 It was championed by Pony Express Council Executive Parvin Bishop who expanded the program when he became Director of Program at the National Office.
(meta data) TITLE: USSSP: Scoutmaster.org - COPE ## C.O.P.E. What is C.O.P.E. ? Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience Project C.O.P.E. is a series of inter-related events that challenge on an individual and group level. Events are divided into four categories: initiative games, trust events, low elements and high elements. Project C.O.P.E. has seven objectives: Self Confidence Decision-Making Problem-Solving C.O.P.E. was originated within the Boy Scouts of America at Camp Geiger, in the Pony Express Council, in the late 1970's under the direction of Parvin Bishop, then Scout Executive. Bishop later became Director of Program at the National Office and is currently Regional Director, Southern Region. C.O.P.E.'s origins are often traced back to European efforts. A Project C.O.P.E. course is operated under the oversight of a volunteer committee including National Camp School-certified directors. C.O.P.E. courses are built the strict standards of the Association for Challenge Course Technology and operated only under the direction of NCS-certified individuals. Standards of safety are stressed at every level of the course. Project C.O.P.E. courses typically include open areas for games and trust events, and a series of "low" and "high" elements. The concept of 'challenge by choice' encourages each person to participate fully while maintaining the right to 'opt-out' of any individual part of the program. Games introduce teamwork concepts while also serving as warm-up exercises. Trust events further the teamwork development while also developing risk-taking from low to higher levels. Low elements can include a wall, spider web, and other cable and rope combinations that involve teamwork relatively close to the ground. High elements are generally individual events involving climbing to heights of 20-30 feet, crossing cables, etc. Each element -- low or high -- is carefully spotted or belayed to minimize danger while still challenging the individuals to challenge personal levels of risk-taking. Climbing walls, rappelling towers, and similar elements are not, strictly-speaking, a part of the COPE concept, although they are currently supervised under the COPE standards. Separation of these programs is planned for the year 2000. © 1994-2019 - U.S. Scouting Service Project | Site Map | Disclaimer | Project Team | Contact Us | Privacy Policy Materials found at U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Websites may be reproduced and used locally by Scouting volunteers for training purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations. No material found here may be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP) or other copyright holders. USSSP is not affiliated with BSA or WOSM and does not speak on behalf of BSA or WOSM Opinions expressed on these web pages are those of the web authors. You can support this website with in two ways: Visit Our Trading Post at www.ScoutingBooks.com or make a donation by clicking the button below. (U.S. Scouting Service Project Donation) (Ruth Lyons Memorial Donations)
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Scouting in Missouri
Boy Scouts of America in Missouri today.:Pony Express Council.:Camp Geiger.
 It was first camp in the United States to offer Project C.O.P.E..
 The camp is named for Charles Geiger, a St. Joseph physician, who donated land from his boyhood home in 1930.  It replaced Camp Brinton at Agency, Missouri (named for W.E. Brinton who had loaned 30 acres (120,000 m) for the camp) which had been the Scout council's main summer camp since 1918.  Scouting executive H. Roe Bartle founded the Mic-O-Say organization at Camp Brinton in 1925 while serving as head of the Pony Express council.  Bartle was to found a Mic-O-Say chapter in Kansas City, Missouri when he was transferred to being head of the Heart of America chapter in Kansas City there in 1929.  However the Kansas City chapter also includes Order of the Arrow in its offering at its Camp Naish while having Mic-O-Say exclusively at its other camp—Camp Bartle.
 In 1930 Geiger announced the donation and in 1935 it opened with a Dining Hall made of native limestone.  In the 1950s, the council bought land higher on the bluffs and further to the north and a "new Camp Geiger" was begun with the bulk of the camp moved to the higher land in 1952.  The original swimming pool lower on the bluff was replaced in 1971 with a new pool on top of the bluff. In the late 1970s the Pony Express Council began Project COPE which is aimed at encouraging teamwork, self-confidence, trust, leadership, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving.