest in survival type skills.
- Hard to say, my troop hasn't had the opportunity to go to a council-owned camp -- too many troops vying for space. Would like to see more availability for troops.
- High adventure (4 responses)
- High adventure & skills training
- High adventure and backpacking
- High Adventure and Environmental Awareness would be great. Also, there are a lot of historical activities that can be based outdoors
- High adventure and family events
- High adventure, archery, family events.
- High adventure, primitive camping trips, canoe trips, horseback trail rides, mountain climbing, rock climbing trips
- High Adventure, shooting, primitive camping skills, family events somewhere closer than 2 hours drive
- Hikes on camp property
- Hiking
- Hiking, repelling, plant and tree identification, Goe formation, survival techniques i.e. Safe drinking water, animal encounters, skin protection, knowing what to do if lost, making or finding shelter etc.
- Hiking, canoeing, backpacking
- Hiking, fishing, camping
- Hiking, nature studies, bird watching, creeking
- Holiday themed events, nature based STEM
- Horseback riding. Zip lining. Rock wall.
- Horseback Riding (4 responses)
- Horseback riding camps
- Horseback riding on weekends, not just week long summer camps. More Camporees. More High Adventure. More skills.
- Horseback riding without it being week long summer sleep away camp
- Horseback riding, more canoeing, swimming, archery you're events for older girls.
- Horseback riding; Archery; more campouts for older Girl Scouts; outdoor skills; compass; fire building; backpacking; canoeing; high adventure
- Horses no longer at the camp 25 minutes from our town. They have to transport over an hour away to the horse farm. Camp Myeerah has been sold & it provided different landscape with the hills that we don't have in our area. My oldest daughter loved it - 3 hours from our house.
- Horses, wall climbing, things different than school work
- I am not aware of any Council-sponsored events.
- I am torn between wanting more offerings and not because we sometimes have trouble renting properties for our Troops and SU camping
- I do not know because anything they do is at the very least 2 1/2 hours if not 3 or 4 hours away. Way too far to be able to do any one day event.
- I have older girls and they want more scout skills and high adventure without having to drive 2 hours for it
- I really just wish they would utilize the properties in our area instead of selling them. We don't have council sponsored events close to us.
- I really would love to see more winter outdoor activities. Not just skiing but winter camping, survival training, mushroom picking and other various activities. I would also love to see some ropes courses, and/or team building activities.
- I think our whole service unit would really like for council to put on events other than fall startup and cookie training in our area.
- I want to see more high adventure events
- I wish my council would do more stuff along the traditional lines of what Girl Scouts used to be. I would love more outdoor training for the girls: like how to make knots, cooking outside without tech, survival skills, types of bugs, plants and animals outside and what to do about them. I would like more canoeing, archery, swimming, boating, and community service. I would love more emphasis in the history of Girl Scouts, the proper use of the whole uniform, and ceremony. I was a GS during the 1990s and I had to use the whole uniform, learn the history of GS and the camp I went several times. My daughter now only has to wear the vest, and she only knows that JGL founded GS and that she is a Brownie. Tradition has go out the door taking the spark out of becoming a Girl Scout. Sadly the troop we belong to focuses meetings around a craft. I love crafts but I don't think that these should be the main focus. Will crafts build the character of future leaders? I don't think so. I have tried to shift the focus only to be dismissed and ignored. I even prepared a history of the organization and JGL for the girls. I had historical artifacts and pictures for the girls to see the importance and significance of what we do. And what happened? I was dismissed and not given the time to do the presentation for the girls. The other leader took my spot to a craft! It was very disrespectful and dismissive. I hold a masters degree in history, and I think that it is very important to know our history and traditions in order to know who we are; in this case why we become Girl Scouts? What have Girl Scouts done to impact the world? Like for example helping during the two world wars with food supplies! If girls know these things, they will understand more why Girl Scouts are so important. They will think that if girls before us did great things we can too. I strongly believe that Girl Scouts memberships are declining because people are forgetting what we all about. I understand that STEM is part of the future and it essential for the future of GS, but we need to combine that with tradition. Girls need to go outside and get hands on like in the past, and we need to make STEM part of that as well. I think that community service and sports are essential as well. Staying most of the time inside doing crafts and princess things is not going to take us anywhere. And doing a partnership with Barbie? Really?! What about the Goldilocks toys? Those would have been much better! As for myself, I am planning in forming my own troop in the future, and the best I can to do things the way I think is more appropriate to create leaders.
- I would just like there to be more opportunities
- I would just like to see events offered to all the camps and not just the camps close to the main office.
- I would like GSSEM to TEACH the outdoor skills. I don't want to have to LEARN new skills so that I can teach them. Let's face it - I take a class and it's not like "poof!" I'm an expert! Nope, I'm still a novice. I should be able to count on the GS Councils to provide solid programming in basic Girl Scouting skills. So much of a "good" Girl Scout experience depends on the leader. If I lack the knowledge, they miss out and they shouldn't. I look for those activities that I can't provide for them and they are hard to find. Even when we do troop camping/core camping offered by camps they do not teach these SKILLS. Instead they focus on a badge or a Journey. I would like the girls to learn practical, hands on skills.
