On next Wednesday, 5^th June, we’ll be having our next meeting for the people going to camp.  It’ll be exactly a month to departure! 🙂  We’ll be meeting at 7:30pm to 8:30pm.

One of the parents has raised a concern about Tick Born Encephalitis – we’re grateful for this.  

This is a possible risk, and we’ll be ensuring that people are hiking etc wearing long pants.  (Ski pants / leggings etc).  There is a vaccine available.  We spoke to one doctor today who felt as we are only going for such a short period, people should talk to your own GP if you have any concerns. 

In addition, he reminded me that ticks are quite common in all areas of Ireland too!  Particularly between the months of April to September.

Other things of note now:

• We do know that some of you have already been getting Swiss Franc’s for spending money.  This is great.  While it’s not quite last minute now, we’d recommend ordering & getting them sooner rather than later.
• If you haven’t already done so, you might hand in passports & EHIC cards when you can.

We’ll be in the hall for a while after 8:30 on Wednesday.  Please feel free to call in and chat about any queries you have. We’re always delighted to answer anything!

Finally, as ever, you can email us too – camp24@douglasscouts.ie

Hi All,

We’ve a few things to post here. Yes, it’s very early, but hopefully it’ll help you to be well planned!

Gear List. It WILL change so please keep an eye on the website!

Things you will need are:

• FULL UNIFORM.  We will depart in full Uniform.  No Exceptions!  Now is a great time to check you have all parts of your uniform.
• Spare neckerchief.  While not essential, would be useful as a spare, or if you wanted to swap yours etc.  (You must always have a Douglas / St. FinBarres neckerchief, so if you’ve only one with you, then you can’t swap it if the opportunity should arise).

• Hiking boots will be necessary.  Remember too that it’s VITAL to “wear in” hiking boots.  If you need to or choose to buy new boots, you MUST have them “worn in” before camp or you’ll be VERY uncomfortable in them!
• Water bottle – At least 1 litre – possible 2 x 500ml’s would be a good idea.
• Sleeping Bag  – THE SLEEPING BAG IS A MUST!  YOU WILL NEED IT!!
• Pillow (if you like.  Inflatable maybe?)
• Pillow Case.  (We think there may be pillows in the chalet but you will NOT be able to use them without a pillow case that you bring yourself.
• Track-ends/Leggings
• Warm Sweater
• T-Shirts
• Changes of Underwear
• Plenty of Socks
• Warm Nightwear
• Change of Shoes or Runners
• Shorts & Trousers
• Raingear – Waterproof Jacket & Trousers
• Warm Hat & Gloves
• Wash Gear – Toothbrush & paste, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Comb
• Towel
• Swimming costume & hat
• Tea-Towel & Dish Cloth
• Sun hat
• Sun cream & Lip salve
• Torch & Spare Batteries
• Rucksack or similar type hold all
• Day trip bag
• Sunglasses  (Nothing expensive please!)
• Walking Socks
• House shoes – the hostel are quite strict about no “outdoor footwear” to be worn inside. So something suitable. Slippers, flip flops, whatever would be comfortable.

Just for information, there are NO clothes washing facilities in the chalet.  As far as we know there are no launderette facilities anywhere in the vicinity – so either have enough of clothes for the duration or be prepared to do a hand wash yourself!

The two types of bag are important and worth considering.  The main rucksacks will be going onto the coach before we leave Cork, and will not be available again until we get to Switzerland.  So everything needed for the journey will have to be packed in the day bag.  We would recommend that this would at least contain:

• Change of clothes
• Washgear & towel
• Water Bottle  SUPER IMPORTANT
• Swimwear

If it’s small enough, it might be nice to have the sleeping bag in the day bag?  While not essential, it would add to the comfort on the journey, both on the coach, and possibly on the ships.

Money

Totally get that a lot of people nowadays live in an electronic world – and use Revolut or similar for nearly all their spending. BUT…

Where we are in Switzerland is very rural. There are zero guarantees that all cards will necessarily work. Were that to happen, we wouldn’t be in a position to give you money to carry you over.

