The FORUMVenturing, Sea Scouting and Exploring Newsletter since 2003

May 2016 Issue

0416 Central Point Newsletter Highlights0516 Central Region Renddezvous

Sea Scouting Frequently Asked Questions—OverviewSea Scouting Strategic Plan w Commodore’s Corner0616 William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup Updated2016 Sea Scout Seal Courses2016-17 National Sea Scout BoatswainNational Venturing Update0216 Exploring Newsletter1016 National Outdoor Ethics Conference0716 VenturingFest 2016Northern Tier—Lone VoyageurNontern Tier—Staff Recruitment

Crew 276 ventures out to New York CityCrew 276 Goes Rock ClimbingCrew 27 series of Large Crew articlesCrew 27 an article on Large Crews-PrigramPatriot’s Path VEX adVENTUREeNCAC Venturing Summer CampNER Sea Badge Course Course Nov 18-20, 2016EagleBase CampNER Winter Telegraph Newsletter Highlights

0716-Venturing / Explorer High Adventure Camp2016 Lumpkin Adventure Base

0716-Western Region Law Enforcement ConferenceArcadia Mayor’s Breakfast

The Current FORUM Newsletter:http://www.minsi-southmountain.com/newsletters/current_forum.php

The Current FORUM Attachmentshttp://www.minsi-southmountain.com/newsletters/~forum_attach.php

The FORUM Back Issueshttp://www.minsi-southmountain.com/venturing_archive.htm

This issue’s attachments include:

0416-Central Point Newsletter0516 Central Region Renddezvous FlyerArea 6 Spring Ice Breaker Booklet

Resolution Amending the ByLaws to Identify Sea Scoutingas a Separate ProgramSBR Scoutreach NewsletterNew Sea Scout Advancement RequirementsSea Scouting Frequently Asked Questions—Fact SheeySea Scouting Commodore's Corner2013 Venturing Standard Operating Procedures Current2015 Council Standard for Venturing Excellance Award2015 Goal Setting Time Management for Venturing Crews2015 Mentoring for Venturing Crews Facilitator Guide2015 National Outdoor Awards Program2015 National Youth Leadership Society2015 Registration Age Requirements2015 Venturing Board of Review Guide2015 Venturing Ethical Controversies2015 Venturing Program FAQ Update 0127150616 Exploring Summerfest Factsheet0717 31st Asia Pacific Regional Jamboree2015 Venturing Awards and RecognitionsVenturing Terms Lets get it Right

Winter Telegraph Newsletter Highlights0516 Area 5 Venturing Rendezvovs Flyer

2016 Lumpking High Adventure Base Program Guide

WR Law Enforcement Conference Guide

The April 2016 edition of the Central Point, the Central Region Venturing newsletter,written by the Central Region's Venturing Officers is now available on our website

at http://crventuring.org/Home/Newsletters/

Central Point newsletter is in FORUM downloads/

Highlights Include

The Next National Venturing President Going Above and Beyond

Central Region Sea Scout Rendezvous Area 4 Update

VenturingFest Info Venturing Leadership Awards

Advisor's Minute President's Corner

Area Pages

2016 CENTRAL REGION RENDEZVOUSThe Rendezvous is open to all Sea Scouts, Venturers, Explorers,and Boy Scouts at least 14 years old.

WhenThe Rendezvous is May 21, 2016. Events begin at 9:00 AM onSaturday and the closing Bridge of Honor will conclude around8:00. Come early on Saturday and eat breakfast.

WhereThe Rendezvous will be at Camp Illinek on Lake Springfield off of Iron Bridge Rd.To get to Camp Illinek take exit 90 (Toronto Rd) off of I-55. If you are comingfrom St. Louis, the camp is only 90 minutes from the Arch!

Cost $22 per person This includes 3 meals, a t-shirt, and program.Camping Option $4/night includes tent camping field, modern restrooms, andmeals.Staff $15 per person This includes 3-5 meals (Friday evening thru

Sunday morning),T-shirt, modern restrooms, indoor sleeping facilities to the first 20+/- volunteersand program.

Registration on line www.alincolnbsa.org

What to ExpectExpect nothing less than a wet and wild weekend, we guarantee that

there is no better way kick off your summer! Check in and breakfast will open at8:00 AM Saturday with an opening events beginning at 9:00. The day will endwith a traditional Bridge of Honor and a bonfire by the lake

Fun AwaitsSailing Races and Sailing Instruction Boating TriathlonCardboard Canoe Races Paddle-less Canoe racesCanoe Tug-of-War Kayak & Canoe RacesWater Games BarbequeAnd much more

AccommodationsCamping with modern amenities is available Friday and Saturday nights. Therewill be limited program (movie and casino night) because of event setup, but asnack will be served on Friday night along with breakfast on Sunday.

ContactsJohn Nelson, District Executive Venturing/Exploring

John.Nelson@scouting.org 217-529-2727Lev Renoylds, Commodore Central Region Area 3 leveringr@aol.comBob Schmidt, Volunteer Abraham Lincoln Council blsmitty1@yahoo.comAbraham Lincoln Council askabe@scouting.org

See Detail Flyer in FORUM Downloads

Law Enforcement Post-107 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Celebrated their 50thAnniversary with the Exploring program

William I. Koch International Sea Scout Cup is scheduled for July 30 -August 6, 2016 in Long Beach, California. Region qualifiers for teamsare being conducted between now and late fall 2015.

If you have Sea Scouts who would like to compete in the 2016international event, they must compete in one of their region’s regattaqualifiers to be considered. We also need adults and youth to serveon the staff for the event. For more details about competing orserving on staffFor more details go to http://seascoutcup.org/

Sea Scouts“High-Adventure on, in, under or around the water”

National Sea Scout Strategic Plan “SMART”Top Priorities - 2016

"Membership, Membership, Membership!"

