Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Happy New Year with a warm message from our Council Commissioner:
Dec 30, 2020 Dear GGAC Commissioners:
As we wrap-up a tumultuous 2020, I look forward to 2021 with optimism and hope. Now, more than ever, scouting needs its Commissioners. We are all navigating through unchartered waters, and the units/Districts/Council should be comforted knowing that we are here to help and support them. It has been my pleasure working with many of you, and look forward to meeting in-person and getting to know each other better once in-person meetings and activities resume.
I am pleased to share with you the team of Assistant Council Commissioners - experienced commissioners who are eager to share their experience and enthusiasm with you. In this inaugural issue of the GGAC Commissioner newsletter, you will find the information on various topics that we hope you will find timely, informative, and helpful. Also, if you have a question about a particular topic area, then please reach out directly to the appropriate Assistant Council Commissioner for that topic. For example, if you have a question about Commissioner Tools, reach out to Steve Conn. The Council Commissioner Service Team is here to serve as a resource as you perform your Commissioner Service.
Together we will deliver the promise of scouting to youth throughout the Golden Gate Area Council. Thank you for your service.
Yours in Commissioner Service,
Paul Shimotake Council Commissioner
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Introducing the Commissioner Cabinet Corps
Council Commissioner, Deputy Council Commissioner, Council Director of Field Services and District Commissioners
Paul Shimotake Council Commissioner [email protected]
Calvin Masuda Deputy Council Commissioner [email protected]
Lew Sisson Director of Field Services [email protected] Suzanne Martin Alameda District Commissioner [email protected] Mark Weyland Briones District Commissioner [email protected] James Jensen Chief Solano District Commissioner [email protected] Terry Odneal Chief Solano District Commissioner [email protected] Roy Thomas Diablo Sunrise District Commissioner [email protected] Nicholas Powell Golden Gate District Commissioner [email protected] Janet McDonald Herms District Commissioner [email protected] Ron Fedele Lake District Commissioner [email protected] Susan Oki Meridian District Commissioner [email protected] Steve Conn Mission Peak District Commissioner [email protected] Steve Loyd Muir District Commissioner [email protected] Harold Lowe Peralta District Commissioner [email protected] Wendy Laberge Silverado District Commissioner [email protected] Robert Fonnesbeck Tres Ranchos District Commissioner [email protected] Michael Allison Twin Valley District Commissioner [email protected] Service Team of Assistant Council Commissioners Anthony Mei ACC Special Needs [email protected] Michael Allison ACC Commissioner Resources [email protected]
Steve Conn ACC Commissioner Tools [email protected]
Flory Dekovic ACC Girls in BSA [email protected]
Stuart Mahler ACC Program - Exploring [email protected] Steven Welch ACC Program - Sea Scouting [email protected]
Patrick Jaime ACC Program - Venturing [email protected] Michael Wrenn ACC Roundtable [email protected]
Ron Fedele ACC Scoutbook [email protected]
William Smith ACC Commissioner's College [email protected]
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
The 2021 Northern California College of Commissioner Science is around the corner and scheduled for Saturday, February 27th as a 100% virtual college filled with 5 tracks of courses from which to choose. On tap are special keynote speakers from BSA National and the our BSA Western Region.
THE SCHEDULE 8:00 Opening 8:00 – 9:00 Gather time 9:00 – 9:50 Speaker Scott Sorrels – BSA National Commissioner 9:50 -- 9:55 Dean’s Orientation 10:00 – 10:50 Session 1 11:00 – 11:50 Session 2 12:00 – 1:30 Speaker Jim Libbin – BSA Western Regional Commissioner 1:30 – 2:20 Session 3 2:30 – 3:20 Session 4 3:30 – 4:20 Session 5 4:30 – 5:00 Wrap-up and Depart
WHERE? Virtual – Zoom Meetings WHAT? Courses for every level of Commissioner and every level of Commissioner experience, including Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate of Commissioner Science Degrees with Continuing Education Degree sessions. All participants should be up to date on BSA Youth Protection COST? Price for the 2021 College – Virtual format incudes a Patch and Pin • $20 – Monday, December 7, 2020 to Sunday, Feb, 14, 2021 • $25 – Late Registration – Feb 15, 2021 to 10 pm PT Feb 24, 2021. • $10 – College staff/instructors – Not attending sessions • $10 – BSA professionals – May attend sessions
Sponsored by: Golden Empire, Golden Gate Area, Greater Yosemite, Marin, Nevada, Pacific Skyline, Piedmont, Redwood Empire, and Silicon Valley Monterey Bay, Sequoia
All information at https://www.norcalcommissioner.org/
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Timely Information from Steve Conn, Mission Peak DC and ACC for Commissioner Tools
How to Generate a District Wide Email List That Includes Scouting Positions
Sometimes you need to quickly generate a list of email address for a specific subset of the registered adults in your District; say all Charter Org Reps, or Troop Key 2, or District Operating Committee, etc. This can easily be done using the my.scouting.com Training Manager YPT Report.
