Training
Report from Council Training Committee
REMEMBER NORTH STAR IOLS October 27-29.
From Council Training Committee Scribe Barbara Blue:
NEW UPCOMING EVENT: Council is conducting a Tiger Scout Forum.
Forum will happen in October and November—Tiger leader/parent will attend BOTH sessions. All new Tiger Cub Den Leaders will be invited to the Forum by the district. These will occur on the same night at the District’s Roundtable. These may or may not be at the same location as the District’s Roundtable. Tiger leaders will be taught how to do adventures and they will receive things to help. They will also be trained as Tiger Cub Den Leaders during this forum. A Training Team member needs to be involved with this Forum, but the person(s) running the forum should be about the same age as Tiger leaders—25 to 35 years old. The Training Committee members will be copied on emails about the Forum.
OTHER NEWS:
David Cobb sent an email to previous instructors at University of Scouting asking if they will teach again. Catalog is ALMOST done. Hopefully the pdf version will be out next week to start sharing. There are about 25 new classes—many of the aimed at Cub Scout Leaders.
Wood Badge is in September. 39 are signed up. Looking for at least 8 more participants. First weekend at Ransburg and second weekend at Redwing. Matt Best will be asking for contact information for your district’s social media person— watch for it! Or send it to him so he can promote WB. scoutmastertrp303@att.net.
Del-Mi District and Northstar District are teaming up to do an OLS on October 28. They are looking for instructors so if you know someone who can teach a session, send contact information to [Event Chair Stephen Heath (troop 358) arow89@att.net].
Del-Mi District is also hosting Scoutmaster Specific Training and BALOO Training on September 30 at Camp Belzer.
Reports from some people unable to attend this evening:
From Wabash Valley (Terre Haute area):
- Boy Scout Leader Specific, Saturday, September 2, 9 am to 3 pm at Camp Wildwood
- Cub Scout Leader Training, Thursday, September 21, 6 to 9 pm at Camp Wildwood
- Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills and Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders, Saturday, September 23, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm at the Fall Camporee at the Vigo County Conservation Club. This does require overnight camping.
- Cub Scout Leader Training, Wednesday, October 11, 6 to 9 pm at Camp Wildwood
- Den Chief Training, Saturday, October 28, 9 am to 4 pm at Camp Wildwood
- Boy Scout Leader Specific Training (i.e., Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop Committee Chair/Member), March 17, 2018, 9 am to 3 pm at Camp Wildwood
- BALOO Training, Saturday, April 7, 2018, 8 am to 4 pm.
- Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills & Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders, Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. More details soon. This does require overnight camping.
- Den Chief Training, Saturday in May, 2018, more details soon.
Also, spread the word, see attached flyer for Catholic Retreat for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts who are Catholic.
From Pathfinder District (Greenwood area):
- Autumn Leader Training, Saturday, September 9, 8 am to 2 pm at Greenwood United Methodist. See attached flyer or visit https://scoutingevent.com/160-pfautumntrng992017
- WRFA course dates are turned in for 2018 and will be available soon
From Golden Eagle District (Muncie area):
- Committee Challenge and Unit Chair Training, September 6, 7 to 9:30 pm at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Lion Den Guide Training, September 11, 7 to 8 pm at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Den Leader Training, September 12, 7 to 9 pm at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Den Leader Training, September 13, 7 to 9 pm at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Unit Training Coordinator Training (all unit types), September 20, 7 to 9 pm, at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Unit Training Coordinator Training (for Troops and Crews only), September 27, 7 to 8:30, at Muncie Scout Service Center
- Den Chief Training (4 hours) and “Do-it-to-it” Eagle’s Knob, October 21, at Camp Redwing
- SM/ASM Position Specific Training, October 27, 6:30 to 10 pm at Camp Redwing
- Cub Leader Position Specific Training, October 27, 6:30 to 10 pm at Camp Redwing
- Intro to Outdoor Leader Skills and OWLS Training, October 28, 8am to 5 pm at Camp Redwing
- BALOO, October 28, 8am to 3 pm at Camp Redwing
- Venturing Position Specific Training, October 28, 8 am to 5 pm at Camp Redwing
- Troop/Pack/Crew Committee Challenge, October 28, 3 to 5 pm at Camp Redwing
- Intro to Backpacking, October 28 to 29, 5 pm Sat to Noon Sunday at Camp Redwing
- Outdoor Ethic Guide Training, November 3, 6 to 10 pm at Muncie Scout Service Center
- And More in 2018 (see attached flyer)
Here are all the flyers referred to above.