So…

We would strongly suggest that spending money is brought in Swiss francs – at least some of it. (i.e. not relying on your card for everything.) We will be, as usual, offering a camp bank system whereby we can take care of any cash for you until it’s needed.

Obtaining Swiss Francs:

It’s come to our attention that not all of the Irish banks will supply foreign currency at this stage- even on order. So this is also something that needs to be looked into in advance. We BELIEVE that Bank of Ireland and AIB do allow you to order foreign currency. Please check it out with your bank!

That’s about it for now.

PLEASE keep checking this website.  All new information will go up here.  Travel information will go up here.  Also, we would anticipate that the “gear list” above will be changed / added to.  If that happens, you’ll read about it here!

Contact any of us with any queries – camp24@douglasscouts.ie

Yours in Scouting,

Adelboden 2024 Team!.

Booking’s for Camp24 are now closed.

We thought it would fill quickly, but didn’t think it would be this fast!

To eeveryone who has secured their place, Congratulations! It will hopefully prove to be an experience of a lifetime!

 Its the weekend before we leave for Silvercross Scout Campsite, Swansea

• Please bring your rucksack, packed with the sleeping bag securely attached down to the scout hall to be loaded into the van at 6pm on Wednesday 28^th

• Please assemble in uniform with your day bag in the car park of Frankfield Church on Thursday 29^th where the bus will be departing at 03:00 (3am)
• Your day bag should include a decent packed breakfast plus your water. Please be mindful of the houses in the area at that time and try to keep the noise to a minimum.

If you have any final questions, please email camp23@douglasscouts.ie or come and speak with us in the hall on Wednesday evening.

This is an event for Scouts who in a team of 8 demonstrate their scouting skills in the areas of Camping, Pioneering, Cooking, 1st aid, Navigation and camp site hygiene & cleanliness.

While the Shield is a standalone county based challenge the top ranking patrols will be offered a place in the Phoenix Challenge, a national event later in the summer.

Event Structure

The Cork South county challenge is traditionally composed of 2 competitions; The Shield and Hubert O’ Donovan development competition. Participants of the Shield event work 100% independently, participants of the Hubert will receive assistance and guidance from the campcraft support team if required.

• Shield Patrols will be awarded a bronze, silver or gold standard award based on their overall marks at the weekend.
• All Shield Patrols will compete for a ‘Best in the County’ plaques (top 4) and the chance to proceed to The Phoenix Challenge.
• The camp-craft team is made up of camp-craft markers and experienced camp-craft support scouters who will help patrols for the duration of the site-build.

Awards

The following awards will be presented on the final day (Sunday), and depend on the marks attained over the weekend. There are no 1st, 2nd, 3rd places awarded for the Shield competition. Instead, the top 4 patrols will receive a ‘Best in County’ award, and a guaranteed place on the Phoenix. In addition, patrols can receive a Bronze (30-64%), Silver (65-79%) or Gold (80-100%) standard award.

Breakdown of Marks
Marks are awarded for a number of seperate categories as follows

• Campcraft
• Programme
• Cooking and eating
• Log book keeping
• Patrol with best spirit
• Best campfire sketch

Below are the general campcraft elements that the shield teams are accessed on
• Tentage (sleeping tent/s and store tent)
• Dining shelter
• Woodpile
• Boundaries
• Fire point
• Chopping area
• General site layout
• Altar fire
• Dresser / food preparation area
• Bins / waste disposal
• Flagpole

Hygiene & Cleanliness

Along with site safety, hygiene & cleanliness are probably the most important aspects of campcraft. Hygiene & cleanliness is also assessed on all inspection visits by the campcraft teams. Food must be stored correctly at all times. This especially refers to perishable foods. Cooking and eating utensils, as well as all work surfaces and cookers, must be properly cleaned after each use.

Saturday test meal

The Saturday test meal is also an important part of the challenge and will be marked in detail. All other meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) will also have marks alotted to them on the basis of nutrition and whether every patrol member is fed.