S M A R T

S SHIPSM MEMBERSHIPSA ADULTSR RETENTIONT TECHNOLOGY

SHIPSEstablish a program to organize new ships

Identify new ship organizers Provide mentors to leaders of new ships Provide packaged information for new leaders, new ships, new chartered

partners and for councils that lack Sea Scout experience in order that theycan deliver our program

Establish a nationwide mentoring program for new Ships

MEMBERS Achieve a membership and ship growth of 2% in Sea Scouts annually Establish a national membership outreach campaign Expand the use of current technology and social media to attract new mem-

bers to Sea Scouts (duplicate)

ADULTSRecruit New Adults at ALL Levels

Boost volunteerism by building and expanding relationships with Sea Scoutalumni

Develop and implement a plan to stay connected to 21 and older alumni Build a database for alumni tracking Enable alumni to register on seascout.org as former Sea Scouts, Quarter-

masters, SEAL and Koch Cup participants Publicize sub-committee needs and opportunities to serve for Sea Scout vol-

unteers

Sea Scouts“High-Adventure on, in, under or around the water”

National Sea Scout Strategic Plan “SMART”Top Priorities - 2016

"Membership, Membership, Membership!"

S M A R T

S SHIPSM MEMBERSHIPSA ADULTSR RETENTIONT TECHNOLOGY

RETENTIONKEEP EXISTING SHIPS AND MEMBERS

Enhance retention Reach out to Scouts to find out why they stay involved, or why they left Develop and maintain a robust Sea Scout website (duplicate) Use innovation and technology to provide consistent, timely communication

of national, regional, area events, programs, activities, etc

TECHNOLOGY Communicate effectively with our youth and leaders Develop and maintain a robust Sea Scout website (duplicate) Enable volunteers and youth to communicate, collaborate and share best

practices and innovative ideas to enhance Sea Scouting in delivering its pro-gram

Expand the use of current technology and social media to attract new mem-bers to Sea Scouts (duplicate)

Note: We'll talk more about the strategic plan in future editions of theCommodore's Corner.

NOTE Commodore's Corner is in FORUM attachments

PhilmontGrowing Venturing In Your Crew and CouncilThe Venturing A-L-P-S program model builds on success from the past and provides a frame-work for a dynamic program of adventure, leadership, personal growth, and service; groundedin a flexible program of continuous, youth-led adventure with the new recognition systemproviding Venturers with benchmarks of progress. Using this program model as a frameworkfor supporting your crew’s program and for establishing council support for crew programneeds forms the heart of this conference. This conference is designed for crew advisors, crewcommittee members, crew officers, VOA officers, VOA advisors, council Venturing committeemembers, and Venturing Commissioners.

AvailabilityWeek 1: June 5-11Week 8: July 24-30Week 10: August 7-13

Venturing Blast!Inviting all key Area youth leaders and adult advisors to a new training experience! Partici-pants will be able to join with other leaders from across their region to network, build friend-ships, discover more of the ALPS program model, and develop skills to help Areas support anexplosive Venturing program that will recruit and retain youth in their Councils! But, this isn’tyour typical classroom course. Ditch the projector and immerse yourself in the beauty of PTCwhile enjoying some exciting adventures at Philmont.

AvailabilityWeek 6: July 10-16Week 7: July 17-23

SummitDYNAMIC VENTURING PROGRAMMING - July 11 – July 15If you are involved in Venturing, come and learn firsthand how you can take on the challengeand fun of strengthening your Venturing program. Develop skills to help support an explosiveVenturing program that will recruit and retain youth in local councils! This course is for allVenturing leaders at the unit, district, or council level.REGISTRATION FEE: $475

VenturingFest 2016

You’ve been patiently waiting and now we’ve got the detailsyou’ve be clamoring for –VenturingFest 2016 (previously knownas AdventureFest) is the first national gathering of Venturers atthe Summit Bechtel Reserve and it’s set for July 31 to August 5,2016.This six-day High-Adventure excursion invites participants toexplore the best that the Summit has to offer. Activitiesinclude rock climbing, skateboarding, BMX biking, water sports,shooting sports, zip lines, challenge courses, and so muchmore.

What You Need to Know to Start Planning Your TripVenturingFest is $400 for youth participants and $300 for adults. Fees include meals(Monday breakfast through Friday breakfast), campsite (with showers, dining flies & Wi-Fi),tents, cots, and all program equipment. Final payment is due no later than June 1 and all paidfees are nonrefundable. This special event is open to registered Venturers, Sea Scouts, BoyScouts (14+) and adult leaders. Groups must be no smaller than seven participants and mustinclude at least five youth and two adults. There is no maximum group size.

How to Attend VenturingFest 2016To register, simply fill out the VenturingFest 2016 Reservation Form. Once completed you’llreceive an email advising you when it has been processed along with information on how tosubmit your unit’s non-refundable deposit. For more information headtowww.summitbsa.org/venturingfest.Have a question not covered here? Please reach out to venturingfest@scouting.org foradditional information. What are you most looking forward to about this unique Venturingevent at the Summit? Tell us in the comments below!

Go Nomad! (This is not a cheer for your local sports team)

Go Nomad is the theme for the 2017 Asia/PacificRegion (APR) Jamboree being hosted by the Mongolian ScoutAssociation in late July, early August 2017. Nomads wanderand roam the countryside and this is still the habit for aboutone half of the population of Mongolia.

Mongolia is about one quarter the size of the USA butwe have 100 times the population so that going around inMongolia it seems very large and empty. About one half oftheir three million population live in the capital city of UlaanBaatar (there are many acceptable spellings of this name inEnglish).

The Jamboree is goingto held just outside the citylimits of the capital city in the national children's center, a facility builtby the Soviets in the late 1970s. The theme of Jamboree will celebrateMongolian culture which includes horse riding, camel riding, archeryand other cultural activities and exchanges including a visit to thedinosaur museum. Did you know that more dinosaur remains havebeen found in Mongolia than anywhere else?

It is expected that about 10,000 Scouts from APR Scoutingorganizations and other countries will be in attendance.

The weather in Mongolia has two extremes, very hot and verycold. July and August is the hot part and temperatures are usually inthe high 90s and dry.

Although the Jamboree is short in duration, the BSA contingentwill be gone roughly three weeks. Here's the plan: We will travel in a

group, probably leaving from Salt Lake City to Beijing, China. A three day stop in Beijing to visit theForbidden City, the Great Wall and other sites then board the train for an exciting overnight ride toUlaan Baatar. Arrive in Mongolia and move directly to the Jamboree site.