To generate an up to date email list of every registered adult in your District, follow these steps:
1. Logon to my.scouting.com 2. Click on “Menu” 3. Click on “(your district ## – Golden Gate Area 03” 4. Once this folder opens up, Click on “Training Manager” 5. In the lower right corner, in the YPT box, click on “Report” 6. On the next screen, click on “Export to CSV” 7. Then in the pop-up box, click on “Confirm” 8. Open the CSV file that has been created 9. Delete the first 7 rows of header information, leaving the one header row that is the name of date in each column. 10. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Sort/Filter, Filter (this adds the ability to filter data based on the contents of any one or more columns, we will use this in the last step). 11. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Format, Auto Fit Column Width. 12. Delete the Columns you don’t want. I get rid of these columns:
a. A = District Name b. D = Gender c. E = Charter Org Name d. G = Middle Name e. K-O = all the YPT info f. Q = Registration Date
13. Highlight the entire spreadsheet, then click Data, Sort, My data has headers (check the box), then sort by Program, Unit Number, and Positions
14. Now using filters, you can find all the email address for a group of people that share the same positions or are in the same Unit or whatever criteria you are looking for.
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Helpful screenshots to reach and access Training Manager:
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Be informed about a new on-line gizmo that our scouting youth refer to as “Discord.” This is what Mike Allison, Twin Valley DC and ACC for Commissioner Resources has to say about it:
Discord: A communication tool for your unit
Keeping our scouts in touch during the pandemic is tough. Our council and districts are all scrambling to find ways of doing this. GGAC is recommending Den and Patrol focused activities for practical and health reasons. Youth and adults are all worn out with constant on line activities for school and work, so how do we safely get a Den or Patrol together? Enter Discord.
Some Dens and Patrols are successfully meeting using Discord, a text/voice/video messaging service. This service originally started with the gaming community, and gamers use the real time voice communications to speak to one another while they are playing on-line games. Likewise, a Den or Troop can use Discord to meet in real time and share images, text, sounds, and fellowship.
Using Discord is easy, and there are plenty of communities available, but you could create one for your unit. Sub groups can be created for Dens and Patrols. The only people able to join are those you invite, so it’s free from strangers. Since a scout is thrifty, it’s also good to know that Discord is free! You can use Discord on your computer, phone, or tablet.
Head on over to http://discord.com to check it out, create an account, and try it in your unit. Versions are available for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Web. If you have a youth who has used it before, you may consider a youth/adult partnership in setting up Discord in your unit. Now you have another tool in your Scouting Toolbox.
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Special Needs in Scouting. A message from Tony Mei, ACC for Special Needs and Disabilities
Special Needs & Disabilities (SND)
As I indicated during Paul’s first Commissioner Cabinet meeting on August 26th, my goal is to have at least one SND “champion” in each of our 14 districts. That individual will be the knowledgeable resource that commissioners can send units to for information related to working with Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities. As of October 11th, I have identified individuals in the following seven districts: Briones, Chief Solano, Golden Gate, Mission Peak, Muir, Peralta, and Twin Valley. I plan on gathering those individuals for a virtual meeting in the next 4 weeks to set a course for helping our units. I ask each District Commissioner, who does not have an individual identified, to please put out inquiries for individuals in their district who might have experience working with Scouts who have disabilities whom I might recruit. I also encourage each District Commissioner to take the “Essentials” (BCS 118) and “Advancement” (CED 713) courses at the upcoming NorCal Commissioner College (February 27, 2021)., so you might have some fundamental knowledge of key resources for SND.
NUGGET for this newsletter: How does Youth Protection Training apply to Scouts who are “registered beyond the age of eligibility” --- that means Scouts who are chronologically adults, i.e., over 18? Well, the first answer is easy --- they must complete YPT! What if they do not have the mental capacity to take YPT? I quote the Registration Guidebook, BSA No. 100-092, (page 28):
“There are some exceptional situations when an adult applicant does not have the mental capacity to take and/or to comprehend the concepts being delivered in Youth Protection training (YPT). In those situations, the Scout executive can request a YPT exemption for the individual. All YPT exemption requests must be submitted on the Youth Protection Training Exemption Request form (see Appendix). Exemptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis. If the exemption is granted, the person profile will be flagged as “YPT not required” enabling the registrar to post the registration with no YPT recorded.”
I highly recommend contacting me, or the SND Champion in your district for further guidance in cases such as the above.
YiS,
Tony Mei ACC for SND [email protected] 415-730-0452
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
From Stuart Mahler, ACC for Exploring:
Coming up to speed with the cool programs in EXPLORING
Today Exploring has two components. First is Exploring Clubs. Clubs are for youth in 6th, 7th, & 8th grades. The program provides insight into various careers. The Second component is Explorer Posts. This is for ages 14, if out of the 8th grade, and 15 to 20 year olds. Similar to Clubs, the Posts provide more in-depth training and exposure to one or more of the twelve career categories recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. From there they are broken into even more specific select careers.
