CH Memories - Penny Nelson

CH Memories: Penny (Allen) Nelson 1962 & 1963 "Antelope"

I grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and after becoming a Girl Scout in 5th grade, remained active in Scouting throughout high school and served as an assistant Scout leader while a college student at Miami of Ohio. One of my dearest friends to this day is someone I met at Camp Ledgewood (Peninsula, Ohio) and went through two summers of C.I.T training with at Camp Julia Crowell....

There is a direct connection between Scout Camp and my eventual career. After learning of "School Camping" in a class my senior year at Miami University, a subsequent Masters Degree (emphasis "Outdoor Education") at Indiana University, I became an Outdoor Education Teacher (full school year!) for a school district in San Diego County in 1969.

CIT jug band 1962

C I T stands for "Counselor-In-Training" "A two year program for the most seasoned camper who aspires to begin training as a camp counselor. Many camps will not hire young counselors without CIT training. Learn by practicing skills, and helping regular counselors in units, gaining practical experience. Requirements:16 years of age or through the 10th grade by June 1st for first year CIT" - Cleveland Girl Scout Council, summer camp brochure

Sunday, August 5, 1962

Dear CIT's
We hope you are all relaxing a bit after your busy time here. We have enjoyed and appreciated your letters, even though we have had little time to answer them. Several of you mentioned an uncertainty of where you stand with the CIT program and have asked whether or not you should return next year. We are concerned about this and have decided to send you all this letter in an attempt to make things clearer.
First of all, you are all eligible to return to second year CIT program. It will consist of more work in the units ( more responsibility for planning and carrying the programs in the units), an opportunity to observe and with such specialists as the Waterfront, Arts and Crafts, Business Manager, a visit to another camp, the time to develop more skills, and so on. "Jeb" will send each of you a letter5 before registration time telling you how to apply for the second year CIT here at CJC.
Secondly, please don't feel that you failed because some people observed qualities about your skills or personality which they felt could be improved. These observations were made only to help you. We all have weak points which we have to work on. This constant striving to strengthen these weak points makes life more challenging and also more rewarding when we feel we have improved a little bit after all our hard work. Another thing about working with our weak points is that you remind yourself you're a human being - you can't expect yourself to be perfect yet you can't settle for for less than the best you have to offer others. If you look at yourself in this manner, it's a little easier to laugh at yourself in embarrassing moments, to learn from your mistakes, and to have confidence in yourself that you can strengthen your weak points and continue to use and develop your strong points.
However, the final evaluation of your work and attitude rests with neither unit staffs, or us, but with yourselves. You know if you deserved the comments made; you are aware of strong and weak points that were not observed; you know about some special abilities to develop further, and new interests to learn about and some weak points to work on. You also are the person to decide whether or not you wish to return to the second year of CIT program. Do you enjoy working with children and giving of yourself and your knowledge to others? Do you like living in the out-of-doors? Do you believe in the worth of every individual, and will you try to treat everyone with respect and patience as you work with them and try to help them grow? If you do enjoy this kind of work, and you willing to work at it a little to prepare yourself for it? These area few of the questions you can start with. We feel most of your will answer these affirmatively, otherwise, you wouldn't have been here this year.
Again, we enjoyed working with all of you and wish you the best of luck in school this fall and as you go on to become fine counselors. If any of you have any further question, please contact us.

Sincerely,
Kris and Buttons

Program from the first annual Senior Conference of Lake Erie Council which was the Fourteenth Annual Conference of the Senior Scouts of the former Cleveland Girl Scout Council , presented by the Senior Planning Board. The introductory message said "...Maybe we as individuals are not yet certain of what career to choose. We hope this conference will help us with that decisions. But together we do have definite convictions about how to live in the future, We believe in God and our country. Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to better serve..."