What’s on Our Mind

Youth Protection Training

Effective June 1, 2010:

 Youth Protection Training is required for all registered volunteers.

 New leaders are required to take Youth Protection Training before they submit their application for registration. The certificate of completion for this training must be submitted at the time application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins.

 Youth Protection Training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer’s Youth Protection Training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.

See attachment in Fliers & Handouts section for more information.

Council Training

Greetings Scouters,
For many years, the Council Training Committee has been an advocate that, “every scout deserves a trained leader.” During this centennial year the Grand Canyon Council is one of twenty pilot councils for the Mandatory Training Initiative. This means that by December 31, 2010, all top unit leaders must be trained. This includes all Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Coaches, Crew Advisors, and Exploring Advisors. To be considered a trained leader, the following courses must be completed:
• Fast Start*
• Youth Protection* (every three years)
• This is Scouting*
• Position Specific Training
• Introduction to Outdoor Skills**
* available on myscouting.org
** only required for Scoutmasters and Varsity Coaches
We currently have over 2800 units in the Grand Canyon Council, and for this 2010 year, it is our goal to have each top unit leader (Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Coaches, Crew Advisors, and Exploring Advisors) trained for their position before December 31, 2010. To find when courses are offered, please check the council website (www.grandcanyonbsa.org/training) to see when training opportunities are available, or you can also speak with your district executive. Please note that by not having a trained leader could adversely affect the ability of your unit to renew their charter for the 2011 year.
As a council we are working diligently to correct any issues with our current record keeping process.
In the mean time, we encourage everyone to do a few things:
1. If you feel your personal training records at the council office are inaccurate, please complete the online training survey at www.grandcanyonbsa.org/training.
2. If you have not completed the online trainings mentioned above, please do so, and also take a moment to look at the other great training courses available at myscouting.org.
3. Please share this training initiative with others as not all unit leaders will receive this email.
We appreciate your desire to better serve the young people in the Grand Canyon Council. If you have any further questions, please review at the Frequently Asked Questions on the webpage or contact your district executive. With your help we can lead the charge into the next Century of Scouting with trained leaders and the best program for our youth.
In Scouting,
Council Training Committee

Meeting Format and Announcements

The way the meetings are being run have been changed to a new format:

7:00-7:15 – Opening ceremony and announcements by Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) – see below
7:15-7:30 – Patrol Meetings – take attendance
7:30-8:00 – Merit Badge and Rank Advancement classes
8:00-8:20 – Troop Activity
8:20-8:30 – Closing ceremony and clean-up

Announcements: We have developed a new method for the way announcements are to be conducted: There will be 3×5 cards on the back table. Print your announcement on the card before the meeting and give it to the SPL. He will read your announcement during the announcement time. Be sure to print your name on the card, so if anybody has any additional questions or needs more information, they know who to go to.

Welcome!

A good way to start the new year. With the brand new Troop 41 website. There’s still a lot of work to do and a lot of possibilities for making into a site we all can use and benefit from. Whats up works but needs some tweaking. The best way to do that is to start using it and address fixes as we see how it will work best for us. So any contributions will be appreciated. I can give accounts to any that would like to help. I will be also looking for some boys to help me administrate the workings of the site and coordinate contributions. So please let me know if you are interested and also keep me informed of any problems or questions so we can address them.

So here’s to a new year and a new tool for the troop.

Your humble Admin.