COPE (Boy Scouts of America)

Last updated

Project COPE
Kia Kima Cope Course.jpg
A Venturer traverses a COPE High Ropes course
CountryUnited States
Founded1980 (1980)
WikiProject Scouting fleur-de-lis dark.svg  Scouting portal

Project COPE, which stands for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience, is a program in the Boy Scouts of America that consists of tests to develop strength, agility, coordination, reasoning, mutual trust, and group problem-solving. [1] [2] Founded in 1980, by 1991 there were 200 COPE courses offered across the United States. [3] During non-summer camp months, Project COPE courses have been made available to high schools, [4] and to private groups for team building. [5] The project has also been part of at least one program to reduce recidivism among nonviolent juvenile offenders. [6]

Contents

Group trust events that are part of Project COPE include standing on an elevated platform or tree stump and falling backwards to be caught by a human zipper. [7] In another exercise designed to show the importance of leadership, teams are blindfolded as they navigate through the woods, with only the people at the very front and back of the line allowed to speak. [7] Participants progress from simple group games to low- and high-course rope activities. [8] There are no time limits. [9]

History

According to the U.S. Scouting Service Project, C.O.P.E. originated in St. Joseph, Missouri, as a program at Camp Geiger in the late 1970s, under the leadership of Parvin Bishop of the Pony Express Council. [10] [11]

After seeing challenge courses such as the Dalajamb World Jamboree International Encampment in Sweden, which offered a woodland pioneering course complete with zip lines and bridges, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America was interested in offering similar programs nationwide. [12] The first Project COPE took place in 1980. [11] Following a three-year pilot in Missouri, the council recommended Project COPE as an optional project across the country, [13] and tested it across six locations. [14]

Among other benefits, Project COPE was viewed as a way to keep older Scouts engaged with Scouting as they grew older. [12] The program also helped to popularize Scouting among the wider public. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy Scouts of America</span> Scouting America organization in the United States

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including 176,000 female participants. The BSA was founded in 1910; about 130 million Americans have participated in its programs. Served by 477,000 adult volunteers. BSA became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Arizona</span> Overview of Scouting in the State of Arizona

Scouting in Arizona has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Missouri</span> Show-Me State Scouting America (Pending)

Scouting in Missouri has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America</span> Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America

Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims and Methods of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouts Canada</span> Canadian Scouting association

Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, between the ages of 5 and 26, with the stated aim "To help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. In 2021–22, youth membership stood at 33,899, a 48% decline from 64,693 in 2014–15. Over the same period, volunteer numbers also declined 43%, from 20,717 in 2015 to 11,765 in 2022. Scouts Canada has declined significantly in size since its peak: youth membership is down 82% from 288,084 in 1965 and volunteer numbers are down 50% from 33,524 in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater St. Louis Area Council</span> Regional organization of Scouting BSA

The Greater St. Louis Area Council (GSLAC) of the Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1911 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri. The council serves Scouts in the St. Louis Metro area, southeast Missouri, and southern and central Illinois.

Chief Seattle Council is the local council governing the scouting activities of the Boy Scouts of America in a large part of the Puget Sound and Seattle area, including almost all of the Olympic Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ropes course</span>

A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high elements, low elements, or some combination of the two. Low elements take place on the ground or above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles and require a belay for safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outdoor education</span> Organized learning that takes place in the outdoors

Outdoor education is organized learning that takes place in the outdoors, typically during school camping trips. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey wilderness-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges and outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, canoeing, ropes courses and group games. Outdoor education draws upon the philosophy, theory, and practices of experiential education and environmental education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouts BSA</span> Main coed program of the Boy Scouts of America for youth ages 11 to 17

Scouts BSA is the flagship program and membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for boys and girls between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, and mental personal fitness and leadership and develop the skills necessary to become successful adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Crossing Council</span>

Washington Crossing Council serves Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Mercer County, New Jersey and Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The council was founded as Bucks County Council on August 13, 1928, and changed its name to Washington Crossing Council after receiving portions of the dissolved Central New Jersey Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Capital Area Council</span> Local Boy Scout council

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America within the Northeast Region that serves the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., portions of Maryland and Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The council offers extensive training, and administrative support to units. It is rated as a "Class 100" council by the National Council, which denotes that the NCAC is among the very largest in the country. Chartered in 1911, it is also one of the oldest. The council is divided into 21 districts serving ten counties in Northern Virginia, six counties in Maryland, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and BSA units throughout the Americas. The council has a 5 to 2 ratio of youth members to adult leaders, which is among the highest of all the councils. The youth retention rate is currently 70% which was affected by COVID-19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeastern Pennsylvania Council</span>

Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, with headquarters in Moosic, Pennsylvania, formed in 1990 from the merger of Forest Lakes Council and Penn Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It covers the metropolitan area of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The council serves Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Wyoming counties, and portions of Susquehanna county.