Just like Packs, Troops, Crews, and Ships; Exploring units need to be serviced and supported. In Exploring they are referred to as Service Team members. Their role is just like a Unit Commissioner. Therefore, your district needs to support their Clubs and Posts with a Service Team Member / Unit Commissioner. The roles are the same and a Unit Commissioner does not need to be an expert in the select fields of the Clubs or Posts. Servicing and supporting Exploring is just like the traditional Scouts BSA units.
To learn more about Exploring go to www.exploring.org. You may also contact me to discuss further: Stuart Mahler Council Exploring Chair at [email protected] or 925-519-6957.
Lastly, a SPOTLIGHT from Flory Dekovic, ACC for Girls in BSA
Scouts BSA and Girls in Scouting
With the Commissioner Newsletter, we will offer insight regarding girls in Scouts BSA, alongside females in Venturing, Sea Scouts and Exploring who are a large segment in the BSA’s 110-year scouting legacy. Stay tuned for upcoming noteworthy reports, inspiring stories and best practices received from our 39 (and growing) “girl” Troops, Crews, Clubs and Ships spanning the 14 combined Districts of the GGAC. ______
First, regarding The Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts. By now, you may be aware that the window for Eagle Board of Reviews (EBOR) for the Inaugural Class of Female Scouts began Oct 1, 2020 thru Feb 8, 2021. As such all Eagle credentials acquired during that timeframe will be dated Feb 8, 2021 to commemorate this milestone that incidentally coincides with the recognized “birthday” of the BSA. This adjustment was implemented to accommodate scouts nationwide, impacted by Covid-19 limitations.
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Commissioner Corps Newsletter
GGAC Council # 023 – December 2020 – Inaugural Issue #1
Our first Golden Gate Area Council Female Eagle Board of Review was on Oct 3, 2020. Melody Fewx appeared for that momentous EBOR and has the distinct honor of being the first female Eagle Scout in the GGAC to join the nationwide 2021 Inaugural Eagle Class. For this breakthrough, Melody gets our spotlight.
In 2016, Melody barely realized that by joining Venturing Crew 176 (Mission Peak District) that it would be her unconventional path to an Eagle Scout. She and fellow Venturers had acquired solid scouting skills through the Venturing ALPS model, NYLT, ILST, and Wilderness First Aid Training programs, and were expert back-packers with a trip to Philmont under their belts. So, in Feb 2019 when Scouts BSA announced that eligible girls could join a Troop, Melody was more than ready. Troop 2220 in Fremont was soon launched with 38 girls at the first meeting with Melody and 3 fellow Venturers at the helm. Melody was elected SPL; new patrol leaders were selected and summarily trained. As local boy troops sent their sisters and friends to join Troop 2220, within a few months, it grew to 60 girls while being acknowledged as one of the largest girl troops in the nation at the time.
Melody is now a freshman at UC Riverside and serves with Crew 727 in Brea, Southern California. Her former Crew Advisor and Troop Scoutmaster, Lee Amon had lofty praise for her: “Where do I even begin to describe Melody Fewx? She may very well be the best Scout that I ever encountered in my years as a Scouting leader. She is intelligent, organized, dedicated, hard-working, trustworthy and an exceptional leader and trailblazer.” As a 2020 high school graduate, Melody’s academic accolades rival her Scouting awards. Her scholastic honors include the Superintendent’s Honor Roll, the Scholar-Athlete for Varsity Cross Country, the Golden State Seal Merit Award and, Summa Cum Laude of James Logan High School. Melody also earned the SFBAC’s Council Venturing Leadership Award, Area Venturing Award, Venturing Quest Award, Order of the Arrow Honors and the Venturing Summit Award in Feb 2019. Her younger siblings – Luke and Rachel are equally remarkable scouts. Without a doubt, Rachel will likewise be in the Inaugural Eagle Class of 2021. It’s marvelous that the Fewx siblings’ share their passion for scouting, eagerness to learn and discover adventures through their love for one another.
Her thoughts on networking in Scouting. Melody’s scouting journey and the advice to scouts regarding her leadership experiences, volunteering, and memorable undertakings is encapsulated in one of her many quotes: “It’s important to recognize that scouting is better expressed as an interconnected network than an isolated one.” With this, she has high praise for us, Scout leaders, who bring diversity and a swath of collective knowledge, professional connections, and training prospects to our youth. She further contends that “there’s no shortage of youth-leadership opportunities in the Bay Area. Seeking ways to volunteer and provide community service is easy to find in our localities. Youth just need to look around.”
As Commissioners, let’s continue to encourage adult leaders to mentor and guide our scouting youth who learn as they grow and go. Note that our Regional Parks, community hubs, religious centers, Senior centers, schools, hospitals, and non-profits are places where scouts in all programs can Do a Good Turn.
Let’s also not forget to have fun while we scout, all the while staying safe by adhering to current Covid guidelines now and in the near future.
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