- I would like more troop level outdoor badges and a journey
- I would like the council to do more than summer camp. To use the camps for day or weekend events focusing on outdoor/ outdoor events.
- I would like the girls to learn basic survival skills: knife safety, fire building, building a shelter, using nature as a compass, etc...
- I would like to see a winter camporee. We have facilities to support this activity as we are in NE PA. I would like to see more outdoor badges offered.
- I would like to see badge related events, as well as higher skills that leaders are not likely to have. For example archery, horseback riding, zip lining on a Council level.
- I would like to see council wide or service unit camporees offered on a monthly basis. I would like to see better promotion and marketing of the events the council does. Council events need to be offered all 4 of our camps not just one or two.
- I would like to see day events related to badge activities or progression type activities that my younger scouts (brownies) can do. Now there are only overnight activities available, none with badge related activities. All activities do not earn an "entire" badge... only parts of badges. Would also like to see more activities in general closer to the Allentown or (even better) Bethlehem/ Nazareth/ Easton area. Most activities are located in Philly. Way too far for my brownies to travel.
- I would like to see more camping opportunities that don't involve me transporting 20 girls 2 or more hours one way. Also, my council offers horse riding at one camp, over 4 hours away. However, the horse programming cannot all be done in the same day/weekend. Thus, I would have to transport all the girls twice just to complete the activities set forth w/ the two horse activity opportunities. There is a small "city" camp locally but it does not have any of the accommodations that the other GS camps the council owns have.
- I would like to see more council sponsored camp-outs where troops can come & Council provide for the Camp certified people. So many girls, leaders, & families want to camp but it's expensive & time-consuming to get certified. If they could host camp outs, we would show up!
- I would like to see more day-long activities that we could bring our troop to. I would also like to see better marketing, more diversity, and most of all, better quality of programming of summer camp programs.
- I would like to see more events for adults to spend time outside.
- I would like to see more events offered to the Daisy age level.
- I would like to see more high adventure options for older girls.
- I would like to see more outdoor activities that boy scouts offer. Like bb gun shooting, archery at a younger level. Better information could be offered. I seem to get a marketing/product e-mail every day, but would like to see camping activities offered
- I would like to see more progression in archery.
- I would like to see more theme weekends, badge earning opportunities, and leadership opportunities for older girls to work with younger girls in our Council. My girls would love to learn orienteering, plant identification, geocaching, and survival skills at our camps. Those programs are NEVER offered!
- I would like to see more things throughout the year. Our Council has gotten MUCH better with the Camp we lease. We had several years of no camp at all. The past 3 years have been growing and getting better and better. I'd like to see more things for older girls as well.
- I would like to see more variety and more events offered.
- I would like to see more variety at our council. Most of the activities listed are only available through summer camps, which are too expensive for most of my girls.
- I would like to see multiple service units camping together at the larger camps. Our SU used to have 250-300 people attend our camps, now we have about 100. It would be better use of resources and TIME
- I would like to see our council offer Troop Camp weekends and specific badge/Journey weekends
- I would like to see our council plan more activities and also allow the older girls to enjoy the activities instead of being expected to volunteer or run the activities
- I would like to see outdoor events period. In particular for older girls
- I would like to see outdoor skills/badge earning events
- I would like to see something closer to where we are located. Both council camps are over 2 1/2 hrs away.
- I would like to see the council have a Resident camp again. There is no resident camp for the council which is now 3/4 of the state. The exchange program hasn't worked for our girls to go out of state to other camps. There is nothing offered for girls after 5th grade that want to do a resident camp experience. Very few PA and CIT openings for older girls too. I got my horse lovers badge at resident camp. Had a lot of good memories. Sad that there is not the same for my daughter and members of my troop.
- I would like to see them offer an actual camporee. The one that the do offer is not, in fact, the definition of a camporee. It's a sleepover in a park with all sorts of vendors trying to sell things.
- I would like to see these events offered outside of summer camp! We would love to go canoeing, but we don't have the resources to make it happen. Our outdoor facilities in this council are not utilized or made available to the troops.
- I would like to see troop camping on the weekends during Resident Camp when they aren't there. RC comes in on Sunday afternoon and leave on Friday...camp is relatively empty on the weekend.
- I would like to see year round events.
- I would like to see year-round options - but that requires us to have winterized buildings. Our "adventure" programs are the SAME every season. The only variance is you get to trick-or-treat in the fall. Would love to see more badge / journey weekends, more high adventure and even 1-2 family weekends. Let's get back to the basics and teach our girls how to love the outdoors.
- I would love different age level outdoor survival skills and camping events, backpacking and hiking. Outdoor cooking for girls and stargazing. Outdoor community service projects.
- I would love to have the opportunity to take my Troop winter camping, using lodges. I would like to have opportunities for day activities like archery, bb guns, and horseback riding. Family camping is a nice way to acclimate the girls and parents to the camp, so they would be comfortable with resident camp in the summer.
- I would love to see a greater emphasis on outdoor skills and getting into the outdoors. There are so few badge options that focus on getting outside.
- I would love to see a group that offers backpacking trips and adventure trips for older girls as both my co and myself have physical limitations.
- I would love to see family events
- I would love to see more events for the older girls Cadettes and up. My girls like to color and make crafts but being able to camp and do things older girls do would be great!!!
