The Trail to Adventure
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The Trail to Adventure VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 J U N E 2 0 1 5 PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL NEW Camp Ranger Basic Course Launches in 2018 O U T D O O R P R O G R A M S Beginning in 2018, new Camp Rangers will begin a new train- ing program through Scouting U, the BSA’s career develop- S U P P O R T ment center. Held at “centers of excellence”, the course is for COMMITTEE AND newly hired rangers and will focus on administrative duties THE OUTDOOR (soft skills) and functional skills to prepare rangers for their role in Scouting. P R O G R A M S / See the FAQ section on page 3 for more information. PROPERTIES TEAM 2018 National Camping School INSIDE THIS ISSUE: The purpose of National Camping School is to provide adults with a learning experience and training related to the operation of council summer camp and Leadership Notes 2 year round programs. The key volunteers and staff members will, in turn, train Camp Ranger Basic FAQ 3 and supervise other staff personnel in your Council Outdoor programs. Out- door programs are the best settings to learn the “how to” of BSA camp- Preventing Youth-on- 4 ing. Experienced instructors will give participants hands on training with op- Youth Abuse portunities to learn new ideas from around he country. YPT Poster Sets 4 Sections include: Resident Camp Director, Resident Program Director, Day Camp Administration, Aquatics Director, COPE Director, Climbing Director, 2018 BSA Ammo Program 5 Shooting Sports Director, Outdoor Skills Director, Ecology Director, Camp Ranger Retraining Save These Important 5 Dates Please follow the link below to download the 2018 National Camping School catalog. All registrations must be complete by the local council service cen- NCAP Spotlight 6 ter. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/Outdoor%20Program/pdf/2018-National- Fiix 7 Camping-School-Brochure.pdf Cub Scout Camping Re- 8 cap—NOC Trail to Adventure is published by the Outdoor Programs and Properties team and related Healthy Camps Initiative 9 volunteer task force groups. The newsletter is distributed to camping and outdoor volunteers and professionals, including National Camping School graduates. If you prefer NOC Photo Highlights 12 to unsubscribe to future issues, please follow the instructions in the delivery email P A G E 2 National Leadership Notes National Outdoor Conference Recap A record 277 Scouters from 100 councils attended the biennial Nation- al Outdoor Conference (NOC) at Philmont in late September. The en- thusiastic crowd was undeterred by nearly seven inches of rain – un- characteristic for New Mexico in September – and “soaked up” hot topics in general sessions and over 90 electives. Highlights included an opening by Chief Scout Executive, Michael Surbaugh, a rousing pep talk by national-level speaker, Ken Wasco, and an especially Mark Rose, poignant presentation by Dr. Deborah Gilboa on challenging camp National Outdoor staff to do hard work. Dr. Jeannie Arnold gave an informative session Programs Support on “operation revamp camp” – an initiative to improve menus and trad- Chairman ing post product by incorporating more healthy food options. Special guest Tom Rosenberg, CEO and President of the American Camp As- sociation gave a heartfelt talk on the state of the camping industry and the important role Scouting plays in his life as an Eagle Scout and Webelos Leader. The conference attendees were split 50/50 between professionals/staff and volunteers. The comradery generated throughout was phenomenal. NOC + Philmont = the perfect setting to ramp up the BSA’s outdoor program and build important relationships at all levels of the program. NOC also had two awesome shows with in a show. Over 50 exhibits were staged in an 8,400 square foot event tent. Many products and ser- vices were represented as well as over a dozen BSA committees and programs. The “food show” returned and served lunch that featured new menu items as well as tried and true foods. Frank Reigelman, Team Leader, At the conclusion of the formal workshops, participants had an oppor- tunity to “go, see and do” special Philmont activities. There were Outdoor Programs/ horseback rides, hiking, shooting sports, fishing and backcountry tours Properties aplenty for attendees to peek behind the scenes of the ranch. See pages 12 and 13 for conference photos! THE TRAIL TO ADVENTU RE VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 P A G E 3 Continued from page 1 FAQ – New Rangers Q – Who is eligible to attend Ranger School? A – New Camp Rangers or persons fulfilling the role of resident property manager with responsibilities for property maintenance. Q – Where and when are the 2018 Ranger Schools? A – Atlanta (Bert Adams) - Jan 21—26, 2018 Philmont Scout Ranch - Feb 4—9, 2018 Providence (Yawgoog Scout Reservation) - March 18—23, 2018 Kansas City (Camp Naish) - April 8—13, 2018 Q – Who will