5. Meetings and Camps

MEETINGS

The Seton Society will have regular weekly meetings that will last roughly between 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

The meetings will be divided into three parts.

1) "Medicine" This is where teaching about native culture, traditions and meditation will take place. This section of the meeting may last between 15 and 30 minutes.

2) "Instruction" This is the main part of the meeting, where survival and tracking instruction is presented. Instruction will involve practical activities, lecture and AV presentations. Practical application (dirt time) of skills is mostly done at camps.

3) "Business" This portion of the meeting is controlled by the group executive. There should be an agenda covering things important to the group. This could include passing on information, organizing camps and outings, or setting dates. It is very much a logistical time.

Also, when the group program is on schedule with its instruction, it is useful to have an occasional meeting with a different format. This should be something that helps foster group cohesiveness and something that would be fun! Having fun with members of the group is an important way to build group cohesion.


OUTINGS

There should be one camp and one single day outing per month. (Some months may have more or less, taking such things as student exams, holidays and weather into consideration.) These should be wilderness excursions designed to practice the skills taught in meetings. However, they should also be an opportunity to emphasize and reinforce the values and attitudes that form the foundation of the group. These attitudes must be an integral part of the way the group does things if it is to be successful.

Camps should be in primitive wilderness areas, to insure that you will have the materials and the means to practice skills. Many prov. parks discourage any disturbance of the wilderness habitat, making them inappropriate for some camps. There are primitive conservation areas where it is possible to run a survival program. In any park or other environment, always be sure to use the guidelines of the program before using natural materials. The general attitudes and values of this group should guide you in your work in the wilderness.

One good location for wilderness camps is crown land. The problem is that it is difficult to find crown land which is reasonably close to home, and which is reasonably accessible.