Since Mongolia is so spread out the post Jamboree stay is planned for five days. This will offerthe opportunity for home stay, sight seeing in UB (even the Mongolians shorten it) and side trips tovarious points of interest around the country. There will be an opportunity to develop a menu ofoptions for visiting coming in future updates.

One must see is the giant (80 meter high) statue of Gengis Khan built on the site where he got hisvision to spread conquer the world.

UB is a modern city in the midst of rapid growth. A special Scouting connection is that the leadarchitect for the design team on both the new international airport and the largest building in thecountry is a Scout and served as an International Camp Staff member in Camp Daniel Boone, NC in2009.

After the Jamboree and visiting afterwards, we will fly directlyfrom UB back through Beijing to Salt Lake City and then to your hometowns. This travel will require both a valid US passport with at least sixmonths remaining before the expiration date and a Chinese visa. Mongoliadoes not require a visa for short stays.

Head of contingent for this trip is Pete Armstrong,28-654-9920,peteberet@aol.com. This event is a Daniel Boone Council event not aBSA national event.

Since this is the bottom line I will tell you what I believe will be thebottom line, $3000 all inclusive. Unfortunately this is an estimate becauseit is still too early to make the travel plans.

My ship just held a “First Aid Training Weekend,” mainly because it wasone of the last sign offs I needed to achieve the rank of Able, but also so thateveryone else could learn first aid. One of our Scout moms, Melissa, and ourSkipper led “First Aid Training Weekend.”

Although she is already a practicing veterinarian, Melissa needed to go tothe island of Oahu and take a course to become a certified Red Cross First AidInstructor. They do not have the course here on Kauai, the island where we live.Our Ship also purchased a CPR mannequin and a professional first aid kit for the

class.Ready for first aid training

So, Sea Scout Ship Decisive, SeaScout Ship Kia’iokekai and also theYacht Club youth sailing kids joinedtogether for this event, there were overa dozen kids in all.

We learned how to perform first aidby watching a slide show and takingnotes. Then our instructors set up livestations for different first aid situationsand CPR. First they taught us how todo CPR and then how to apply first aidwith a different situation at each

station; like someone who fell off a cliff, had a heart attack, broke a bone,someone who is bleeding, burns, andheat exhaustion. After that we neededto face the situation stations on our ownand apply first aid while the adultssupervised us.

At the end of the weekend therewas a live action packed scenario where6 victims were in trouble and fourrescuers assisted them. The victims allneeded help at the same time; includingsomeone who fell and had a spine injury,someone who had heat exhaustion, atwisted ankle, even someone floatingsilently face down in the water, (whichwas totally unexpected and surprising). We had to be aware and act fast. Firstwe had to see who needed help the most and then act upon each situationin order of severity. It was exciting and we learned to keep calm and act quicklyin stressful situations. We were then critiqued by our instructors on ourperformance.

First Aid kit for the class

First some classroom training

Frequently Asked QuestionsSea Scout Resolution

March 24, 2016Frequently asked questions regarding the effects of the

Sea Scout Resolution.

If you have specific questions that are not addressed in theFORUM Download Sea Scout Fact Sheet, please send an emailmessage to nationalcommodore@seascout.org.Answers to those questions will be used to generate the nextset of FAQs.

The BSA National Executive Board, on February 10, 2016,adopted a resolution "...to make Sea Scouts a separateprogram with the same status of other programs." "CubScouting, Boy Scouting, and Varsity Scouting are for boys.Venturing and Sea Scouting are for young men and youngwomen."

Sea Scouting looks forward to your Questions.

February 2016 Edition

BREAKING NEWS……

EXPLORERS AT THE SUMMIT 2016!

This summer Explorers will be invited to attend camp at the Summit! As the premier outdoor high adventure venue,

what teenager wouldn’t want to experience everything the Summit has to offer? More importantly, Explorers from all career fields who attend the Summit this summer will participate in the new Exploring Leadership Certificate training. Their feedback will impact how this new recognition is finalized and released to the field. More info coming soon!

Looking for TRAINING opportunities?

STARTING THIS MONTH

EXPLORING EXPLOSION VILT’s (Virtual Instructor Lead Training)

In preparation for and during your Exploring Explosion campaign, theNational Service Center has developed a series of VILT’s that will focus around the: 4-Phase Program Start Up. There will be a VILT focused on each phase: Phase 1- Research,Phase 2 - Leadership, Phase 3 - Program, and Phase 4 - Participation

Register at http://bit.ly/2016LFLwebinars

EXPLORING AND LFL PROGRAMS: Best Practices and Strategies- PTC

Participants will learn how to identify and fill the needs of local schools and businesses by using the total package of in- school and Exploring programs. You’ll learn how to fund and sustain these programs to achieve the maximum benefit to both the youth and the organizations who serve youth. District and Council Key 3s, commissioners at all levels and district and council committee members with Exploring and Learning for Life responsibilities are encouraged to attend. Faculty will include National Learning for Life volunteers and professionals who will share best practices and strategies.

Availability- Week 8: July 24-30 click here

BREAEAEAAAAKING NEWEWEWWS……

This summer Explorers will be invited to attend camp at the Summit! As the premier outdoor high adventure venue,

what teenager wouldn’t want to experience everything the Summit has to offer? More importantly, Explorers from all career fields who attend thewhat teenager wouldn’t want to experience everything the Summit has to offer? More importantly,

February 2016 Edition

TRAVELING EXPLORING CERTIFICATION

In lieu of the Exploring Road Show, the National Exploring Team will be traveling to each area across the country to facilitate the Exploring Certification course during 2016. In an effort to support councils in their participation in the 2016 Exploring Explosion national growth campaign, there will be no course fee. For booking locations contact Tim.Anderson@lflmail.org. For all other questions contact Brooke.Parkinson@lflmail.org. To register go to bit.ly/2016certifications.

Check the registration site periodically as new dates and locations for the 2016 traveling Exploring Certification course will be added as they are scheduled with the area directors.

LEARNING FOR LIFE CURRICULUM BASED CERTIFICATION

This course will be offered twice, in addition to the dates and locations in conjunction with DOB listed above.