- I would love to see more general outdoor skills events and more programming in general.
- I would love to see more opportunities using our metroparks and other areas which are less expensive than going out to the properties.
- I would love to see more options!!
- I would love to see our council offer all the above listed activities! There was a outdoor fall fling last year. We loved it. However, it wasn't offered again this year. Sad it was only a onetime event.
- I would love to see out Council do more outdoor events. But those events need to be cheaper than they are.
- I would love to see summer resident camp become the norm again
- I'd like day based events. The weather is delightful here most of the year. I want activities regularly. Many parents cannot afford $300 for a week of camp but they could do $20 for a day. I want the camps used over school holidays. We are spending millions to renovate, I want girls especially the underprivileged, whether they are in a troop or not, to get to use them
- I'd like to see more camping skills for Brownies, e.g. knife skills, campfires, that sort of thing.
- I'd like to see more outdoor education. Living in the south you really need to know what's in your path.
- I'd like to see my council sponsor some day camps during school breaks and summers
- I'd like to see outdoor events that are tied to a skill badge or outdoor journey. I often take the girls to events just for fun and would like to see the breadth of badges widen to include more than just hiking and bugs.
- In general, just more comfortable accommodations - meaning a wee-bit more modernized.
- It would be good for at least one of our Camps offered High Adventure to keep some of the older girls interested
- It would be great if our council offered some of the items listed above. There typically isn't much variety in outdoor event offered. Orienteering would be great. River rafting would be awesome!
- It would be nice if these were offered more often than just summer programs - but sleep away camps are VERY pricy and day camp hours are too short for working parents.
- It would be nice to see an outdoor series held once or twice a month, offering outdoor skills to all ages. Archery, for instance, is something that comes over time, and not all girls have the items or space to be able to practice at home.
- Journey events, archery, badge programs, STEAM
- Journey in a weekend
- Journey programs completed at camp (via 2 weekends or summer camp) and the take action project done at camp to benefit camp/GS.
- Journey weekend workshops for Cadettes, seniors and ambassadors
- Just a better use of ALL camps. We have one 15 minutes from us that is never used for council events. If they do offer anything, it is always at more than twice what our troop could do it for on our own.
- Just a lot more in general!
- Just DO the ones they offer and don't cancel them
- Keep Camp Tweedale open!
- Keep it fun!!!
- Keep the ones they have. They are closing Camp Innisfree. This is a beautiful facility and offers things, such as horses, which other facilities don't have.
- Knife safety, STEM, gun safety for all ages (not necessarily handling guns; Eddy the Eagle program on gun safety)
- Knots, fire building, cooking over a fire
- Large camp outs with multiple service units and activities. Leader/daughter overnights
- Leave No Trace, Beginning/Intermediate Survival Skills, WAY more horseback riding, Sailing!, ten essentials, backpacking, back woods tent camping, and ANY tent camping!
- Leave no trace instruction, orienteering, trail reading, camp craft, and lashing (Yeah, I'm old ....)
- Leave No Trace, Outdoor weekend for Juliette’s, training outdoor skills (knife, fire, knots and cooking) to PA and VIT at a reasonable cost. We want these girls to develop into mentors but the cost has to be kept down to allow girls to participate.
- Leave No Trace, Tread Lightly, Outdoor Ethics; Animal and Plant identification, Ethnobotony
- Local "Destination" type trips within our state. Similar to the national and international trips GSUSA but within our state so that the cost per girl is more affordable
- Local events
- Longer resident camping and advanced outdoor skills
- Love all of the outdoor offerings! Would love more badges to go with them...we attend anyway, but would love to see a week at horse camp result in a badge to be proud of! I just wish we had enough time to go to more events!
- Love to have badge and/or journey options. Also more basic camping skills so that the girls can learn with their leaders.
- Many! Outdoor cooking for girls, getting outdoors, camping, backpacking, knife skills , ropes climbing, tree climbing, rafting canoeing boating, caving, skiing, - anything
- More activities around the Journey program
- More activities at the smaller camps that the council owns. Most of the programming happens at Camp Linden and Camp Merrie Woode, but for some parents that is too far for their younger girls to travel, and we do have smaller camps that are in other locations that aren't utilized as much, or if there are events and there isn't enough sign up 3 weeks prior, the event is cancelled, leaving parents frustrated.
- More advanced outdoor adventure events for the older girls.
- More adventure training: biking, navigation, kayaking, rafting, survival techniques, etc.
- More affordable ones. We are blessed to have three (!!!!) camp properties in our council. However, the cost often times ends up being prohibitive for what you get in return. Would like to see more skill building across all levels at all the camps, not just the ones "closest" to council offices.
- More affordable outdoor options, more short one and two night outdoor trips for girls in troops that don't offer outdoor programming.
- More appreciation of the outdoors, camping skills, outdoor cooking for girls, leave no trace
- More archery. Leave No Trace. COPE type activities for all age levels.
- More badge related events for older girls
- More badge workshops and outdoor experiences year round.
- More basic outdoor learning skills. We use our state parks rangers and programs for different hikes, night hikes, different bird and nature hikes, etc. than we do council camps, just because it is not offered. 2) While I love the themes of camp activities I wish they were more basic learning events, such as just a canoe day, learn to fish, different types of hikes, knot tying, campfire building.