The test meal recipe and ingredients are usually provided. A preparation and cooking demonstration will be given to all patrol chefs/cooks (2 from each patrol on Saturday afternoon. This recipe will not be known to patrols before the event. Patrols need to know the basic principles of making a 1 pot meal, how to cook either rice or pasta, how to handle meat correctly and safely, how to dice onions/garlic, and how to cut vegetables to equal sizes. The Patrol is also expected to provide a starter OR dessert as part of the test meal. The ingredients for that part of the meak are not provided.

Uniforms

Full uniforms are required for the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.

There are 3 primary hiking challanges that a scout can undertake.

MPC – Mountain Pursuit Challenge

There are 4 events a year, one in each of the provinces. On completing a province attendees receive a unique diamond shaped badge, when a scout completes all of the provinces all 4 badges form an impressive larger diamond when displayed on their uniform.

Event Dates:
Munster in April
Leinster in May
Ulster in August
Connaught in September.

Sionnach Adventure

On completing the Sionnach challenge scouts receive a unique badge with the image of a Fox (Sionnach) for their uniform.

Event Dates: TBC

Fia Challenge

This challenge is organised on a Scouting county level and on completing the Fia adventure scouts receive a unique badge with the image of a Deer (Fia) for their uniform.

Event Dates: TBC

Challenge Info:

For each of the challenges teams consist of 4 scouts and 1 Leader who remains with the Scouts for the full weekend. They are lightweight wild camping weekends for Scouts between the ages of 13.5 and 15.5 and the events will have many teams participating.

Although the scout team will have a leader with them, the scouts are responsible for their own camp setup, cooking, cleanup and navigation across a preset course. The attending leader/s are responsible for their own setup and cooking.

These events are run over 3 (2.5) days and 2 nights. On the first night (Friday) teams arrive at check-in where their is a gear inspection, it is very important to note that if gear is forgotten a scout or the whole team can be sent home. They then walk to a low camp usually <5km. The following morning (Saturday) teams make their breakfast, break camp and hike with all their gear to the high camp usually <5km.

At high camp, teams again set up their tents, store their gear, get a quick snack and then start navigating the preset route set by the organising team of Scouters/Leaders. These routes are always prechecked prior to any scout teams attempting them and are always very manageable, but scouts will need a decent level of mountain fitness. They are always looped routes, so start and finish at the high camp. When navigation routes are completed scouts cook their evening meal and time is then their own, so they’ll have a great opportunity to meet and mix with scouts from right across their scout county / the 4 provinces.

On the last day (Sunday) before heading back to the pickup point scouts make their breakfast, break camp and do a site cleanup. Subject to weather they’ll also take part in a “Scouts Own”. At this they are asked for their views about how the event was run, the route and what could be changed to improve it in the future and they’ll also receive their badges.

Prior to participating in any of these challenges it’s important that scouts take part in the hiking and navigation training offered so they are fully prepared for what’s involved in these events.

A manual covering all aspects of these type of challenges, what to bring, tents, food types and route cards is available by clicking the following link… MPC Manual

Each Scout section (Beavers 6-8, Cubs 9-11, Scouts 12-14, Ventures 15-17) run over 3 years, with 8 for Rovers 18-26. During the final year of their section a Beaver, Cub, Scout and Venture can participate in the Chief Scout Award (CSA) programme. The Rover award programme is longer.

A Scout, Venture or Rover undertaking their CSA are also eligible to apply for the Gaisce award. The tasks for both award programmes are very similar.

The Gaisce programme is structured in levels as follows:

Bronze for final year Scouts
Silver for final year Ventures
Gold for Rovers

As the scout progresses through their age sections the effort required to complete tasks to attain their awards will naturally increase and should reflect the skills they’ve learned over the previous 3 years.

If your Beaver, Cub, Scout or Venture has an interest in undertaking the CSA awards programme you and they should speak with their section leaders to discuss the committment they’ll need to make to achieve their award and how they can achieve each milestone of the programme.

If you’re a Rover speak with the GL and they’ll put you in contact with the Groups PAL.

The documents listed below will give you details of the requirements for each level of the CSA awards programme and the final link will allow you download the overall programme hand book that contains indepth info on the various tasks that are required for each level and the application form to be completed.

Cubs

Scouts

Ventures

Rovers

CSA Programme Handbook

Downloaded the full CSA Handbook from here… CSA Handbook