- Boy Scout Leader Specific 9-2-17
- Catholic Scout Retreat 2017
- Cub Leader Specific 9-21-17
- Cub Leader Specific 10-11-17
- Den Chief Training Flyer 10-28-17
- GE DENCHIEF TRAINING flyer- OCT2017
- GE NEW DEN LEADER TRAINING flyer-SEPT2017
- GE NEW LIONCUB GUIDE TRAINING flyer-SEPT2017
- GE TRNG SCHEDULE flyer-080117
- GE UNIT TRAINER TRAINING flyer-Sept2017
- IOLS-OWL 9-23-17
- OE GUIDE ORIENTATION COURSE NOV2017 CAC flyer
- OE GUIDE ORIENTATION COURSE Outline Sep2016
- OE GUIDE&LNT TRAINER COURSE APR2018 CAC flyer
- PF Fall Training 2017
For more information on training, see the Council Training Hub. (If the calendar is blank, select “Category” in the upper left corner of the calendar window, then check “Training,” then “Apply Filter.” The entire list of trainings should then appear month-by-month.)
Remember that the following trainings must be done in person and are NOT available on my.scouting.org:
- Introduction to Outdoor Leadership (IOLS) (required for scoutmasters, assistant scoutmasters, and venturing advisors and associate advisors);
- Outdoor Webelos Leaders Skills (OWLS) (required for Webelos Den Leaders);
- Basic Outdoor Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) (Required for at least one adult leader on a Cub Scout Pack campout);
- Den Chief Training (Required for boy scouts seeking to fulfill their Postion of Responsibility through being a Den Chief to a Cub Scout Den).
All of these trainings are offered above at least once.
Changes Coming to YPT before Jan. 1st?
From Crossroads of America Council’s Director of Training Jay Soucy:
There may be changes to the Youth Protection Training that will take [p]lace this year. I expect to hear more before the end of the month. Which means it will be out of social Media sooner.
So, be on the look out and share what you learn first.
How Do I Take Online YPT Again?
So you want to do your online training for YPT, but you can’t remember where to go?
NOTE: Remember if your YPT expires before March 1, 2018, you need to take YPT or VYPT before October 1, 2017 in order to avoid problems with your unit’s rechartering process this fall.
First, go to http://my.scouting.org.
Second, log in to your existing account. (Try to avoid creating a new account, because it generates a new, separate BSA Membership ID. That can create future problems. But if you need a new login account, you need one.)
Third, using the button in the upper left corner, select “My Dashboard.”
Fourth, using the button just below “My Dashboard,” select “My Training.” Your screen should now look like this:
Fifth, select “Retake Course.”
Sixth, when you are done, make sure to print out or save your Certificate of Completion.
Reserve a Spot at Fall NYLT
Our District’s highest performing units put a heavy emphasis on the senior members of the Patrol Leaders Council having complete National Youth Leadership Training.
The fall course is less than 30 days away. Encourage your scouts to participate by signing up on the reservation page. (Informational flyer for 2017 courses.)
This course is open to Venturers, too. The Spring 2018 NYLT Course Director Brian Spellman of Del-Mi Troop 199 told me last week that he will be putting a heavy emphasis on recruiting Venturers. Put a bug in their ear for Spring, if they can’t go in the fall.
For future planning, remember that NYLT students are highly encouraged to complete Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troop or for Crews.
When does a Venturer Need to Take VYPT?
In Venturing, you have three categories of members: Youth, Adults, and Venturing Participants. Youth are anyone 17 and younger. Adults are anyone over 21.
The hardest category is Venturing Participants.
Venturing Participants are anyone who is over 18 or will turn 18 in the calendar year. For new members, that means their birthday is in this calendar year. At rechartering for existing youth crew members, they will turn 18 in the following calendar year. Confused yet?
Sometimes knowing the goal is easier than knowing the rule. The goal is that an 18 year old legal adult has completed an Adult Application and Venturing Youth Protection Training. Why wait until a birthday? Those happen all year long? You have better things to do with your time.
Just look at your Venturers. If anyone turns 18 before the next time you do paperwork, have them complete an Adult Application and Venturing Youth Protection (Y02). Then the rules are not as important. Compliance is already complete.
YPT Renewal time
Rechartering opens in 50 days. Nows the time to make sure that you have everyone in your unit up to date on Youth Protection Training.
Remember it is North Star District’s policy that all Youth Protection Training renewals take place between March 1st and October 1st of any given year. This prevents YPT from being any form of barrier to rechartering.
As of this morning, we have approximately 301 offices that have persons in need of updated Youth Protection Training, either for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (code Y01) or for Venturing (code Y02). This is by office, since many scouters serve in more than one office simultaneously.
This is the first time that we have had units recharter with scouters who have previoulsy complied with the March 1st to October 1st cycle. Consequently, we have many to renew.
To make this as easy as possible, please consider offering a Youth Protection Training at your unit meeting. You can use the video from council and follow the facilitator notes or you can have a leader pull up the training on their my.scouting.org account and play it for everyone. Pause the program at the right times and discuss. Then a member of your Unit Key 3 can enter the attendee’s completion in the Training Manager.
We will also be offering the YPT before Roundtable at the August, September, and October meetings beginning at 6:30 pm at St Luke’s UMC.