- More boating, any outdoor activities in the area (not at camp) such as hiking, geocaching, etc. Skills such as knots, lashing, orienteering, fire building - girls learn these for specific campouts, but not otherwise
- More Boy Scout Survival Skills - knots, tents, more archery
- More camp training for girls and leaders
- More camping and environmental weekends. They only offer a couple.
- More camping events at a lower cost per person.
- More camping events! first night out events to teach how to camp!
- More Dutch oven ways to cook. the girls are interested in learning different ways to cook outside $ not just box oven
- More emphasis on troop camping and having leaders adequately trained to take girls in the out of doors
- More environmental education programs. We get far more from our local nature center than at camp. Sadly, most towns in our council don't have the benefit of a local nature center. When I took my daughter to camp there was not even a naturalist on staff. How can they learn to appreciate nature and learn anything when most of the staff is more about makeup and sequins than environment?
- More events (3 responses)
- More events and activities for the C/SR/AMB. levels . More outdoor camping/activities/events. Journey/Badge workshops/activities
- More events for older girls. High adventure activities.
- More events outside of the camping season.
- More events such as Tambu. Where the girls really learn outdoor skills, not just sit around and talking about their feelings.
- More events that showcase what the camp has to offer. Most council events rarely leave the lodge and if they do it is for a quick trip to do archery or play a circle game on the grass next to the lodge. Girls can come to a council event at camp for years and never know there are things like rappelling towers, native prairies, hiking trails, etc even available.
- More events where trained volunteers are already available. Most of our events are service-unit sponsored.
- More events year around in general for the girls and adults. This will involve renovating our properties for winter use, which we are working towards, but there is always the issue of available funds.
- More for CA and older that interest them
- More for older girls (6th grade and up): backpacking, etc
- More general outdoor skills, but as the girls like earning badges, we need more outdoor badges back.
- More girl scouting basics for new scouts and parents
- More high adventure and more activities closer to home
- More high adventure at all camps not just ones that are 2+ hours away
- More high adventure and outdoor stuff.
- More high adventure geared toward the middle school and high school girls.
- More higher level outdoor events. Many outdoor events for the intro level, rarely for intermediate and advanced. Cadettes and above are usually used to help run events for the younger girls, seldom get an advanced event of their own.
- More hiking and outdoor skills locally, geocaching, more traditional skills (knots, plant and animal tracks id, making use of an outdoor classroom). We live in a beautiful state. Wish we could get out more to discover and enjoy with the girls.
- More horseback riding, some outdoor programs besides summer camp.
- More leader camp training offered at different times throughout the year.
- More of everything not checked off
- More older girl opportunities for activities to attend & learn from, not just to be PA's
- More Outdoor activities from previous question that relate to badges, go to more badges that are older style like from the 80's and 90's and more STEM related, similar to what BSA has
- More outdoor activities like camping/backpacking trips or rafting for seniors and ambassadors.
- More outdoor badges: things like outdoor cooking, navigation, using trail signs, backpacking, campfire safety, Leave No Trace. Also, I know they rely on volunteers, but I wish they would offer what they do offer with more frequency because they fill up. Also, I wish they could offer more day camps at all the camps in the summer.
- More outdoor basic skills and advanced skills
- More outdoor camps and workshops that aren't thrown together cheesy.
- More outdoor events especially for older girls (where they are not helpers). I wish our council owned properties so they could offer more than a couple outdoor events a year
- More outdoor events, just too few and one time only like camporee is once a year but I would like to come and camp at our local camp in between events. Make them available to troops to use on own.
- More outdoor skill building opportunities
- More outdoor skills, weeklong sleep away camps in summer
- More Outdoor Skills (surveying, survival, knot tying, over-night survival), Outdoor Adventure, Cold Weather Survival, Outdoor cooking skills, Emergency Preparedness, more extensive outdoor training, rather than just basics, and more like the Boy Scout Programming (some specifics outlined above)
- More outdoor skills events at properties less than 1 1/2 hours away
- More outdoor STEM, but, GSGLA is doing a much better job of providing events.
- More outdoor tent camping, campfires, knife safety, survival in the woods
- More outdoors and higher adventure, themed events
- More overnight and true STEM. There are few badges to tie into to entice participation.
- More overnight events, more events that focus on actual outdoor skills, and use of the entire property and all that the camps have to offer.
- More Parent/Child Events due to the distance traveled. If GS does not want parents involved with the actual event maybe a recruitment, training event for adults at the same time so we don't have to drive an hour drop drive home an hour then return shortly thereafter for our scouts when it is a great opportunity to recruit, retrain or retain adults.
- More primitive / back pack camp training.
- More skill & badge specific
- More skill badges and outdoor journeys. Bring back the horse badges.
- More skills sessions for both girls and adult volunteers
- More STEM & Environmental Science programming
- More STEM based programming, more high adventure activities.
- More themed events that are outside that have a journey or badge program attached. Overnights are desired, but not tenting, girls want lodges with full service stove, bathroom, activities. Parents are hesitant to send their girls to anything less.
- More traditional GS type skills/program, including outdoor skill workshops for the entire troop, since some of us adults are willing but confident in what was taught in adult training.
