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Order of the Arrow Ohlone Village Meeting

Date: Saturday, May 12, 2012
Time: 5:30 P.M. Gathering; 6:00 P.M. Dinner
Location: Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church (map)
32975 Alvarado-Niles Road
Union City, CA 94587
Flyer

In October 2011, BSA National released the new BSA Advancement Guide which took effect on January 1, 2012, and affects all levels of the Scouting program. There are some major changes to the guide, including the definition of "Active Participation", the "Position of Responsibility" and several Board of Review changes. Your Mission Peak District Advancement Chairman, Merl Nygren has gone to great lengths to understand these changes and how they affect our Scouts, especially those who are in the process of working their Eagle Projects during this transition. In December, Merl traveled to the National Sea Base in Florida for a BSA National training forum to better understand these changes. Merl has put together a cohesive summary of the updates that he has been presenting to Scouts, Scouters and Commissioners throughout the SFBAC and Mission Peak District.

View the Guide to Advancement 2011 presentation For those that were unable to view it live or would like to review it.

Is there someone in your unit that is an outstanding Scouter? Our District Dinner is fast approaching - May 12th - and we need your nominations for those special people in your Pack, Troop, Crew, or Team that have made your program more organized, more interesting, fun, or whatever term you might use to describe that special person who allowed your group to have a better, more quality Scouting program. We need you to tell us about the special people in your group - you know them - you know what they've done or accomplished!!!!!

You will find a description of the 3 award categories below, but you do not need to decide which one a person may qualify for. The selection committee normally does that.
Don't be concerned if you don't know everything about your nominee, put down as much as you can on the form. Minimal information may be enough sometimes, and we frequently see special people receiving multiple nominations so when everything is put together we have a more complete picture. We can also consult your Unit Commissioner who can normally help us fill in some of the blanks.
PLEASE MAKE CERTAIN THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST 2 PEOPLE NOMINATED FROM EACH PACK, TROOP, CREW, OR TEAM - THERE'S NO MAXIMUM.
Don't overlook your top leaders. They are the ones who normally receive these emails and they don't usually nominate themselves.

Mission Peak Award Descriptions and Nomination Form (word) (pdf)
These links will take you to Google documents. Once there, select File -> Download from the menu.

eMail the completed form to Merl Nygren nygreme@att.net as an attachment. Alternatively, you may send the form via US mail (address in the document) or deliver it in person at Roundtable.

Nominations Due Thursday April 12th, 2012 (Roundtable).

For Youth & Adults
Goal Set to Have 500,000 Youth Earn Presidential Active Lifestyle Award

SCOUTStrong, one of the first programs launched under the BSA’s Healthy Living Initiative, is the topic of a video featured on the website of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

SCOUTStrong is designed to reward participants for being consistently active in their daily lives. To earn theSCOUTStrong Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, participants are required to meet a daily activity goal of 30 minutes for adults and 60 minutes for kids under 18 for at least five days a week, for six out of eight weeks.

This challenge is for everyone associated with the BSA, including Scouts, Venturers, parents, volunteers, council staff, board members, friends of Scouting, and BSA alumni.

In 2011 Bob Mazzuca promoted the Presidential Active Lifestyle Challenge for both Youth and Adult Scouters. This year the BSA is promoting Scout Strong - Presidential Active Lifestyle Challenge for both Youth and Adult Scouters.

We are promoting Scout Strong in our Mission Peak District. The kick-off will be in February and run for eight weeks. The goal is that adults are active 30 minutes per day, five days each week for six out of the eight weeks. The Youth goal is to be active for 60 minutes per day, five days each week for six out of the eight weeks.

Please let me know if you and your units are interested in joining the Scout Strong Challenge for 2012. I will then plan to send you all the information that is needed to promote this within your units.

I am willing to come and promote this at one of your unit meetings.

Dave Ridings
510-797-3552
ridings@pacbell.net
Health & Fitness 2012
Personal Health Coach

Start planning for 2011-2012 Scouting Year, check out the 2011-2012 Mission Peak District Calendar (Rev 11/22/2011).

The 2011-2012 District Calendar is now set. We've calendared out 18 months, from 6/1/11-12/31/12. All dates, except for Tiger Cub Pumpkin Patch and Tiger Cub Kite Day are absolutely firm through 6/30/12. Those 2 dates are subject to dates to be confirmed with Perry Farms and the date the City of Fremont sets for it's annual Kids 'n Kites Day in 2012.