Tuesday, May 24 | San Diego, CA at NAM | Register during NAM registration

Monday, Sept 12 – Tues Sept 13 | Louisville, KY at Lincoln Heritage Council

Register at: bit.ly/2016certifications Call 972-580-2432 or email Brooke.Parkinson@lflmail.org for more information.

MONTHLY VIRTUAL TRAININGS

For those looking for a quick update and review of some of the basic parts and processes of Exploring and Learning for Life Curriculum Based programs – these webinars will meet your needs. Both professionals and volunteers are invited to participate. Please share this schedule with your volunteers. Contact Kristen.Falatko@lflmail.org for more information. Register online at http://bit.ly/2016LFLwebinars

EXPLORERS CAN NOW EARN COLLEGE CREDIT!

Exploring, in partnership with Pearson Education, is excited to offer Law Enforcement Explorers college-level courses. After completing the courses, your Explorers will receive college credit (from the American Council on Education) towards earning a degree in Criminal Justice. The attached Learning for Life Digital Booklet will provide the details and steps to enroll. In addition, all Explorers under the age of 18 must have their parents’ approval and signatures on the attached consent form.

This is an excellent opportunity to start earning a college degree at a discounted fee for all of our Law Enforcement Explorers. Please use the attached letter to spread the word. PLEASE NOTE: Explorers 18 and over can pay/register for Propero courses at www.propero.org/learning - we've asked them (in the Learning for Life Digital Booklet) to contact their local Exploring office for this URL information. All Explorers under the age of 18 will first need to submit their Propero Parent and Student Consent form to learningconsent@pearson.com before this URL will be provided by Pearson.

Please see associated Propero attachments – these will soon be available on exploring.learningforlife.org

Learn what it’s like to work at the world’s largest canoe base.

The staff at Northern Tier come from all over the world. They bringwith them a unique set of skills, talents, and an enthusiasm for theoutdoors. Northern Tier’s diverse and qualified staff work as a team andannually deliver the wilderness experience of a lifetime to thousands ofyouth and adults.

The incredible part about joining the staff at NorthernTier is attaining valuable life experiences. Aside from the hard skills, likefirst aid and canoeing techniques, there are many personal skills staff learnwhile on the job, including time and people management. Don’t wait tohone your outdoor and teaching skills.

Visit NTier.org/Jobs to learn how you can tour theNorthwoods this summer!

Lone VoyageurWant to attend Northern Tier but your troop or Venturing Crew can’tmake it this year? No problem. The Lone Voyageur program allowsVenturers to attend Northern Tier as part of a provisional crew –Northern Tier will provide qualified adult leadership. This program isoffered out of Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base and lets youparticipate in a seven-day trip through the pristine Quetico ProvincialPark and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

COST$600 PER PERSON

2016 SUMMER SESSIONSJUNE 8 – JUNE 15

JUNE 19 – 26

JUNE 29 – JULY 6

JULY 13 – JULY 20

AUGUST 3 – AUGUST 10

A round-trip shuttle from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is included in your fee.

Call 218.365.4811 for more information.

Older venture scouts and/or sea scouts should also consider joining the Northern Tier team for the greatestsummer of their lives! Visit http://ntier.org/Jobs or email Jobs@Ntier.org.

Announcement 2016-2017

National Sea Scout Boatswain

The National Sea Scout Support Committee announces the

selection of Rachel West of Georgetown, Texas as the

2016-2017 National Sea Scout Boatswain. Her term of

office is June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2017. She is a

member of Ship 911, SSS Response, chartered by the San

Gabriel Presbyterian Church of the Capitol Area Council,

Boy Scouts of America.

Rachel will represent Sea Scouts from across the United States as the youth representative on the National Sea Scout Committee. She will report to the National Commodore and the National Director of Sea Scouts. She will serve as the liaison with the Regional Boatswains’ and other youth leaders. Rachel has earned the Able rank in Sea Scouts, and is working on completion of the requirements for the Quartermaster Award. During her tenure in Sea Scouts, she has served her ship as Ship Boatswain and Yeoman, Council Boatswain Mate, and as the Southern Region Area 3 Vice President of Sea Scouting. She has earned her Venturing Silver, Council and Area Venturing Leadership Awards, top Sea Scout in the San Gabriel District, and was selected as a delegate to Report to the State of Texas. She has served Scouting in many leadership positions, as well as others in the community. She has been active with Venturing, served on camp staff as Waterfront Staff, Senior Patrol Leader for the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), Council Venturing Officer’s Association Vice President, and youth representative for Seabadge Texas 2015. Rachel has taken many training programs in support of her involvement in leadership. She has taken and served on staff for NYLT, Trainers’ EDGE, and NAYLE (National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience). She has further developed her skills by completing America’s Boating Course, Seamanship, Piloting, and Advanced Piloting as an Apprentice member of the United States Power Squadrons, BSA Lifeguard, Effective Quarterdeck Training, and SEAL (Sea Scout Experience for Advanced Leadership). Her passion in Scouting is with teaching and helping others. In school, she is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Mu Alpha Theta and Orchestra. Her plans are to attend the University of Texas at Austin next year as a biology major, with a minor in business. Rachel’s goal in serving as the National Boatswain is to make a difference. She will represent all youth in the program from around the country. Her aspirations include expanding the program by helping to guide the formation of additional ships and expanded opportunities for all Sea Scouts. She wants to be the voice of change to help youth see what they can do through the program.

Join us in congratulating Rachel West in her selection as the 2016 - 2017 National Sea Scout Boatswain!

