If you ask most Arrowmen in your section why they attend conclave, some variation of the phrase “Conclaves are fun!” will be the most common answer you receive. While training content can be engaging and the food can be delicious, the most memorable parts of conclave are often the fun activities: lodge competitions, games, scavenger hunts, aquatics activities, and everything in between! The possibilities are truly endless in terms of the conclave program!
Just like the possibilities are endless, the ways to plan these activities are also endless. This kit aims to provide some general tips, and present some examples of activities that sections do during the conclave weekend.
When Does Program Occur?
The short answer to this question is the entire weekend. More specifically, many sections hold open program throughout the conclave weekend. The most common times that activities are held include:
- On Friday evening as contingents arrive, and throughout the opening activities.
- On Saturday afternoon after a set of morning training sessions.
- On Saturday evening after an evening show.
While these are the most common times, there are sections who perform activities like religious services and Vigil rededication before breakfast each morning, or sections that run activities parallel with training. Meal service is also a valuable opportunity for training; a fun-filled meal program with an activity, speeches, or other features can be entertaining as well!
Planning Program Activities
There are three main considerations to address when planning activities: location, supplies, and staffing.
Location
The location of activities is very important, and much care should be taken to assign activities to a central location that is close to most parts of the host location. While it is true that activities like aquatics or range and target sports are restricted to certain areas by nature, placing a majority of the activities in a far corner of camp discourages contingents from participating.
To get around this problem, a majority of sections prepare a “midway” area on Saturday afternoon that functions as a center of program activities.
Supplies And Staffing
After location, the biggest factor in an activity’s success is having the proper supplies and staffing to conduct the activity. An activity designed to engage 100 people should not just have enough supplies for 50 people, they should have enough supplies for at least 110 people. On the other hand, very few activities run by only one staff member can support 100 people. When choosing and planning activities, consider preparing a description of the activity containing:
- The name of the activity
- A brief overview of what the activity is
- The duration of the activity
- Whether the activity should be done inside or outside
- A number of people that the activity is designed to engage
- A list of supplies needed to engage that number of people
- A number of staff members, and their rough roles, needed to support that number of people
- Any other notes for the planning and execution of the activity
By preparing this description, it will make clear what needs to occur to make a particular feature of the program happen.
Additionally, be aware of staffing restrictions, especially pertaining to activities in areas like aquatics, range and target sports, and COPE. Within Scouting, the staff members for these areas must possess certifications and meet age and ability restrictions. For assistance with this, discuss these program ideas with the section adviser and the section staff adviser.
Brainstorming Program Ideas
When developing ideas for your conclave program, consider doing the following:
- Advisers have likely been to many more conclaves than you have, and have almost certainly seen fun activities in the past. Getting their ideas of activities that seemed very successful at previous conclaves is a great way to build a list of possible activities.
- Consider what activities were held at last year’s conclave! While refreshing your program year-to-year is a good practice, successful activities warrant consideration for the future as well. For example, if the section held a lodge soccer tournament, and that tournament had a high turnout, it may be worth considering holding another tournament in the current year.
- Look at other successful programs! Different councils across the country host different programs, whether they are at camporees, summer camp, or at other events. If your host lodge holds a unique program at their council camp, including it in the conclave program may be a good way to entertain contingents and promote the host lodge! Similarly, look at activities held at national events. Due to logistics, some of the programs that occur at NOAC or a National Jamboree may be difficult to execute at the section level, but there are plenty of activities lodges and sections can do at home as well.
- Consider modifications to successful activities that have occurred in the past. As an example, if the section held a successful relay race, consider holding another relay race with different activities within the relay.
Example Program Ideas
Here are some ideas for conclave activities designed to get you started:
- Sporting tournaments, included but not limited to: volleyball, ultimate frisbee, basketball, broomball, flag football, GaGa ball, tug of war, capture the flag pickleball, or soccer.
- Tournaments for other activities, including but not limited to: chess, checkers, foosball, ping pong, Jeopardy, bowling, video games.
- Other yard games or tabletop games, not necessarily competitive, but for fun!
- Escape rooms based around certain themes, possibly including your conclave theme.
- A service project designed to benefit the host location, or another nonprofit organization or group.
- Scavenger hunt that guides contingents and groups around the host location.
- Themed luncheons for specific groups of Arrowmen: new members, lodge officers, advisers, Vigil honor members, etc.
- Cooking competitions.
- Rededication ceremonies.
- A nondenominational religious service.
Program Resources
Program Planning Graphic Organizer
A tool to help determine staffing, location, and supplies needed for program activities.
Program Planning Graphic Organizer Example
An example of the above graphic organizer in action.
Friday Night Festival
A handout describing a common fixture of a Friday night conclave program, the Friday night festival.
Lodge Competitions
A handout with some tips and advice for how to plan and execute lodge competitions.
Lodge Competition Score Sheet
A handout with a sample score sheet to use for lodge competitions.
New Arrowmen Luncheon
Guidance for how a special luncheon for new Arrowmen could be run.
Religious Service
An example of a nondenominational religious service that could be used at your conclave.