COPE is an acronym for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience. It is comprised of a series of outdoor challenges, beginning with basic group initiative games, and progressing to more complicated low-course and high-course activities. Some of these events involve a group effort, while others test individual skills and agility.  Participants climb, swing, balance, jump, rappel and think through solutions to a variety of challenges.

The course provides an opportunity for each participant to achieve success as an individual and as a member of a group. The objectives of Project COPE include building confidence, developing leadership skills, and attaining a sense of common cooperation among group members. The course is designed to build more self-confidence in a shorter length of time than anything most people have experienced.

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America developed Project COPE to meet the needs of today’s youth who are seeking greater challenges to their physical and mental abilities. The goals of Project COPE are consistent with the methods of Scouting. Group activities are ideal for emphasizing the patrol method and developing leadership. Individual activities help promote personal growth.

An unexpected dividend has been the use of Project COPE by youth and adults outside of Scouting. Schools, community groups, recreational groups, and businesses have found it an excellent tool for developing both team effort and individual achievement.

Through the use of the COPE program, groups have the opportunity to use an outdoor setting, in a retreat-like atmosphere, to develop leadership potential, problem-solving skills, and teamwork among their members.

Camp Tuckahoe Project COPE

The York-Adams Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America offers a year round COPE program at Camp Tuckahoe located near Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. Twenty-five acres of this beautiful 1,300 acre camp has been set aside for Project COPE.

Project COPE is staffed by National Camp School certified directors and instructors. The National Camp School is the highest level of training available in the Boy Scouts of America for this program. 

Staff members are knowledgeable and personally skilled in the activities. They are effective teachers and are constantly vigilant to safety procedures and participants’ needs.

Project COPE consists of a wide variety of activities which are adjusted and tailored to meet the needs of each group. The program can be offered as a one-day experience or as a full weekend course.

Initiative Activities are a series of adventure games, trust activities and cooperative problem solving used to teach participants to work together, through communication and trust, to achieve their goals. These activities are active and engaging and allow the participants the opportunity to have fun while trying something new. Participants learn to be at ease with reliance on others for their physical well being, and with the responsibility of providing for the safety of others.

Low Course Activities present a series of challenging low activities. These activities require group cooperation and problem solving to succeed. Because many of the obstacles are elevated, group members work together to spot each other to prevent falls and injury. Individual agility and commitment are required to negotiate the events.

High Course Activities include eight Aerial Challenge elements. Participants negotiate a series of log, rope, and cable obstacles 35 feet off the ground. These activities require effort beyond the routine and encourage participants to pursue new experiences and exercise sound risk taking. At all times while on the course, a participant is attached to a belay line to prevent accidents. Everyone within the High Course area must wear a safety helmet. SAFETY IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR ALL ASPECTS OF COPE.

For further information, call the camping service at the York-Adams Area Council office at (717) 843-0901 or (800) 569-5197 (outside York) or fax us at (717) 845-6338 and request a conference with one of the COPE staff members. They will help plan your experience of a lifetime!