2020 Virtual Camp

Scouts can take up to six merit badges as part of the 2020 Virtual Camp @ Resica Falls. There are six, 50-minute periods throughout the day - 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm, 3pm, and 4pm - when merit badge instruction will take place. Merit badge instruction for each badge will be Monday-Friday and Scouts are expected to attend each class the week they choose to take a badge. As with traditional summer camp, our counselors are flexible and accommodating if you need to make-up some missed time during a week of Virtual Camp. The camp will operate on EST.

Absolutely not! Our program is designed with concerns over screen time in mind. Scouts can spread their maximum of six merit badges out over any of the six weeks of Virtual Camp. This can include taking them all during the same week, but also means they can take two or three a week, or one each week - it is up to the Scout and their parents.

The integrity of the merit badge program is of the utmost importance. If a requirement says “do,” then the scouts will “do.” If the requirement says “create,” then the scouts will “create.” While the method in which they “do” or “create” in Virtual Camp might be different, and a little more creative, than in traditional summer camp, the requirements remain the requirements, and can’t be altered.

Much like our traditional summer camp program, the program for Virtual Camp will involve multiple camp-wide activities throughout the week. These activities will be conducted both online and offline. Both online and offline activities will combine the fun of camp with the skills of Scouting, and will include such things as a weeklong riddle challenge, a scavenger hunt, at-home projects, cooking challenges, and campfires. Descriptions of each are available in the Virtual Camp Guide and a master schedule can be found at ResicaFalls.org/virtual. Activities of the day and links to participate will be provided in the daily digital newsletter each morning.

Yes - We know the importance of a Scout’s first year of Summer Camp and have put together a modified version of our Resica Rangers first-year camper program. Our Virtual Rangers program balances rank advancement, merit badges, and the fun of camp. A full list of the requirements covered for ranks from Scout through First Class can be found in the Virtual Camp Guide. Virtual Rangers will also have the chance to earn three merit badges of their choosing, during a week that is different from the week they’re participating in the Virtual Rangers program.

Registration for Virtual Camp will occur via Doubleknot. Individuals Scouts or an entire troop can sign-up to participate in the program. During sign-up, some key information will need to be provided for each person, including: home mailing address, email address, BSA Member ID number. Scouts will choose one specific week to participate in camp-wide activities and then have the option of taking up to six merit badges throughout the summer. Scouts will need to be registered for their merit badges two weeks prior to the start of their first week of program. Example: Scouts taking their first merit badge(s) during Week 1 (June 29th-July 3rd) must be registered for all of their badges by June 15th. The two week deadline is to allow for us to prepare each scout’s individualized Camp Welcome Box.

Unfortunately, no. 2020 Virtual Camp @ Resica Falls is an entirely new program, offering different merit badge opportunities and following a different program schedule. It also requires a few more registration details than traditional summer camp. The support staff at the Cradle of Liberty Council office can assist you in transferring your registration to Virtual Camp or processing a refund for your previous traditional camp registration should you choose not to participate in our new virtual program.

Each Scout’s Camp Welcome Box will include the supplies that they need to complete the merit badges for which they’ve registered, along with a few Virtual Camp exclusive items - including your camp patch. The box will also feature supplies to help participate in various camp-wide activities, including the first clue for our weeklong Circus Riddle Challenge. Leaders will also receive a Camp Welcome Box filled with a few Virtual Camp exclusive items.

Virtual Camp will be staffed by the best of the best that the Resica Falls camp staff has to offer. Each of our trained counselors is 18 years of age or older, has multiple years of camp staff experience, is certified to teach the merit badges they’ll be instructing, and will receive in-depth training on virtual instruction and classroom management in order to ensure that your Scouts have the best experience possible. We have also recruited a number of past camp staff members who work as professional educators in a variety of academic disciplines to enhance the quality of our virtual instruction.

At the end of each week, a Scout’s progress on merit badges will be recorded in Scoutbook. This will allow Scouts, parents, and unit leaders to have access to the Scout’s performance following the completion of Virtual Camp. As part of the registration process, parents will need to log-in to connect our counselors and your Scouts in Scoutbook for this completion or partial recording to happen. A short guide to help with this process will be available in early June.

Scouts will need to have access to the internet in order to participate in the Virtual Camp program. Merit badge classes will be conducted via Zoom and camp-wide activities in a variety of other mediums. In order to ensure collaboration in merit badge sessions, Scouts will need to participate on a device (computer, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) where they can have face-to-face interaction with the counselor and fellow participants. Using a device that does not have video capabilities could prove challenging for a Scout to do or show knowledge of a requirement in order to complete a merit badge.

Scouts can team-up to work on badges together if technology limitations are a factor. However, they each must be registered to participate in Virtual Camp, they must comply with all social distancing policies that are in place for their local area, and each Scout will need to complete the requirements on their own as individual participants.

For Scouts - access to a week of camp-wide activities, the ability to take up to six merit badges throughout the summer, and your Camp Welcome Box with program supplies will cost $175. A Scout wishing to earn more than six merit badges and participate in another week of camp-wide activities can register for an additional session of Virtual Camp for an additional $175.

For Leaders - access to the evening leader programs and your Camp Welcome Box will cost $15.

This decision is up to the discretion of each individual scoutmaster, but we recommend that the more we all can make Virtual Camp feel like traditional summer camp, the better the experience will be!