If you have scouters who have already left your unit but are still on your roster, you can clean up your records very simply. Have your unit committee chair or chartered org rep send an email to the Council Registrar Sharon Cone (scone@crossroadsbsa.org), asking her, “Please enter the membership of {INSERT NAME} as {POSITION} as expired as of {EFFECTIVE DATE}. {OPTIONAL: This person (does/does not) remain a member of the unit.}” This will cause the YPT report to be more accurate within 48 hours of her entering the expiration date. This will reduce later confusion and make rechartering smoother. Remember you cannot move a person to a new office without an Adult Application except through rechartering but it will only take effect January 1, 2018. But you can expire memberships with a simple email.
One of the big improvements this year is that YPT can now be done on mobile devices. You can have a scouter go over in a corner at your meeting and complete the training right now. They will not be able to print the certificate. Have them take a screen shot at completion. It is not as good as certificate, but it is a step. If they are already a member of the BSA and their member id is in their my.scouting.org profile page, it will log the training automatically. If they are not yet a member of the BSA, they will need to log in to their my.scouting.org account and print the certificate before they can join.
Cubs can canoe!
New aquatics rules now in effect – Bobwhite Blather:
In April of this year, however, the rules for Cub Scout aquatics changed to allow a range of activities permitted at the unit level. And while most water activities – the more rigorous and risky ones – are still restricted to Boy Scouts and older, Cub Scouts of all ages can now go canoeing, rowboating and paddle boating – the very things they’ve been doing with their families all along. (And yes, I know some of you have been boating as a purportedly unaffiliated “family” activity to get around the BSA’s safety rules.)
There’s always a catch, though, but it’s not a big deal and isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect. While we no longer have tour permits or tour plans, the requirements for adult leaders to be appropriately trained are still in force. There are two primary unit volunteer training courses for aquatics, and they’re both available online: Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat.
At least two adults are required to supervise any swimming activity – at backyard, public and hotel pools, beaches, lakes, rivers and oceans, whether or not a lifeguard is present. Safe Swim Defense training, completed within the last two years, is required of at least one adult supervising swimming activities, or even non-swimming activities where the water is over knee-deep or there is a risk of submersion. Common sense, though, dictates that as many adults as possible should complete Safe Swim Defense training – and it should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that they complete Youth Protection Training as well. All boating activities likewise must be supervised by at least two adults, one (and preferably all) with current Safety Afloat training.
Now that you’re trained, what can Cub Scouts actually do on the water? Here’s a summary of allowable activities for Cub Scout packs:
Learn to Swim programs for all ages.
Recreational swimming for all ages, divided by ability groups, with only those who are able to swim (who have passed the BSA 100-yard swim test) allowed in deep water.
Snorkeling in confined areas for all ages, divided by ability groups. Only swimmers are allowed in deep water.
Riding in large boats including commercial marine transport such as excursion boats and ferries, as well as larger (capacity of four or more passengers) privately-owned craft on calm waters where all operation is done by adults.
Stable, fixed-seat rowboats and paddle boats on calm, flat water. If a non-swimmer or beginning swimmer is on board, he must be buddied with a swimmer in the same boat.
Canoes on calm, flat water. A non-swimmer or beginning swimmer must be buddied with an adult swimmer in the same boat.
Single-person kayaks and stand-up paddleboards on calm, flat water for swimmers only (non-swimmers or beginning swimmers are not allowed to kayak or SUP).
Tubing on gently-flowing water for Swimmers only.
Don’t forget about the rule requiring that Coast Guard-approved life jackets are to be worn by persons when engaged in boating activities (rowing, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding) and in some cases aboard larger vessels as well.
Assisting Special Needs Scouts
If you ever have issues with scouts who need special attention or special requirements, it pays to know something about how the BSA handles those issues. Here’s an article that introduces some of the ideas.
Lessons from Memorial Day: Eagle Project Ideas
One of the lessons we learned from the Memorial Day grave dressings is that our cemetaries in North Star need a lot of tender loving care. I took some photos of Fall Creek Cemetary at just eat of the 4000 block of Keystone at Millersville Rd. (Unfortunately, I don’t have my camera with me to post the photo. I will try to post it here later.)
The fencing and edging looked like something out of Scooby Doo.
There are reportedly a number of Pioneer Cemetaries in the District that need some clean up.
While Eagle Projects cannot involve maintenance like mowing, they can beautify and restore weathered older facilities. Troop 343 recently had an example of that.
Also in placing Memorial Flags at the cemetaries, we saw how many veterans were not getting flags placed at their graves. Our mission Saturday was to place flags at past members of the American Legion. Not all veterans are members of the American Legion. That means that many were skipped, even though their gravestones clearly identify their unit of service and often the war in which they served.
This lends an opportunity to an Eagle Candidate to help assure that we can better serve these late veterans and their families. I don’t know what Crown Hill has on record about the veterans buried there. I have asked for better maps from them. Hopefully we will find out at the District Committee meeting tomorrow when Crown Hill’s staff might visit us.
Think about Eagle Projects for all of these cemetaries in our District. There are plenty of opportunities for lasting effects from our Eagles.
Memorial Day turn out
We had a great turn out for the grave dressing with American Legion Post #3. Thank you to all the troops and packs that participated!
CAC North Star Unofficial Website 
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