Q. Ray,
I have been asked if a unit run summer camp that runs for the six days and five nights can be used as the long term camping requirement? If you read the membership guidelines it states that the long term camp must be a resident camp, approved under the auspices and standards for the BSA. To me, this means a long term camp must be a BSA accredited camp?
Thanks
Jeffrey
A. Jeffrey,
Thank you for your question. It is always better to ask BEFORE making an error for which the youth end up holding the bag!
The answer is: At least six days and five nights of camping is a long term resident camp experience. Whether or not it is a unit-related event or not, if it is follows the guidelines and standards of the BSA, it can be counted as a long term camp experience for OA eligibility. However, the Order of the Arrow would also rather have Scouts attend a BSA accredited camp or council camp because it begins to open their view of Scouting beyond the troop, and that view exposes them to the council (which the OA exists to support) and the OA itself, which we hope they will aspire to join, someday.
Nevertheless, to answer your specific question directly, the OA does not specifically state that the long term camp experience has to be in an accredited BSA camp. Thanks for bringing this question to us. And good luck to you at your unit summer camp program. Hope you all have a happy, safe, and impactful encampment.
Ray