- More training opportunities for adult volunteers so we can utilize more of the available facilities at council camps.
- More training so we can take the girls camping. Horseback riding.
- More travel camps that take girls out of their normal areas of comfort and teach them new skills in group settings.
- More variety and sessions of troop camp.
- More water activities, more hiking adventures. Just follow the boy scout events.....that should help
- More water sports classes, more hiking, Adventure trips!!
- More water sports, swimming, canoe and boating. horseback riding. basic camping skills i.e.: knots, trailblazing, backpacking, wilderness camping and skills for older girls, more archery
- More where service units are able to rent out camps before troops
- More, close availability of any outdoor activities led by council to introduce those leaders who lack experience and certifications to allow their troop to experience the outdoors. Archery, kayaking, climbing, horses, even basic camping, etc.
- Most events at our council are volunteer sponsored or provided by a travel group. Council offers few events.
- Most of our council events are held at facilities other than our GS campsites. There isn't much outdoor programming for girls, other than summer camp. Our girls are Br/Jr. Would like to see some basic skills events to start.
- Most of the above listed "events" are typically provided at summer camps.
- Much more on hiking and camping - we use a neighboring council in NH to do all of this.
- My Council offers a fair amount, but they are not usually on Council-owned properties. We are lucky to be in a region with lots of wonderful natural areas.
- N/A (2 responses)
- Natural rock climbing, all sorts of high adventure, special themed events (like Hunger Games, Amazing Race, etc)
- Nature-based STEM events
- No, they have a good variety...
- Not for sure I have gotten to the point I plan my own for my troop. Everything is too far away to really care what they offer.
- Not so much 'council' as regional....everything seems to shift toward Dayton/Lima/Cincinnati.
- Not specifically, but I would like to see a greater mix and amount of each for each age group. Also, there is a worrying trend toward not investing in these programs. For example, 10 years ago we had three resident camp horse programs. This declined to two, then one, now we have none. We are outsourcing our horse programs to other organizations at diminished quality. We also need to invest money in maintenance and repair of ropes course facilities; we still have one but it's a 3+ hour drive away for many girls.
- Offer more...girls want to do it
- OLDER GIRL PROGRAMS
- Older girl programs that do NOT have them being PAs.
- On the above question....our COUNCIL does not provide high adventure activities, but we have a council-sanctioned High Adventure Team of dedicated leaders who get together and do provide Cadettes and older girls with backpacking, hiking, camping, high ropes, canoeing, rock-climbing, rappelling, etc.
- Ones for a higher age level that don't cost an arm and a leg.
- Orienteering, Basic Outdoor skills like knots and fire building. Archery and canoeing are new this fall
- Orienteering,
- Orienteering, Hiking
- Other outdoor skills...lashing...pitching tents...etc.
- Other than Summer Activities the council does not offer specific outdoor events or if they do they are not well publicized. Most of the camps are used for SU encampments and/or troop camping in fall/winter/spring
- Other than summer camp, our council does not provide any outdoor activities unless they are planned by another organization (i.e. Oklahoma City Zoo)
- Our council does a good job of providing outdoor events of many different types.
- Our council does mostly resident camps. We currently only have one Day Camp and one Spring Camp (every other year). I would like more council-organized weekend camps for troops and individual girls.
- Our council events at or off camp are lame. They are overpriced and done cheaply. The girls are disappointed as are we. They throw things together last minute.
- Our council just started to implement the badges and journeys into the outdoor camping, so I would like to see more of that. I would also like to see an integration between the different age levels so the younger and older girls can experience mentoring and sisterhood on a different scope.
- Our council offers summer camp, but the cost and long drive (4-6 hours each way) preclude this from being an option for all families. I would absolutely love to see more outdoor events throughout the year. Hikes, basic camping skills, water sports (kayaking, canoeing, rafting, etc.), snowshoeing, winter outdoor skills, shelter building, plant and animal identification, environmental study, sports sampler events...
- Our council offers these programs, but mostly volunteers work at them and also get them ready. We used to have more Program Staff, but now have only 1 person who is trying to get more help from volunteers. I would like to see more Outdoor Training events, more outdoor events for girls, High Adventure weekends for older girls.
- Our Council offers very little outdoor activities that are organized by Council - most of the activities we do are organized at the Troop or Service Unit level.
- Our council provides Canoeing, just not on our property as we do not have a lake at camp. This has always been a favorite for our girls along with camping. the one thing I wish could be done is leader camps that give us tips and let us network together to teach the girls more skills. Some things can only be taught on site and these skills are being lost. We need to get back to basics like knot tying and fire building so these skills aren't lost. Our council is trying to do this and I am lucky to have a council that realizes the importance of outdoor skills. Yes STEM is important, but the basics are being lost and that needs to be remedied,
- Our council restricts many outdoor activities to summer camp. I would love to see archery and low ropes/high ropes available for a weekend camp. Also would like camp to be available at a reasonable cost to just take the troop camping-not to use the dining hall, just have a cabin to sleep in and do our own activities (i.e. journey in a weekend).
- Our council still has 8 camps open and they offer a wide variety of programming. Our Camp programming director is awesome.
- Outdoor activities at locations other than camps. Also, lots of nature centers offer activities, but leaders have to go looking for them...info or links are not typically on council web site.
