JENKINTOWN, Pa. – The most exciting time for a Plast scout is the summer months, and this year Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization (whose U.S. national headquarters is in Jenkintown, Pa., at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center) has a variety of camps and activities planned for its members.
Plast counselor training camps will kick off the summer camp season in the United States this year, starting with “Shkola Bulavnykh” and “Lisova Shkola,” intense camps for developing counselor training and wilderness skills, which will take place in Hunter, N.Y., on June 23-July 5. This year marks the 50th anniversary for “Skhola Bulavnykh,” which will hold a special celebration during the weekend of June 30-July 1 – not just for this year’s attendees but also its alumnae from past years.
Roman Lewyckyj
During the Day of the Plast Scout at the Novyi Sokil campground in North Collins, N.Y.
Training for Plast counselors for “novatstvo” (cub scouts age 6-11) will take place June 24 to July 4 at the Vovcha Tropa campground in East Chatham, N.Y. This camp provides aspiring counselors with challenging activities, programs and plans to implement tasks for the youngest Plast members at summer camps and during the year in their home branches.
Three-week camps for novatstvo and “yunatstvo” (scouts age 12-18) will take place on July 7-28 at the Vovcha Tropa campground, as well as at Novyi Sokil in North Collins, N.Y., and Pysanyi Kamin in Middlefield, Ohio.
Laryssa Czebiniak
Counselors in training during an afternoon activity at “Shkola Bulavnykh” in Hunter, N.Y.
In addition, a special two-week camp, popularly known as “U2,” geared for more advanced scouts age 16-18 will be held at the Vovcha Tropa campground on July 7-22. For novatstvo not quite ready for the three-week camp experience, there is a one-week “Pochatkovyi Tabir” (Beginner’s Camp) for children age 6-7.
Those who wish to extend their summer camp experiences can choose from special-focus camps, which include a Rock Climbing Camp, held July 29-August 4 in Seneca Rocks, Va., and “Morskyi Tabir,” for water sports enthusiasts, on August 4-11 at Putts Camp on Raystown Lake, Saxton, Pa.
Summer camps are the most fun part of the Plast scouting experience and are a culmination of the knowledge gained and activities pursued during the entire Plast year. It’s important for a child to be familiarized with Plast activities, structure and regional happenings before attending a summer camp. One of the requirements of attending summer camps is that a child be enrolled into Plast at least three months prior to attending camp.
For more information on all Plast summer camps, readers are invited to visit the Plast website at www.plastusa.org and click on “tabory” (camps).
Nadia Zappernick
“Novachky” prepare for their morning opening ceremonies at Pysanyi Kamin in Middlefield, Ohio.