Program Areas
Camp Workcoeman is divided into seven program areas. Each contains its own set of challenges and adventures!
Waterfront
The waterfront at Camp Workcoeman is the finest in the council! It has all the facilities for the best aquatic programs. The camp’s fleet of boats and canoes includes many varieties of sail boats for beginners and experts. West Hill Pond is also a great place to try your hand at sailing and kayaking. The swimming opportunities are superb, offering a world of water fun and knowledge always under the utmost safety. Mile Swim, Snorkeling BSA, and BSA Lifeguard are among the special awards instructed by our trained aquatic staff. New additions include stand-up paddle boards and a water trampoline.
Nature / Ecology
Camp Workcoeman is the location of the Henry Griffin Nature Lodge. It is an outdoor laboratory with excellent demonstration areas. Many displays and activities let Scouts experience the need for nature and conservation. Come see all of the live exhibits in the Nature Lodge or borrow a pole and head down to the lake to participate in our weekly Fishing Derby.
Shooting Sports
Rifle shooting, shotgun shooting, and archery are always popular activities. Older Scouts can participate in the Pistol Shooting Program. Muzzle loading rifle shooting and tomahawk throwing are a great part of the Shawtown Wilderness Trek for older Scouts.
Field Sports
This is the camp’s center for fitness development. Activities are inter-troop, patrol, or individually centered. Our basketball court is a real hit. Other popular activities include gaga ball and earth ball.
Scoutcraft
The Scoutcraft Program offers patrols and troops a wide variety of outdoor activities. These programs encourage self-reliance and foster an appreciation of the environment, all while having fun. Many of these activities include demonstrations that show Scouts the techniques of camping, ranging from basic cooking to advanced survival. The Scoutcraft Staff offers training for both youth leaders and Scouters, with a special emphasis on Leave No Trace. Most Scoutcraft activities occur at the Sturge B. Shields Campcraft Area; however, many activities can be conducted in your campsite.
Handicraft
The Handicraft area offers a choice of formal or informal programs for those Scouts who just like to try their hand at a specific craft. The Trading Post carries a large variety of craft supplies, in addition to the materials on hand in the Handicraft area. You are always welcome to bring your own supplies and finished work to show others.
Climbing and COPE
Refurbished and expanded for the 2016 season, Workcoeman has a four-sided, 32' tall rock climbing and rappelling wall. The climbing wall is located at the Sports Field, where Scouts are shown the proper use of technical climbing equipment including harnesses, ropes, and belay devices. Scouters are welcome to give it try too!
COPE is a national program of the Boy Scouts of America which challenges Scout with group initiative games, trust elements, and low- and high-course events. Activities range from group challenges to ones developing individual skills and agility. Participants climb, swing, balance, jump, rappel, and devise solutions to a variety of problems. Workcoeman has a low ropes course, and the COPE program often uses the high ropes course at nearby Camp Mattatuck.