COURSE INFORMATION FOR SEAL 2016

Northeast Region SL-71-MD-2016

Date: June 25 - July 3, 2016 Location: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Vessel/type: SSTV Der PeLiKan (44' Morgan ketch) Cost: $280

Southern Region SL-72-TX-2016 Date: July 1 - 9, 2016 Location: Galveston Bay, Texas Vessel/type: SSTV Gremlin (38' Little Harbor) Cost: $250

Western Region SL-73-WA-2016 Date: July 6 - 15, 2016

Location: San Juan Islands-Seattle, Washington Vessel/type: SSTV Argo (40’ Mark 4 Shore Launch motor ) Cost: $280

Northeast Region SL-74-NY-2016 Date: July 7 - 17, 2016 Location: Long Island Sound, New York Vessel/type: SSTV Resolution (Hinckley 40 Bermuda yawl) Cost: $280

Northeast Region SL-75-MD-2016 Date: July 23 - 31, 2016 Location: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Vessel/type: SSTV Der PeLiKan (44' Morgan ketch) Cost: $280

2016 BSA National Outdoor Ethics ConferenceOctober 6-8, 2016Camp Tracy, Salt Lake City, Utah2016 Theme: "Step Up"http://outdoorethics-bsa.org/OEconference/

The Conference topics include:Delivering the Outdoor Ethics program in your Councils, working

across the multiple levels of our councils (unit, district, council staffand volunteer leadership)

Information/updates on Outdoor Ethics advancementrequirements, Awareness and Action awards, program implementation.

New science-based studies to support what is being promoted as"best practices".

Everyone is welcome, in particular anyone interested in Leave No Trace,Tread Lightly!, BSA Outdoor Ethics programs, and sharing thisinformation within their council/district/units.

Most of the attendees are serving as an Outdoor Ethics Advocate in theirCouncil, Area, or District, but this is not a requirement.

We have posted a lot more information about the BSA Outdoor Ethicsprograms on our task force web site: http://outdoorethics-bsa.org/Information and resources there include contacts in councils across thecountry and information about upcoming Leave No Trace and TreadLightly! Courses.

David O'LearyBSA Outdoor Ethics Task Force

Venturing Crew 276 Goes Rock ClimbingBy Katie

Recently, Venturing Crew 276traveled to the indoor rock climbingwalls at Rockville Climbing Center inHamilton, New Jersey. We arrivedafter closing and were fortunate tohave the building to ourselves. Weclimbed into the wee hours of thenight, only stopping to eat. A feastof pizza, meatballs, and cheesecakefilled our bellies. Then we decidedto tackle the climbing walls again.After a few more treks to the top ofthe wall we began to get tired. Wedecided to take a brief rest from theclimbing adventures. We played agame or two of Ultimate Frisbeewhile we rested.

At one o’clock we finally decided tocall it a night. We climbed into oursleeping bags, tired and worn out.Morning arrived much sooner thanour sore bodies wanted, and after anutritious breakfast of oatmeal,

bagels, cheesecake and brownies, we took some time to work on afew requirements for the Venturing Award. At 9 am our caravandeparted from Rockville Climbing Center for our trip home. We allagreed that this trip was well worth the aching muscles. “I have beenclimbing once before but, this time was a lot more fun.” said KatieReidmiller. A return trip is most definitely in our future!

Venturing is a youth development program of the Boy Scouts ofAmerica for young men and women who are 14, or 13 years of age andcompletion of the eighth grade. through 20 years of age. VenturingCrew 276 meets monthly in Byram Township at the LakelandEmergency Squad building. More information on the crew can befound at venturecrew276.com.

Large CrewsA series of articles

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

Program is the most important element of a strong Senior Division Unit (Venturing, SeaScouting and Exploring). Without program that is interesting and fun for the Venturers, Explorers andSea Scouts, any Unit will flounder and fail. For this reason, Dr. Pete Mapes leads off a series of articlesthis month on Large Crews with a discussion of Program. Over the next several months he will followup with articles on Large Unit Operations, Recruiting and Youth Leadership. Stay tuned for a peek atwhat turned into the largest Venturing Crew in the fourth largest Council in BSA!

Northeast Region Crew 8 World Scout Jamboree 2015Crew Advisor Dr Pete Mapes and a group from Crew 27

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

I am fortunate to be associated with a remarkable group of young adults who form VenturingCrew 27 in the National Capital Area Council. Their motivations range from a passionate love of theoutdoors to a grudging admission that what they do with the Crew is probably good for them. In fact,the only motivation that consistently NEVER works is when a parent or guardian MAKES them join.We get about three of those a year and it never works. The reason that nearly all of our Venturersshow up – is PROGRAM. Crew 27 is currently the largest Venturing Crew in the Council (4th largestCouncil in the USA) and has 55 youth members.

First you need to understand that we are an‘Outdoor Crew.’ This is not what Scouting bills as‘High Adventure’ although we do sometimes strayinto that realm. Our focus is getting outside to dothings together; we seek friendship and adventurewhile emphasizing leadership and service. Throughthis, we obtain personal growth, teamworkdevelopment and a real sense of accomplishment; allwhile having a ‘ton of fun.’ That is one of thesecrets, it has to be fun.

Crew program is published over a year inadvance. It includes Crew meeting dates and activi-ties. We do retain flexibility though. For instance,we didn't include the upcoming northeast region,area-6 activity 'Phenomenon' in our annual plan butas it drew near, a number of our Venturers decidedthey wanted to attend. One of the Venturers volun-teered as the activity chair a week before the cutofffor event registration and it was 'off to the races.'

In general, meetings occur every otherweek and last for 90 minutes. Meetings shouldaddress business and, when possible include agame or a guest speaker. Our published Crewprogram ends at the end of August each year. Ournew officers are elected at the end of January eachyear as our Crew recharters. One of the first tasksof the new President is to construct the next Crewactivity schedule lasting from the end of August inthe year of election through the end of August inthe following year. Each month from Septemberthrough May there should be two or three Crewmeetings, at least one MiniCrew meeting for eachMiniCrew and at least one overnight Crewactivity. Publishing a solid schedule over a year inadvance is CRITICAL to the success of a Crew.The Crew President presents the schedule to theCrew Committee each year and when theCommittee approves it, they are telling the Crewthat the Committee will support the events with any necessary resources, people, equipment and funds.The Crew schedule should also include First Aid/CPR classes, Crew Officer Orientation, PersonalSafety Training, ILS(C), NYLT, Time Management Training, Project Management Training and Ser-

John Henry's Tunnel 2013NSJ

Crew 27 at an Awesome Venturers Arena Show

NER-Crew 27 Master Schedule 2016-17 is in FORUM Attachments

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

MiniCrew = Patrol; with the difference being that with 7 to 10 Venturers each, our MiniCrewsare the size of full sized Crews in Venturing. Two 'Guides' serve as MiniCrew leaders. One iselected, the other appointed by the one who was elected. They function like the President andVice President of normal sized Crews.. We call them Guides because the current VenturingProgram has no allocation for a Patrol Leader equivalent!