- Outdoor badge events
- Outdoor cooking, rock wall and ropes course- one available but hardly used due to no leader training
- Outdoor cooking methods, hiking & navigation with more of the "advanced" skills such as trail markers, first aid. Currently, the council seems to just focus on basic camping activities without any depth & most programs are during the summer resident camps. During the school year, perhaps there could be specific, focused
- Outdoor cooking specifically for girls.
- Outdoor cooking, i.e. Dutch oven. trailblazing, survival, backpacking, advanced camping skills, knots and rope,
- Outdoor cooking, outdoor skills
- Outdoor games, outdoor cooking, crafts
- Outdoor Journey
- Outdoor skill competitions
- Outdoor skills (5 responses)
- Outdoor skills, Fire building, Ropes, Anything!
- Outdoor skills - not just an overnight campout.
- Outdoor skills activities, older girl "themed weekends" (not just general camping weekends)
- Outdoor skills and adventure events.
- Outdoor skills, archery, boating, swimming, stem
- Outdoor skills, especially Cadette level and up. The event needs to stick to outdoor skills without adding crafty time. My dd loves camp. She did outdoor cooking one year and they only cooked outdoors a couple times. If I pay for that camp, they should learn to cook all meals outside on an open fire and camp stove.
- Outdoor skills, family based.
- Outdoor skills, fire safety, campfire cooking, lashing, knots, archery, native plant recognition, poisonous plant recognition, orienteering.
- Outdoor skills, hiking, family events, fishing, learning about Juliet Gordon Low and other scouting traditions, woodworking, cooking over campfire, cross-country skiing, archery. Outdoor events throughout the year not just October, May, and June.
- Outdoor skills, kayaking, fishing, nature programs--id birds, animals, back packing, etc.
- Outdoor skills, not more crafts
- Outdoor Skills, songs, traditional camping type, real camping
- Outdoor training for all.
- Outdoor training for girls. Maybe leaders a troop can hire for a troop event to train everyone, e.g. Backpacking.
- Outdoor wilderness activities geared toward middle and high school girls
- Paintball
- Paintball, Range shooting, survival courses, challenge courses, outdoor skills and advanced outdoor skills, day hikes (These are all suggestions from my girls.)
- Planned hikes, night time hikes, star gazing
- Planned outdoor events for C/S/A. Camporees Stop renting prime camp for weddings every weekend thus preventing troops from using. CIT training
- Pretty much any of the above for younger girls! They don't really offer anything.
- Programs developed and run by older girls
- Real skills. Real scOUTING.
- Remove some of the barriers for camping, offer specific requirements based badges for hiking and camp fire building, pitching tents, lean to camping, etc
- Riflery, Outdoor skills, backpacking
- Ropes, challenges that come to girls in troops that are large and can't travel 1 hour or more... less expensive for one teacher to drive than transporting 15 or more girls to something that could be portable.
- Ropes course
- Ropes course, stand up paddle boarding
- Ropes courses, outdoor cooking
- Ropes/confidence courses, outdoor survival (beyond basic skills), STEM could include astronomy, botany, biology and more. More all-season events and not just warm weather. Snow-shoeing, sledding, winter campfires, etc.
- Roundups, Sailing/boating opportunities (we have the Pacific Ocean, rivers and lakes), career explorations opportunities, inter-council events (Pacific Northwest, west coast), a national or international event with home stays.
- Sailing, Rock climbing/Repelling, Hiking, Outdoor Badges. Not enough sessions e.g. canoeing offered 3 times a year but one troop can fill a date
- Self defense in case of an attack
- Service projects for girls to do at camp
- Shooting, archery, geo caching, wilderness or other survival skills, food preserving, CERT skills, orienteering, and any art or music related teachings.
- Shooting, bugs, more programs for older kids. Even shooting event for younger girls like cub scouts offer.
- Simple outdoor movie, game/field day ... just "being " outside in all weather, not staying inside with AC
- Since there is no longer a camp within a 4 hour drive, it really doesn't matter. We will be attending in a neighboring state.
- Skiing, Rafting, cannoning trips (not just an afternoon)
- Sleep away camp, individual girl weekend camp or day camp during the summer. plus all of the above
- Small events after school time programs
- Snow play / snow adventure
- Specialized programming so we can compete with YMCA camps and community nature facilities.
- Specific Badge/Journey Skills, High Adventure
- Specific events-possibly at non owned Council facilities-that are closer to where our Troop is. Driving an hour or more for an afternoon is not an option for many of our parents.
- STEM with an outdoor component to make it less like class work and more like adventures
- Summer camp at Camp Pin Oak!!! Weekend group camping at LOSP! When the awful rezoning occurred, our central office moved from 30 miles away to 167.5 miles away and things went south ever since.
- Summer camp/ weekend badge programs
- Survival skills (3 responses)
- Survival skills, first aid, CPR
- Survivalist skill and primitive camping
- Swimming, boating,
- Swimming, hiking, backpacking, wilderness survival, primitive camping
- Swimming, horseback riding, family events, badge/journey skills
- Teaching the girls to build fires and cook Cadette level
- Tent camping, climbing and rappelling, boating (all kinds), orienteering, archery, bonfires, pioneering, etc.
