Orion District

It's time to sign up for summer camp. 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, paddle boarding), swimming, ATV riding, ziplining, merit badge classes and more.

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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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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.