Everything needed for obtaining awards through Summit and the RANGER Rank needs to bemade available and the Venturers have to be able to count on it occurring. Venturers are very busypeople and if they cannot plan ahead, they will not show up. Our local Service Area VOA failedessentially on this very point – the lack of a long range schedule – our Council VOA has similarproblems – no published long range schedule.

Picking activity chairs is a crucial function for the Crew. In general, the President asks forvolunteers about three months out from an event during the Crew meeting. It then falls to the VicePresident for Program to follow up and make sure the volunteers are complying with the checklist inthe Venturing Handbook and getting everything done. This makes sure under-performing Venturersare identified and either helped or replaced before their performance impacts a Crew event. Realizethat being an activity chair is an incremental learning opportunity. The activity chair can delegatemenu planning to a Venturer working on the RANGER cooking requirement. The activity chair needsto be sure everyone has space in a tent, the permission form is prepared a month ahead and circulated,the tour permit is filed, the cost of the event is established and the money and receipts are collected andturned in to the Treasurer. This is in addition to coordinating with the venue and making sure all thepermissions are obtained and everyone is included in the communications loop. Activity chairs consultThe Guide to Safe Scouting and ensure their adult volunteers have the necessary training to supportthe activity. They also ensure the presence of both male and female adults for the event duration andask the Committee for assistance if it is needed to get information for the tour permit or assure thatsomeone with required training is present. Being an activity chair is a big job. For the summer adven-ture trip, we usually form a committee of at least three Venturers because it is such a big task.

Summers are very successful programperiods for the Crew as a whole. In general, ourfirst week of summer in late June consists ofoffering either Girl’s State or Boy’s State to ourrising high school seniors. The Crew does this inconjunction with either the American LegionAuxiliary or the American Legion and raisesdonations to support our young adults who wish toattend. For the remainder of the Crew, the optionexists for them to provide service at a District CubScout Day Camp during the week of Boy’s andGirl’s State.

Grace at at Girls’ State

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

The second week of summer sees the Crewdepart for the Venturing program at GoshenScout Reservation. The Crew attends theVenturing Program conducted at CampBowman. This week is generally the last frag-ment of June and the first few days of July. InBase camp, the Venturers live in MiniCrew sizecampsites. There is no dining hall so all food isprepared in the campsite. Most new Venturersare working on the first half of the RANGERrank. They have completed American Red CrossFirst Aid, CPR & AED before arriving at camp.They complete their camp cooking requirements(we eat very well with all those Dutch ovendishes) and work on Wilderness Survival andLand Navigation for Core requirements. Theyalso spend three hours each morning in COPE

(Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) so they can do the first part of the RANGER COPEelective. If you would like to see a video about the Venturing Base Camp Program at Camp Bowman,watch: https://www.facebook.com/GOSHENNCAC

The third week of summer sees the Crew continue at Venturing Camp with the new Venturerscontinuing at the Camp Bowman Base Camp and the experienced Venturers either teaching base campor donning a pack and heading out into the mountains for a week as part of Goshen’s Lenhok’sinprogram. In base camp, the Venturers complete COPE by teaching at the morning and afternooncourses on at least one day. They then take on a second elective like Lifeguarding, Ecology,Conservation, Shooting Sports on one of many other options so that they leave their first two weeks atcamp halfway to RANGER. Crew 27 recognizes the accomplishment of Venturers completing fourcore and two elective RANGER requirements by awarding an ‘Outdoor Bronze’ Award. No longer anofficial, nationally recognized rank, the Crew’s Outdoor Bronze Award recognizes the recipient asbeing half way to RANGER. If you want to read about the Bowman Base Camp experience, go to theCrew web site: kensington27.mytroop.us and download the .pdfs titled:‘FORUM0914Bowman2014Emma.pdf’ and ‘GOSHEN2015FORUM1015.pdf’.

During Lenhok’sin, Venturers cover 50 to 80 miles carrying everything on their backs. They doservice projects in the wilds like cleaning up hunting camps, and hike to places accessible only on footin the North Mountain Wildlife Management Area and the Goshen Wildlife Management Area or theWashington and Jefferson National Forest that abut the Goshen Scout Reservation. They purifysurface water to drink and exist completely without prepared campsites while subsisting ondehydrated rations. In general, these expeditions consist of 8 to 10 Venturers (a MiniCrew) and twoadult advisors, sometimes three if a new advisor is being trained. The leader of the trek is a Venturerwho serves as the Crew leader. This summer the job falls to our Crew President because she is leadingthe Philmont trip as well. On the Lenhok’sin trek, Venturers cool their feet in gorgeous waterfalls, seewildlife in its habitat, take in glorious mountaintop views rising three thousand feet above the valleylowlands and really bond in an experience they treasure. Some Lenhok’sin bound Venturers designtheir Lenhok’sin program to add program alternatives like whitewater, caving, paddle boarding,mountain biking or a host of other options available at Lenhok’sin Trail Camp. If you want to readabout the Lenhok’sin experience, go to the Crew web site: kensington27.mytroop.us and downloadthe .pdfs titled: ‘FORUM1113draft.pdf’ and ‘FORUM0914Lenhoksin2014.pdf’.

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

There is a little secret to two weeks at camp for Scouts and Venturers. During the first week,they exceed their usual outing duration. This creates stress. People you could say ‘good bye’ to after aweekend overnight are still there Tuesday morning when you wake up, and you have to work withthem – even if they annoy you. Tensions usually peak Tuesday night and some storming occurs thatdegrades performance. From that point forward, the ability of the group to work together improvesand the second week at camp leads to much higher performance than the Crew experienced in the firstweek. This translates into better focus and more advancement achievement. Scout Units can seriouslybenefit from two consecutive weeks at camp. While this has fallen out of favor among Scout Troops,usually due to the difficulty freeing up adults to attend, the complexity of the Venturing advancementand experiences demands two consecutive weeks in the woods to build the requisite skills.

