Programming
Request for Silver Beaver Nominations
In 1931, the BSA introduced the Silver Beaver award as the council-level distinguished service award. Recipients are registered scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.
The Council has opened nominations for this award for council-wide recognition at the University of Scouting in January 2016. All nominations are due to council by September 30, 2015.
Presentation can be scheduled for different times and events.
If you have a scouter in your unit who you believe is worthy of this high recognition, you can download the nomination form from the Council’s website. For a flyer that you can print out and circulate to your unit committee, click here.
National Parks have free admission opportunities
Two major programs are starting to encourage more youth visits to National Parks. First is the Open Outdoors for Youth.
The National Park Foundation’s Open Outdoors for Kids Initiative introduces and exposes kids — all kids — to experiential, outdoor experiences that promote physical and emotional health, civic engagement and long-term appreciation for nature. Using the spectacular and unparalleled resources of our nation’s more than 400 national parks, the program’s goal is to connect more children to their culture and heritage, enhance hands-on learning opportunities and deepen connections to the natural world.
Through focused programming in and out of parks, Open Outdoors for Kids addresses:
- ACCESS: Providing transportation, programming and free entry to the parks for children and teachers to experience hands-on, immersive learning.
- RELEVANCY: Connecting kids and families to the parks through programs that make people’s lives better. We establish emotional relevancy of the parks through cultural programs and encourage active, healthy lifestyles through recreational and restoration activities.
- EDUCATION: Establish “in-park” opportunities for children to learn in our national parks, the world’s largest outdoor classrooms. Unmatched as learning environments and living laboratories, national parks offer children, families and teachers a unique gateway to experience nature, history and culture, to learn about biodiversity and the environment, and to engage with each other in the great outdoors.
Looking for Position of Responsibility? How about OA Rep?
One of the most common concerns that I hear is that a troop needs more positions of responsibility. What do those include?
The Boy Scout Eagle Requirements state,
4. While a Life Scout, serve actively in your unit for a period of six months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility. List only those positions served after your Life board of review date.
Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Varsity Scout team. Captain, cocaptain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow team representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Venturing crew/ship. President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, quartermaster, historian, den chief, guide, boatswain, boatswain’s mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer.
Lone Scout. Leadership responsibility in his school, religious organization, club, or elsewhere in his community.
(Underlining added for emphasis.) So it would be reasonable to expect that each troop in North Star District should have an OA Representative attend our Chapter meetings on the first Sunday of each month. (See the District website for upcoming meeting times and locations.)
YPT Optimal Expiration Date
As we head into rechartering season, opening October 1st, the Commissioner’s Staff is going to work hard at making this process as quick and painless as possible.
In order to allow this goal to be accomplished, we need the cooperation of our volunteers. One of the logistical nightmares for our unit chairs is to assure that each of the scouters registered is properly trained in Youth Protection Training.
BSA puts the requirements this way:
BSA Policy is:
Youth Protection training is required for all BSA registered volunteers. Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer does not meet the BSA’s Youth Protection training requirement at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.
To find out more about the Youth Protection policies of the Boy Scouts of America and how to help Scouting keep your family safe, see the Parent’s Guide in any of the Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting handbooks, or go to http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx.
This begs the question, “When is rechartering done?”
How Many Service Hours by Scouts worldwide by 2020?
At Earth Day 2015, World Organization of Scouting Movement’s president Scott Teare promised 1,000,000,000 hours of service by scouts.
Crossroads of America Council and Del-Mi District and National Executive Staff Director of Sustainability John Stewart undertook the challenge on behalf of BSA.
What part is your unit playing?
How do we know? You need to report your unit’s service hours and designate Messenger of Peace as benefitting organization.
Newest Eagle Scouts
The following North Star scouts passed the Eagle Board of Review on August 12, 2015.
- Joseph Haines T- 269
- Trenton Moore T- 269
- Alexander Ray T- 358
- Samuel Teague T-56
Congratulations to our newest Eagles!
Onslaught of Autumn Training
As we head into a hectic autumn of scouting, it is easy to forget to get trained. We shouldn’t, since it is often required to be Rechartered.
Several districts and council have scheduled training in many locations at many times. This is especially true of Pathfinder’s Mini University of Scouting on Saturday, August 29th on the southside and Council’s position-specific blitz in August, September, and October at the Scout Service Center. A new list of courses is now available on a new website at http://www.crossroadstraininghub.com/events/events.htm. Units and districts can now post their own additions to training for the benefit of all in the Council.
Some of these trainings are available online, too, at my.scouting.org. 
CAC Online Resources
Dr John Eliades, Golden Eagle’s Training Chair and ex officio member of the Council Training Committee, reports about Pack training resources:
Dear fellow CAC Trainers
In advance of our meeting next week I would like to share with you some new training material we have developed in time for the Annual Kick-off.
We could not wait until the New Den Leaders Power Point was developed since we have to start training our trainers. Our Den Leader Orientation has been uploaded to http://sdrv.ms/KZ0zVm in folder “ADULT POWER POINT SHOWS” and subfolder “CUB-ADULT PPS“. If anyone wishes the PPT version for further revision/adaptation, contact me.
We also have developed multiple Leadership Notebooks to aid the new Cub Leaders/Comm. Members.
Open folder “CUBLEADER LEADERSHIP NOTEBOOKS” and download any you have an interest in. To supplement these we also have developed a series of PP Presentation to help with the initial orientation of these new leaders.
To help organize the CAC Family Talent Survey we have developed an Excel Spreadsheet to make it easier to store, and search the info “PACK FAMILY TALENT&VEHICLE INVENTORY“. This can be encrypted and stored in a Cloud Storage such as SKYDRIVE for free and thus updated easily and downloaded by Pack Leaders without the constant hassle of sending paper revisions. This file can be found within any of the notebooks in a folder titled “6-Z8-Leadership & Parent Talent-Driver Info”. A troop version containing Merit Badge rather than Cub Adventure info can be found in our folder”TROOP ADULT LEADERSHIP NOTEBOOKS.”
I would welcome your comments next week’s CAC-Training Comm. Meeting.
John Eliades, GED-Training Chair
Update from Area 6 on Training Online
Michael A. Crothers, Area 6 Training Chair, which is over Crossroads of America Council, reported this morning that:
On Monday morning at 8am Central BSA’s Information Delivery Group plans to start an upgrade to my.Scouting. As a result of the installation ELearning training will be unavailable for most of the day Monday August 10. Please pass along to your unit leaders that they will be unable to take YPT or other online courses on Monday. This announcement has also been posted on the myscouting.org landing page.
But here is the Good News: After we complete this work on Monday then volunteers will be able to take online courses from the new my.Scouting in his/her MyDashboard. There will be 4 new tabs in the MyTraining menu selection.
- The first one highlights the 3 Youth Protection Trainings available. And when you click on the Take Course button it takes you to the training.
- The second tab “Training Center” allows you to take all online trainings.
- The Requirements tab lists each of your positions and the trainings required for each position
- And the Completions tab will display all training you have taken.
As a reminder in addition to council and district training chairs, all commissioners – as well as unit Key 3 0 have the ability to input training in the Training Manager Tool.
Sox Report: Final for 2015
Sox reported on the Firecrafter Facebook page that 195 Firecrafter candidates were eligible for ritual. Congratulations to the new candidates.
Grand Ritual is coming up Friday, August 14, 2015.
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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