PA Training FAQs

Each year we were getting about three girls who needed LIA, and 4-5 girls who needed PA training. I had, at most, an hour each day to work with this group. We were rushing through the training in order to check off the box, and I believe that we were doing the girls a disservice by offering it this way. These two requirements can be met in a variety of ways (Troop, Service Unit, Council), and it no longer makes sense to stretch ourselves thin in order to offer training that is available elsewhere.

LIA: Troop, Council, Service Unit (Laura Chaney lauraannechaney@msn.com and Teresea Jones tereseaj@gmail.com offer it for the Longmont area during some school breaks and do a fabulous job!)

PA training: Council, Service Unit 50 (Laura Chaney and Teresea Jones)PAI: Troop, Council, Kiwa (information available from Nana and Oreo on how to do PAI in troop)

Camp Specialty: Kiwa

Because of the number of girls we have in the PAI program (16 at camp last year), they work in groups to plan their activities, and work with a different person to plan their activities for each day (Suzy may work with Jane for Monday’s activities, Maria for Tuesday, etc). This way we had 8 activities going at a time, not 16, so each girl had the opportunity to work with someone different each day, and each group had more than one Brownie at a time (usually), which works much better for games. If I run a separate training for two girls, it’s very hard for them to plan activities with people who attended the other training.

The reason why we hold it before camp is that 1) I need time to round up the supplies for the activities they plan, and 2) the girls usually need to communicate between the training and camp to finalize plans. Last year we held the training one week before camp, and it just wasn’t enough time to finalize everything that they needed to (vacations, etc.). The PAI’s did a fabulous job of rolling with it and finding creative solutions when something wasn’t available/didn’t work, but each year we try to learn from what worked or didn’t and improve the program.

As the years have gone by, there has been an increase in the number of girls coming to our camp for PA training, which is wonderful! However, one requirement for the PAI program is that they work with younger girls (Brownies are best) and lead them through the activities the PAI’s planned during the training session. Last year, we wore the poor Brownies out! A full day at camp is a long day for Brownies, and adding the PAI activities on to the normal camp program can be a lot for them. We want to make sure that they have time to relax and enjoy camp, and aren’t forcing them to run from one activity to another all day (despite that they love the activities!).

Yes. First priority will go to the girls who attended Kiwa this summer as a 5th grader. Second priority will go to girls from the Longmont service unit. If there is room, we will accept girls from outlying areas. At this time, the number of PAI’s we will accept has not been determined. We will wait until we have a good idea of how many Brownies will be coming to camp. More Brownies = more training slots, and the number of Brownies we can accept is dependent upon how many volunteer Unit Leaders we have. If you know of any Brownie age girls who would like to come to camp, or anyone who is interested in being a Unit Leader, please pass the registration brochure to them!

PA’s lead camp and run the cooking fires at our camp, so in addition to what Council requires, Kiwa Camp has always required what was called Outdoor Skills. This training is no longer offered as a separate Council led training, but is included in a curriculum called Camp Specialty. It teaches a lot more than leadership, fire safety and knots. Many of these skills used to be taught in the old PA program, but when council changed to the new format these skills were deemphasized as the definition of what a PA does was broadened. We ask a lot of our PA’s, giving them a lot of autonomy and responsibility in a way that no other camp in Colorado does, and this training includes skills and tools that are very helpful in being successful as a PA at our camp. Going forward, it will be mandatory to complete this training before girls can PA at our camp.