High adventure is a type of outdoor experience. It typically is meant to include activities like backpacking, hiking, kayaking or canoeing. It may also include mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, hang gliding, paragliding and hot air ballooning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood Badge (Boy Scouts of America)</span> Highest level of Scouting training for adults in the US

Wood Badge in the United States is an advanced level leadership training available to adult Scout leaders. The first Wood Badge course was presented in England by the founder of Scouting, Baden-Powell, and he introduced the program into the United States during a visit in 1936. The first course was held at the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, but Americans did not fully adopt Wood Badge until 1948. The National BSA Council staff provided direct leadership to the program through 1958, when the increased demand encouraged them to permit local councils to deliver the training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Ridge Mountains Council</span>

The Blue Ridge Mountains Council is a Boy Scouts of America council located in Roanoke, Virginia, that serves Scouts in southwest and south central Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains Council owns and operates the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia, the largest Council-owned Scout reservation in the United States. The council's Tutelo Lodge is part of the Order of the Arrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 National Scout Jamboree</span> BSA Centennial: Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey

The 2010 National Scout Jamboree was the 17th national Scout jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America and was held from July 26 to August 4, 2010 at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. The 2010 National Scout Jamboree celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America and was the last jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill. With more than 50,000 in attendance, the 2010 National Scout Jamboree was the largest overall since 1973, and the largest at a single location since 1964. All subsequent jamborees have been held permanently at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, the Boy Scouts of America's fourth High Adventure base. This was also the first jamboree to include Venturing programs.

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, often shortened as Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR), located in Fayette and Raleigh counties, near Beckley, West Virginia, is one of four facilities managed by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The others are Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases in Minnesota, as well as Manitoba and Ontario in Canada, and Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in the Keys. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is the current home of the National Scout Jamboree, the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center. The reserve comprises properties totaling over 14,000 acres (57 km2). The facility's opening event was the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philmont Leadership Challenge</span>

The Philmont Leadership Challenge is a seven-day adult leadership training program of the Boy Scouts of America. It is intended for adults who have completed Wood Badge and is held once or twice each year in the back country of the Philmont Scout Ranch.

The Crossroads of the West Council is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves the Scouts in all of Utah, Bear Lake and Franklin counties in southeastern Idaho, and Uinta, Sweetwater, Sublette, and a portion of Lincoln counties in southwestern Wyoming.

References

  1. ↑ Cope, Jane (August 11, 1985). "Campers: Boy Scouts from Britain learn about American counterparts". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved March 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Peterson, Robert (1984). The Boy Scouts: An American Adventure. New York: American Heritage; Distributed by Houghton Mifflin. pp. 209–210. ISBN   0828111731.
  3. ↑ Butterworth, W. E. (March 1991). "A sizzling summer of whitewater rafting, super summer camps waterskiing, COPEing and more". Boys' Life. Vol. 81, no. 3. p. 32. Retrieved March 26, 2024– via EBSCOHost.
  4. ↑ "In brief". The Washington Post . March 13, 2008. ProQuest   410262649 . Retrieved March 30, 2024– via ProQuest.
  5. ↑ Kinsey, Angie (July 8, 1998). "Project COPE: The Boy Scouts' outdoor obstacle course helps co-workers learn together". The Paducah Sun. Kentucky. Retrieved March 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Goodrich, Robert (July 26, 1999). "St. Clair County, Scouts are planning crime prevention program for youth". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Hyatt, Richard (October 3, 1993). "Teens Battle Their Demons: Kids from different walks of life learn to trust, communicate". Ledger-Enquirer. pp. D-1, D-5. Retrieved March 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Reagan, Sean (July 25, 2005). "Learning the ropes in the outdoors: Project COPe offers challenge for area Scouts". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved March 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Bissett, Rita (July–August 1987). "Project C.O.P.E.: A true cooperative encounter". Airstream. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  10. ↑ "C.O.P.E." U.S. Scouting Service Project . Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  11. 1 2 Ellgren, Nathan (July 10, 2017). "COPE challenges Scouts' skills". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved March 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "Project COPE". Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Learning to Cope". Scouting. January–February 1983. Retrieved March 31, 2024– via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Scout program here copied across country". St. Joseph News-Press. October 18, 1983. p. 6. Retrieved March 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.