Do you know who your Unit Commissioner is? Find your Unit Commissioner.

What is a Commissioner?

Effective March 1, 2011, what are currently known as local and national tour permits will be superseded by what will be called the tour plan. *The online tour permit system will be suspended. This update is the accumulation of work by a cross-functional team of volunteers and staff including the Health and Safety Support Committee, Council Solutions, Outdoor Program Group, and Risk Management Advisory Panels.

Here is the definition of the tour plan in the Language of Scouting: "Units complete this form when planning for local, national, or international adventure. The plan helps ensure the unit is properly prepared, that qualified and trained leadership is in place, and that the right equipment is available for the adventure."

The plan is available: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-014_fillable.pdf

What is different?

1. The council is the reviewer of all tour plans; there is no regional review required.
2. The tour plan consists of a tour planning worksheet to be completed by the unit/contingent. It is retained by the council and a tour plan is returned to the unit after processing.
3. It's on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper!
4. There is a 21-day advance notice requested for units to submit the plan for your review.
5. A single point of contact (not on the tour) for council use is included.
6. Defined reasons/times when a tour plan must be submitted for council review:
   
   1. Trips of 500 miles or more
   2. Trips outside of council borders not to a council-owned property
   3. Trips to any national high-adventure base, national Scout jamboree, National Order of the Arrow Conference, or regionally sponsored event
   4. When conducting the following activities outside of council or district events:
      
      • Aquatics activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.)
      • Climbing and rappelling
      • Orientation flights (process flying plan)
      • Shooting sports
      • Any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles, boating, etc.)
   5. At a council's request (allows council to add review times based on local needs)
7. There is an updated Pledge of Performance.

What has not changed?
Requirements for qualified supervision, training, insurance, etc., remain unchanged-for example, CPR and Wilderness First Aid requirements for high-adventure camps.

Hyperlink the tour plan, http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-014_fillable.pdf, and the FAQ page, http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/TourPlanFAQ.aspx.

SFBAC Specifics

• SFBAC units may use on-line permitting! Applications may also be sent by fax or mail.
• Tour Permits are not needed for trips within the San Francisco Bay Area Council boundaries and not needed for trips to our three SFBAC camps, Wente Scout Reservation, Camp Royaneh, and Rancho Los Mochos.
• Units are advised to still follow appropriate trip guidelines to be sure they have a safe trip. Those attending areas which require a tour permit to enter (such as East Bay Regional Parks) will still need to obtain a tour permit in order to enter or to receive their park permits.
• This change applies ONLY to SFBAC units. Units from other councils need to check with their council for their council guidelines.
• It is my understanding the East Bay Scout Shop will take the Leader's word for Trail Trekkers and Rim Rovers since the Tour Permit is no longer required for many of the hikes and trips our units take.
• Not Withstanding the above, particularly with the SFBAC allowance of online tour permitting, you are still advised to comply with national guidelines on tours. Particularly - reminder to check for:
  
  • insurance for drivers
  • appropriate training for tour leaders
  • guidance to drivers for minimizing risk
  • guide to safe scouting

All registered Cub Scout leaders and "direct contact" active adults need to keep their Youth Protection Training current, which is not more than 2 year old. This course can be taken on line through MyScouting, or when available through a face to face course.

You do not need to be a registered leader nor do you need a Member ID (you can enter this information later) to take the online course. You will need to set up a MyScouting account to take the online YPT. Here's a link to the Boy Scouts of America page where the new YPT requirements are discussed and where My Scouting can be accessed: http://scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx. Here's the link to the MyScouting sign-in page: https://myscouting.scouting.org/_layouts/MyScouting/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f_layouts%2fAuthenticate.aspx%3fSource%3d%252f&Source=%2f.

Remember: When you take a face to face training course be sure to bring your Scout ID card, which includes your Scout ID number. If you are unable to find your Scout ID card, please get your Scout ID number from your Cubmaster or Committee Chair or print a temporary Scout membership card from the Internet Advancement section of MyScouting.

The City of Fremont has provided a number of flags for proper retirement by scout units. If you would like to have a flag for a unit flag retirement ceremony or if you are interested in helping units in the District learn how to do a flag retirement event, contact Ron Fong rlfong@aol.com

Want to be notified of late-breaking changes and news in the district? Has your e-mail address changed? Send the following information to MissionPeakDistrict-subscribe@yahoogroups.com:

• name
• unit #
• scouting position
• e-mail address