- Tent instruction, fire starting & safety, rope knots
- The Council offers a few opportunities, but we have a HUGE number of Girl Scouts in our Service Unit. We need more facilities, more badges, more places, opportunities that can accommodate more girls. The girls love outdoor opportunities. We need more, more, more!
- The established camp is underused. It is a spectacular facility about an hour's drive from the council's major city. It hosts some troop camping and three or four weekend sessions in summer with one four-day session, I believe. Volunteers carry out staff duties at such sessions. Older Girl Scouts have no motivation to attend the camp activities as they exist.
- The ideas our council generates are wonderful. Due to the state of disrepair of our local camp, many scouts refuse to attend the camp and therefore events are cancelled. Most of our events are also poorly promoted.
- The old TRY-its and Legacy badges. Like knife safety, whittling, navigation with compass, knot tying, wilderness survival.
- The offerings are generally either only in the summer, and few and far between. I'd love to see some more general outdoor skills and specific badge events to draw more girls into the camps.
- Themed camps, outdoor trainings for girls, mother daughter camp, leader fun camps
- Themed weekend camps in summer and school year.
- There are only 3 events for my age girls, and two requires registration before the council wide membership blitz where I doubled my troop size. Just offering more of anything would be great but my girls are sick of things not being offered to their age (that they can do during summer camp or as a troop) because there isn't enough room at events for the younger kids.
- There should be a twice-yearly Camporee (like a Jamboree-type event0 at either the Jockey Hollow or Lake Rickabear or Glen Spey camps for all ages.
- They do a great job with outdoor programming and maintaining camp properties!
- They have a camp in Johnson City that I don't see them use much. I’d love to see more things held there.
- They need to offer Journey in a Day Programs. More camping opportunities. They need to allow adult leaders and parents to attend summer camp. They'd make more money. Parents want to attend and kids want their parents to attend. Boy Scouts allow adult leaders to attend and their camps are always full in the summer.
- They only do a weekend resident camp. No other events are held there. We do attend council events but they are not held at camp.
- Things that applicable to their badge work
- This council seemed to narrow the options for outdoor events due to a decline in the number of girl scouts, and did not really advertise the programs.
- Train volunteers to know how to take girls camping.
- Travel to other states to attend events, alumni events for camp staff, current and past camp staff certification programs, outdoor adventure, biking events etc.
- Tree climbing
- Troop based outdoor fire building, knots, and camping.
- Troop camping events - such as encamporees and journey workshops.
- Troop camping weekends.
- Troop Camping with access to activities/programs. I would like to see a Journeyfest weekend to earn a Journey. Outdoor survival skills for our older girls.
- Troop camps, outdoor skills days for girls
- Two summers ago summer camp was cancelled due to the extreme wild fires that we were having in Colorado, as a result of the wild fires only 1 out of 3 summer camps were able to stay open. None of the summer camps had any damage to the camps. GSCO had to return all the money that was paid by parents. The result was that this put extreme financial strain on GSCO. The following summer our horse camps were taken away due to there was no money to pay for the horses. My youngest daughter loved going to horse camp and hasn't been able to do a horse camp since because council can't afford to have the horses. My oldest daughter was working as a Wrangler at the summer camps and hasn't been able to work as a Wrangler either. Due to the financial strain and only 10% of Colorado GS using our camps council has been forced to put one of our camps up for sale. Over the past two summers only 2 out 3 camps have even been used for summer camp. I take my troop of 5 girls to our camps every year to enjoy time in the mountains. I also sent my kids to summer camp every year when they were young to enjoy the great outdoors. We need all our outdoor badges back so that the girls can learn about the outdoors and cherish it.
- Tying knots, starting a campfire and safety. Events during the year and not just focused on summer.
- Typical behavior: Council cancelled Woods N Water. Council does NOT want girls to grow strong outside of a classroom. More woods n water and similar activities. The camp listings. Council needs to carry out the offerings. Check out Venture Scouts under Boy Scouts
- Unsure. other than summer camp, not promoted well
- Use the properties we have to allow the girls to learn/do archery, climbing, zip lining, horseback TRAIL riding, swimming, water sports, backpacking, high adventure and more.
- Water activities!
- Water environment relayed
- Water events. Our troop is very anxious to do canoeing or sailing, but our council never offers training in using the facilities and only rarely makes events available.
- Water Sports, Horseback Riding. Now it is only for summer camps. Backpacking. Now it is only for older girls. High Adventure, General Outdoor Skills. Now there are NONE.
- Water sports including swimming
- Water sports, more hiking, swimming, more outdoor skills (ours were in the middle of winter?)
- Water sports, nature-based STEM events, environmental awareness, specific badge/journey skills, high adventure, backpacking, family events, trainings for teen girls so they can volunteer to help at adventure opportunities if interested
- Water sports, sailing, canoeing, kayaking. All those listed above...
- Watershed studies, astronomy
- We have most of the above but it is done by volunteers not staff.
- We are located in the Columbia Gorge. I would love to see hiking, backpacking, knot tying, map/compass, canoeing/kayaking, rock collecting, etc
- We are very fortunate in our council to have great selection
- We can hire a trainer to do archery, canoeing, etc for out troop but the council hasn't had an event to try new things in awhile.