teach/facilitate the training? A – The training will be facilitated by Commissioned Professionals, tenured Rangers as well as Subject Matter Experts. In addition, there will be E learning modules that are self-taught. Q – How much does it cost to attend? A - $495 plus travel. Meals, lodging and materials are included in the fee. Q – How do I register A – Upon approval of Scout Executive, go to this link and register. FAQ – Current Rangers Q – Why is Ranger training being changed? A – Ranger training is being updated to reflect other BSA employee training programs and to provide regular opportunities to gain practical experience and focused ongoing training that meets the needs of the employee and the council. Q – How does a currently NCS trained Ranger maintain their credentials? A – In 2018, a Ranger with a National Camping School certificate of training that expires 12/2017 should at- tend one of the Ranger Retraining Sections of National Camping School in the spring of 2018. Q – How will Rangers maintain credentials if training is no longer part of National Camping School? A – A continuing education (CE) program will be released in 2018. This program will allow maximum flexi- bility for distance learning, local courses and special “trade schools” offered by the BSA to accumulate CE credits. Additionally, CE credits can be entered in Fiix, the BSA’s computer maintenance management system, so it will be easy to track and record CE hours. Q – How is course content for Ranger CE selected? A – Course content is selected based on Local Council and Ranger needs gathered from Ranger training and facility needs survey. It is customized to the needs of each Ranger and council. P A G E 4 Understanding and Preventing Youth-on-Youth Abuse Training for Camp Directors Released A new Understanding and Preventing Youth-on-Youth Abuse Training for Camp Direc- tors course has been designed for camp directors and key adult staff. The training covers timely topics such as bullying, inappropriate behavior and games, harassment of coed staff, digital cameras and camp traditions. This new material will be included in National Camping School for camp directors, program directors, trek directors and day camp direc- tors. The training will also be available in other venues for currently trained camp lead- ers. Youth Protection Poster Sets Headed to a Camp Near You The BSA Youth Protection team will send sets of the new YPT posters to each council for display in summer camp. Approximately 10 of each poster will be mailed to council of- fices operating resident camps based on NCAP Intent to Operate applications. The post- ers reinforce the BSA’s “barriers to abuse”, bullying intolerance, the Scouters Code of Conduct and the important “See it, Stop it, Report it” plan. The new posters prominently display the Scouts First toll free helpline at 844-SCOUTS FIRST (844-726-8871). This dedicated 24-hour helpline is designed to receive reports of any known or suspected abuse or significant violation of youth protection policies that might put a youth at risk. THE TRAIL TO ADVENTU RE P A G E VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1 5 2018 BSA Ammunition Program The 2018 BSA Ammunition Program will run from January 1 – February 28, 2018 and will feature Feder- al Premium ammunition in the following categories: .22 LR, 12 GA shot shell and 20 GA shot shell. New for 2018, councils will also be able to order safety glasses, hearing protection and cleaning supplies for a consolidated order. Watch for more information in December on this cost-saving program. SAVE THESE DATES IN 2018! Outdoor Ethics Conference The fourth national BSA Outdoor Ethic Conference will take place at Camp Naish, Bonner Springs, Kansas, October 18-21, 2018. Save the date! This is THE conference for Outdoor Ethics Advocates, trainers and anyone interested in the latest information on outdoor ethics. The program will include time for sharing ideas and best practices for delivering outdoor ethics programs and training for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing programs at the unit, district, and council levels. Pre-conference workshops on outdoor ethics and conservation topics will be offered on October 16-18. Camp Naish is close to I-70 and to the Kansas City International (KCI) airport, so travel to the camp is easy for those who are driving or flying. Watch for registration information in early 2018! Aquatics Workshop The premier training opportunity for BSA Aquatics program people, both volunteer and professional, is the biennial Aquatics Workshop. The workshop will be held at the Florida Sea Base September 26- 30, 2018. Save the date, spread the word and watch for registration information in the spring of 2018. Shooting Sports Conference Just announced—the inaugural BSA Shooting Sports Conference is scheduled for September 7-9, 2018 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, Beckley, WV! Watch for more information in the next edition of Trail to Adventure.