Outdoor Training: Taking the First Steps to Getting Your Girls Unplugged!

You’re looking forward to your first camporee – that’s great! And maybe, just maybe, you’re a little anxious about taking the girls camping. There's no shame in that. The good news? Our Council offers Outdoors and Overnights trainings to help you out.

Our volunteers love outdoors trainings. Here's what some of our volunteers had to say:
“I feel more prepared for camping now.” “The outdoors isn’t scary!” “We can take small steps and still camp.” “Can’t wait to go camping with the girls now!”

If your camporee is coming up in spring or fall of 2016, these are the trainings for you. The prerequisite is Outdoors and Overnights Step 1, which is completed at home. Outdoors and Overnights Steps 2 and 3 are available for registration on our eBiz page.

Our outdoor trainings teach skills that you’ll pass along to your girls before you embark on your overnight. Equally important, you’ll learn how to involve your girls in planning the event. Allowing them to help plan and organize will build up their anticipation – and yours, too! Outdoor trainings are invaluable in boosting your comfort level with camping.

Outdoors and Overnights Steps 2 and 3 are taught at each of our three beautiful camp locations.* This gives you an opportunity to visit camp before bringing your girls there, which helps reduce leader stress levels (really!). You’ll have hands-on opportunities to hone your camping and outdoor cooking skills.

What will you learn in Outdoors and Overnights trainings? Here’s a handy summary for you:

• Step 1 will get you started on enjoying overnights at your home, museums, hotels, cabins and platform tents, where meals are provided for your troop.  Important safety issues are covered, along with lots of helpful hints to get your girls excited about overnight stays away from home.

• Step 2 is required if your girls want to have campfires or cooking fires, and if they want to pitch tents. You’ll learn fire safety from beginning to end, as well as tents, knots, pocket knife safety, choosing appropriate clothing and sleeping bags. You’ll also be given a helpful timeline of six meetings to help your girls prepare for their overnight.

• Step 3 teaches outdoor cooking; it’s the most delicious training we offer! Cook – and eat – yummy recipes made over a wood fire, with charcoal, and using a propane stove. C’mon, you know food always tastes better outdoors!

• Bonus training: Cool Camp Cooking. Ready to take your outdoor cuisine to the next level? Check out our Cool Camp Cooking training and make and eat camp goodies using outdoor cooking techniques you wouldn’t have believed possible.

Are you required to take all three steps? Every volunteer should take Step 1 (click on the link above). Steps 2 and 3 depend on how much the girls want to do when they camp. But once they get introduced to camping, we know they’ll want to do EVERYTHING, so why not register for both trainings?

Our volunteer outdoor trainers are an outstanding crew who bring years of experience and great good humor to share with you. If you’d like to become an outdoor trainer and bring trainings to your own area, please contact us at training@gshnj.org.

*We are not scheduling outdoor trainings at Camp DeWitt this spring, but for a great reason:  the new program center is being constructed. We are excited for trainings at DeWitt to resume in the fall.