The Crew arrives home from VenturingCamp and the new Venturers go to National YouthLeadership Training (NYLT) the next day. TheCrew usually sends a dozen new Venturers eachyear. This year recruitment has been strong soseventeen are lined up to attend. NYLT is anintegral part of leadership skill instruction, practiceand development: essential to the operation of aCrew and an award requirement. The week-longresidential program provides training in logistics(menus and equipment), communication, planning,conflict resolution, teamwork and the patrol(MiniCrew) system essential for every Venturer tounderstand. Our Crew’s goal is to have everyoneNYLT trained in their first year of Venturing. Weonly miss one or two Venturers a year, usually due tofamily or sport program commitments.

After NYLT, the Crew prepares for either high adventure(Philmont, Northern Tier or equivalent) or a Jamboree. World Jambo-

rees occur every fouryears and NationalJamborees also occurevery four years so aCrew can schedule aJamboree every otheryear. Last year four-teen of our Venturerswent to Kirarahama,Japan as part of the 36 youth in Northeast Region’sVenturing Crew 8. Three more went as ISTs (Youthparticipants must be at least 14 and not yet 18 – ISTsare 18 and up). We also sent three adults as ISTs andone adult as a Regional Crew Advisor. They had agreat time. If you want to read about it, go to theCrew web site at kensington27.mytroop.us and down-load the three .pdfs that describe the experience.

BackwoodsView 2013 Lenhoksin

Arena Show 2013 National Jamboree

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

They are ‘Forum0815Shakedown.pdf’, ‘Forum0915.pdf’ & ‘Forum1015.pdf’. If youwant to see a video of what the 2015 World Scout Jamboree was like, go look at the seven minute videoat this site: www.23wsj.jp it is awesome! In 2013, we took 19 Venturers to the 2013 National ScoutJamboree. The 2013 National Jamboree was the first National Jamboree that allowed fullparticipation by Venturers – about 2,000 Venturers, 23,000 Scouts, 600 international Scouts andScouters and 8,000 staff attended. Of the 2,000 Venturers, half were young men and half were youngwomen. We got to camp with roughly 600 Scouts and leaders from 30 other countries around theworld – it was like a miniature World Jamboree. If you want to see what a National Jamboree is like,go look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdAoyKkaXbA National Jamborees areprogram based, World Jamborees are culturally based – they are very different experiences! One ofour Venturers wrote up her experience at the 2013 National Jamboree, go to the Crew web site atkensington27.mytroop.us and download the .pdf ‘FORUM1013.pdf’ that describes the experience. Thenext World Jamboree (The 24th) will be hosted by the three nations of North America at The SummitBechtel Reserve in West Virginia where the BSA National Jamborees are held. Go look atwww.2019wsj.org As a result; I think the 2017 National Scout Jamboree will be really super for Ven-turing as the number of foreign scouts camping with us is likely to soar as the world comes to check out

The Summit. If you want to go to the 2017 NationalScout Jamboree as a Venturer, don’t wait to sign up.Our Council allocation of two Crews is more thanhalfway full and we are still 16 months out from theJamboree. If your Council isn’t sending a Crew to the2017 National Jamboree, find a Council that is, andsign up with them. Since 2016 is a summer betweenJamborees, Crew 27 is launching a Philmont Expedi-tion. This generates lots of additional training andprogram for the Philmont bound Venturers and lead-ers to make sure they are ready to backpack. Thewhole process is lots of fun. The point is that we offerone major activity every summer at a national or in-ternational level outside of camp. Jamborees and highadventure are expensive so not everyone can afford go.For Venturers of limited means, we often spend twoyears helping them raise the money to attend Jambo-rees. This involves product sales like Scout popcorn,

jobs, donations and scholarships. Jamborees and high adventure activities are really capstone, once ina life-time experiences that change people for the better. We really strive to get everyone to at leastone.

After everyone returns from their highadventure/jamboree experience, the Crew doesan adventure trip every summer. Theadventure trip is a hodge podge of activitiesloosely organized around a theme.

Water Obstacles 2013National Jamboree

Venturers at Tokyo Museum2015 World Jamboree

Large CrewsPROGRAM

By Pete Mapes, NCAC Crew 27 Associate Advisor

Usually a committee of three Venturers puts this together. Last summer we spent a week inNew England with a Vermont focus, it was immense fun. If you want to read about it, go to the Crewweb site at kensington27.mytroop.us and download the .pdf describing the experience:‘Forum1015VTTRIP.pdf’. The summer before, we went to the eastern shore of Michigan’s lowerpeninsula and the theme was ‘In Search of Paul Bunyan.’ In 2013 we went to Ohio to learn aboutNative American History and visit the National Museum of the Air Force. In 2012 we did theShakedown at The Summit with two MiniCrews (16 Venturers and 4 adults). It was a serious goodtime! Each summer adventure trip is designed to be low cost ($200 - $250/person) and lots of fun. Wetry to coordinate a free place to camp – An aircraft hangar in Ohio, a backyard in Michigan, anotherbackyard in Vermont. We search out local Crews and offer them our backyards so they can have aninexpensive place to stay when they visit Washington D.C. It is a very cost effective trade and we lovemeeting Venturers from other parts of the country.

The whole Crew never shows up for any one activity and this is the advantage of a large Crew.If only 5 people (10% of the Crew show up), we still have a great time – if 10% of a Crew of tenVenturers showed up, the trip would get cancelled. Some of our weekend trips are also on the Crewweb site at kensington27.mytroop.us . Go take a look at them. A well-attended trip has 15 to 25participants. An expensive trip like our recent ski weekend to Timberline had six Venturers and twoadults. In general, we don’t cancel and we go with those who are interested. The weekend trips areusually low cost – about $25/person. For our low income families, we try to get wealthy families to helpcover the cost of the Venturers who want to come but cannot afford it. The Advisors work this issue.

I hope this article serves as a help for one way to do program for a large Crew. It wouldbe great if other successful Crews would share their programs in The Forum so all of the Senior Divi-sion Units (Explorers, Sea Scouts & Venturers) could benefit from their experiences.