- We don't have any primitive camping events that teaches girls to be self-sufficient and how to take care of themselves during camping events.
- We have a good selection, unfortunately most all of them are located at a single camp.
- We have a troop of juniors and the council has not hosted anything other than World Thinking Day
- We have multiple camps that do not offer any programming with archery boating hiking or sledding hills. We have summer camps and that is it. If we rent out camp it is too costly to include boating archery or horseback riding. Food is our main cost and we have had to cut that to afford camp. Pizza is mostly what is served because only 2 outdoor skills classes are offered a year.
- We live on the coast. Closest day camp is 75 miles away, which is ridiculous. They are having Daisy and Brownie comedy nights but no outdoor things for them except a one-day (no sleepover) Daisy Day at Camp Arrowhead. Which would be awesome except it is 3 hours away.
- We love all outdoor activity. It is the reason I stayed in Girl Scouts and my daughters love it. I hope to see many more.
- We need high adventure for older girls. It's time GSUSA stopped using these girls only at conventions and target programs the girls want. I'd like to see more girls being able to identify plants, animal tracks, unique areas to their region and LOTS more badges! They need more survival skills, outdoor cooking, swimming (lessons for skill), horseback riding, ropes course leadership and team building skills.
- We only have one council activity per age level this year for the districts comprised of 10 counties.
- We really need some local day camp options that work with working parents schedules. The actual camps are too far for day camp and our local gathering place has programming from 9-3 which doesn't work for working parents. I'd like to see more adventure camps... Even for younger girls.
- We used to have Medieval Renaissance camps, Outdoor Living Skills, Carowinds Science camp, etc for about $20 a girl with the leaders using part of their time during the weekend to lead workshops and help out. Our whole troop could go and stay together. Now it is $55 a person and only 1 level at a time. We have 50 girls in our troop, grades k - 11. When only one level is allowed, that might only be 8 girls. If half go, that is 2 leaders to supervise 4 girls for a weekend. We don't have the time or money to do weekends like that.
- Weekend camping , outdoor events
- Weekend events at the camps
- What to halt the sale of Camp Eagle Island and start it up again!
- Where the Leaders take their girls for "Troop Camp". Our council only offers "Core Camp". My parents will not let their girls go. I have tried to get my council to let us use their facilities and we could pay facilities, hire facilitators; but my council said no. I live in Wilkes County NC. We have Army Corp Engineers at our local Dam. They let us camp and use any of their facilities for free. Why would I want to drive 2 hours to go to a campground that we cannot use the facilities? We also have people who let us use their vacation homes for camping.
- Winter activities even a winter camping outdoor. We would just like our camps open during the winter and at a cost a troop can afford!
- Winter camping, travel options to some of the state and national parks
- Wish we had a real archery range - not a side road with a net hung up. We have a nice low ropes course - but only a 3 station high ropes course. Need to expand on this.
- Would like them to bring back horseback riding as we have the facilities. Would also like them to bring back backpacking and do more with Nature=based STEM activities.
- Would like to see some daytime non sleepover events at Moseywood. Overnight camp is too expensive. Also my younger dd (age 7 Brownie) does not want to camp. Perhaps if there were some day events or even progression type late into night events, the younger brownies or skeptical juniors would get more into the camping and outdoor thing. Leaders need some help w the progression thing. If Council does it would help. The day camp has very poor choices for themes. They do nothing for girls but emphasis the gender gap and typical girly girl activities. I refuse to send my GS to a spa week at an outdoor GS camp. Cook, do outdoor activities, arts and crafts, math science topics... But not girly girl sparkles and spa day.
- Would love more high adventure programs with ropes, backpacking, rock climbing & zip lining. A wildlife/ animal habitat day for all ages with a hike to look for tracts, making a bird house, bird feeder, etc.
- Would love to have a high and low ropes course on one of our properties
- Would love to have the ropes course rebuilt at a current camp. It was at a camp they are trying to sell.
- Would love to see more local events. The only one at a camp close to us was a bike ride which the girls were not interested in because they can ride their bikes anytime.
- Would love to see some outdoor skills, environmental awareness. Have yet to see a badge offered at summer camp since the Journey invasion. Nature and STEM would be fabulous. I ran a program in the spring that had most of the things listed and had 218 girls show up. It was supposed to be a small money earning activity for my troop.
- Yes, it would be great if our Council GSOSW would offer more outdoor Council wide activities. They sponsor TAMBU in the spring and this year for the first time they are offering an outdoor skills workshop but it filled up quickly. Look at the program guide for fall and one will see that our Council doesn't place outdoor skills/activities very high on their list. Here are the types of events our Council offers (look at the program guide: zoo visit, aquarium visit, yoga, musicals, plays, theater, drawing, cartooning, computer, kitchen chemistry, comedy, digital photographer, textiles, product design, chalk and pastels, shrink circuits, comics, writing, engineering. I don't know who puts together these program guides but I do know that the Council doesn't follow JGL's advice- they really need to ASK THE GIRLS. My troop of Cadettes has not been interested in the activities offered in the program guide. They want outdoor events, things they can't do with their families or schools. All of the above activities are things girls can do with their families and the program guide is not special or specific for GS.
- YES! We would love to see council offer affordable outdoor events for older Girl Scouts.
- Zip lining