Phoenix District

December 26-31, 2022

Winter camp is a wonderful opportunity for troops to camp and Scouts to earn merit badges. Merit badge classes are taught by Scouters with real-life experiences in the field. Winter camp is held at Camp Strake, a first-class and state-of-the-art facility for Scouts and their leaders. Over 80 merit badge classes are offered, including many merit badges that are not normally offered at summer camp.

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In Scouting events and activities, the BSA’s primary consideration is the safety of its youth and adult members. To achieve that goal, the BSA, in consultation with other organizations, has created specific guidelines for shooting sports. The shooting sports committee is providing archery, rifle, shotgun and pistol training and instructor certification to prepare those individuals who will serve in a leadership or supervisory role in the various shooting sports activities. These training courses allow leaders to run a shooting sports range at a troop, crew, ship, district, or council event and to teach the Shooting Sports Merit Badges. 

Register      Learn More about Shooting Sports

Summer camp is a week-long council-organized overnight camp for Scouts BSA that operates under council-retained leadership. The program provides opportunities for Scouts to earn merit badges along their advancement trail.

Summer camp is held at Camp Strake, a first-class and state-of-the-art facility for Scouts and their leaders. Program areas include shooting sports (rifle, shotgun, archery, sporting arrows), climbing, rappelling, boating (canoeing, kayaking, rowing, paddle boarding), swimming, ATV riding, ziplining, cycling, merit badge classes and more. Register by October 1, 2022, for an early bird discount.

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We are searching for motivated people that want to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with Scouts during summer camp! Great staff deliver a great camp experience! Available for motivated Scouts, Venturers, and Scouters. Serving as a summer camp staffer is an unforgettable experience. It is a chance to spend part of the summer working at a beautiful camp while teaching Scouts and having fun. Every day is fully rewarding to you as a staff member and to the campers in whose lives you have made a difference. Camp work is often demanding as there is a packed schedule serving campers, but the opportunities, rewards, and experiences available are endless. Serving on camp staff is a great way to spend a summer.

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The council climbing committee is dedicated to providing quality training and activities above and beyond the basic camping experiences of the Boy Scouts of America. Climbing programs are operated within the BSA. Topping Out is a climbing tower instructor's course. Individuals who satisfactorily demonstrate the skills necessary to be an instructor will be able to run climbing programs in their unit. Topping Out is a climbing tower instructor's course for adults that spans two evenings and two weekends. Participants learn about climbing equipment such as cams, stoppers, hexs, and anchors. Participants also learn how to effectively supervise climbing and rappelling activities.  

Register       Learn More about Climbing

Wood Badge is the Boy Scouts of America's ultimate leadership training designed to meet the advanced leadership needs of Scouters in all aspects of the BSA, whether unit, district, or council level – from assistant den leaders to Scoutmasters, from Cubmasters to Venturing Advisors, from committee members to commissioners. It is a fun, energetic and inspiring course guaranteed to infuse your unit with fun and meaning – all designed to fulfill the mission of the BSA, and ensure our youth is getting everything they are promised from the program.

Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience, Wood Badge draws upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles and successful organizations throughout the country. Participants can expect to develop skills in many areas, including leadership theory, team building, problem-solving, communication, project planning and more.  These skills can be taken back to packs, troops, crews and ships to help leaders guide youth in dynamic Scouting programs.  Scouters will find these skills invaluable in their business and personal lives as well.

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July 19-28, 2023  |  Bechtel Summit, West Virginia

Scouting’s flagship event is one-of-a-kind. Over the course of 10 summer days, once every four years, the Boy Scouts of America comes together for a gathering of approximately 40,000 Scouts, leaders, and staff that showcases everything that is great about the BSA and its members. The result is the national Scout jamboree. To keep up with the latest information, visit the Summit website. Scouts and Scouters will explore all kinds of adventures—stadium shows, pioneer village, Garden Ground hikes, adventure sports, patch trading, and more—in the heart of one of nature’s greatest playgrounds. With 10,000 acres at the Summit to explore, there’s no shortage of opportunities to build Scouting memories.

The council will take approximately 200 Scouts to the national jamboree as part of the council contingent. The contingent will head to the Summit for 10 days of activities ranging from shooting sports, mountain biking, zip-lining, rock climbing, white water rafting and more!  The jamboree is open to youth who meet the participant qualifications, are physically fit, and agree to the jamboree code of conduct on a first come first serve basis. All Scouts BSA youth must be currently registered in a troop and be a minimum of age 12. All Venturers must be currently registered in a Venturing crew and meeting Venturing age requirements.

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The leadership of the Sam Houston Area Council would like to present this, our sixteenth update, on our response to the COVID-19 outbreak and protocols for Scouting operations going forward. We appreciate your continued patience as we navigate this situation.

• Unit programming should be conducted under current guidelines from the State of Texas and the CDC with the approval of the unit’s chartered organization and subject to the current COVID-19 protocols of any meeting or activity facility.
• Face coverings should follow the new CDC COVID-19 by County guidance.  In short, all US counties are classified as low-, medium-, or high-risk.  There are no mask recommendations for low-risk areas. For medium-risk areas, if you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions.  In high-risk areas, wear a mask indoors in public when social distancing is not possible.
• District and Council meetings and events may be conducted in person and will utilize the same face-covering policy, unless held at a facility that is not council-owned, as those facilities may have additional restrictions that should be followed.
• We recommend that units utilize the updated pre-event medical checklist for activities. These forms are no longer required to be turned in when visiting council camps.
• Social Distancing should be followed in all situations where it is feasible.
• Overnight district and council activities and trainings are allowed for all Scouting programs. Districts are no longer required to submit activity plans to the Council ERM Committee. Districts should continue to have their District ERM Chair review program plans for district activities. 
• If you were exposed to or test positive for COVID-19 then you should follow CDC Quarantine and Isolation guidance. 

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We would love to hear from you! Please send us your feedback on our website.  Let us know about information that we need to update, broken links, or even typos.

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To ensure that we promote our programs in a clear and Scout-like manner, it important to remind units to follow BSA Brand Guidelines and use approved materials from the BSA Brand Center in developing their recruiting materials. This includes following the requirements included in the Scouts BSA Branding Dos and Don’ts Guide and the associated Brand Training Guide.  

The Scouts BSA Brand Guidance Training is one of the efforts underway to be sure Scouters have a clear understanding of what they can do. This training should be shared with all volunteers to bring this understanding to all parts of our community.

BSA Brand Guidelines     BSA Brand Center    Scouts BSA Branding Dos and Don’ts Guide    Brand Training Guide

While our goal is to encourage youth to join our program, we must always be clear in our communications about the program they are joining.

• We are The Boy Scouts of America.
• The Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA are different organizations.
• We support all other youth organizations and do not disparage them.
• We encourage parents to enroll all youth in a character development program that meets their needs – and the BSA is certainly ready to welcome them.