Pete Mapes

Our author is the founding advisor of Crew 27 who served in that capacity for over 6 years.With the help of a committed committee and well trained associate advisors, the Crew 27adults have been able to empower a completely youth led Crew with massive program op-portunities and a uniquely effective organization. It is now the largest Crew in the fourthlargest Council in the BSA. Pete is a retired Air Force Pilot Physician who served as aCommand Pilot in B-52s & T-37s while simultaneously serving as a Chief Flight Surgeon (acredentialed and privileged doctor). He was on active military duty for 38 years. Pete isWood Badge Trained and holds the Scouter's Key as a Venturing Advisor as well at theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver Beaver & District Award of Merit. He and hiswife have three grown up children, both daughters were Venturers and hold Girl ScoutGold Awards, their son was also a Venturer and is an Eagle Scout.

Crew 27 Schedule – 2016/17Date Event Time Location Lead

Last printed 4/19/2016 6:02:00 PM ( ) placeholder, not confirmed1

5 Jun Pre Camp Potluck Picnic 1930 Mapes TBD12 Jun CLC 1930 Lisa’s Elisabeth19 Jun Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth19 Jun Boy’s & Girl’s State Begins TBD Wstmn/Salisb Pete20-24 Jun White Oak Cub Scout Day Camp TBD TBD TBD24 Jun Color Guard for Military Retirement 1330 NMMH Pete24 Jun Girl’s State ends25 Jun Boy’s State ends25 Jun Depart for Week 1 – Bowman 0730 Mapes Jessica29 Jun Second National Jamboree Payment of $512/participant due to Council Elisabeth

2 Jul Week 2 – Bowman/Lenhok’sin 0730 Mapes Lila/Elisabeth9 Jul Return From Camp 1330 Mapes10-15 Jul NYLT/Impeesa TBD Cheltenham, MD Chris17 Jul Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth

28 Jul – 9 Aug Philmont Trip 728-O Elisabeth31 Jul Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

10 Aug Philmont Trip Returns TBD Mapes Elisabeth12 Aug Meeting (Pack Crew Adventure) TBD Mapes Elisabeth13 – 21 Aug Annual Crew Adventure Trip 0730 Mapes/NRAO Amy/Mel/Brooke28 Aug End of Summer Picnic and Awards TBD TBD TBD

10-11 Sep Backpacking/Camping Trip TBD TBD TBD11 Sep Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth25 Sep Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth

1-2 Oct Bike Hike TBD TBD TBD9 Oct Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth23 Oct Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth

Nov 5-6 Spelunking (Fallback Plan: Nov 5- Horse Back Riding) TBD TBD6 Nov Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth20 Nov Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth

3-4 Dec National Park Service CentennialAntietam Battlefield Service 1000 Antietam Elisabeth

4 Dec Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth10 Dec Indoor Rock Climbing TBD TBD TBD18 Dec Meeting – Holiday Party TBD Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth31 Dec Third National Jamboree Payment of $513/participant due to Council Elisabeth

2017

14-15 Jan Winter Sports Campout TBD TBD TBD15 Jan Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth29 Jan Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist Elisabeth

11 Feb Shooting Sports Day TBD TBD TBD12 Feb Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD26 Feb Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

4 Mar Trampolining TBD TBD TBD12 Mar Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD26 Mar Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

9 Apr Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

Crew 27 Schedule – 2016/17Date Event Time Location Lead

Last printed 4/19/2016 6:02:00 PM ( ) placeholder, not confirmed2

22-23 Apr Geocaching/Backpacking Trip TBD TBD TBD23 Apr Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

7 May Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD21 May Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD27-28 May Beach Campout TBD TBD TBD

4 Jun Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD18 Jun Pre Camp Potluck Picnic TBD TBD TBD19-23 Jun White Oak Cub Day Camp TBD TBD TBD24 Jun Depart for Camp Bowman 0730 Twinbrk Baptist TBD

1 Jul Depart for Bowman/Lenhok’sin 0730 TBD TBD8 Jul Return From Camp 1330 TBD TBD16 Jul Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD18 Jul Departure Overnight for NSJ 1200 Camp Snyder Elisabeth19-28 JulNational Scout Jamboree All Day Summit Elisabeth30 Jul Meeting 1930 Twinbrk Baptist TBD30 Jul – 4 Aug Impeesa/NYLT TBD Cheltenham, MD TBD

4 Aug Return From Impeesa/NYLT TBD TBD TBD13 Aug Packing Meeting Annual Crew Trip TBD TBD TBD14 – 21 Aug Annual Crew Adventure Trip TBD TBD TBD27 Aug End of Summer Awards Picnic TBD TBD TBD

Notes:

Highlighted activities are new activities

Most weekend crew activities are lined up with the Montgomery County Public Schools Schedule for 3 day weekends.This way, the activity chair may choose to make the activity 3 days long. Also, transportation will become easier onparents. Scouts won’t necessarily be leaving late Friday night and will not have to set up in the dark.

Service Dates and Programs are yet to be added.Service Ideas:

Animal ShelterMANA Food AssistanceScouting for FoodBaltimore, MD Clean Up AssistanceAssistance with Troop Aviation (Pete Mapes)Goshen Bears

Venturing Crew 276 ventures out to New York City.By Stephen

Recently, Crew 276 spent the day in NewYork City. After commuting to the city andfinding a parking place, we walked through TimesSquare. We saw many actors in costume, saw somestreet performers and took some photos. Westopped in at the M&M store for some treats.While in the store, we saw a demonstration andlearned about the chocolate used. We even got tosample it in its less sweet, natural form.

After the M&M store, we went across thestreet to the Hershey store. You can probably tellthat our crew enjoys chocolate. In the store we gotto try some samples of the new chocolate they werecoming out with.

Next, we hiked over to our lunch destinationfor the day, Tony’s Di Napoli. While walking there,we stopped and watched the rehearsal for the

Chinese New Year celebration ceremony. We were interviewed by a Chinese TV reporter where welearned how to say "Happy Chinese New Year". One of our crew members got personally interviewedon camera. After the interview, we headed over to Tony’s Di Napoli for a great family style lunch.

After lunch, we hiked over to the discovery muse-um for the main part of our day, the Star Wars exhibit.The exhibit included the costumes used in every StarWars movie! Not only did the exhibit have the costumeson display, there were also many original props. Themuseum also had a short film, an interactive exhibit andof course, a gift shop.

After the museum, crew members explored theGuitar Center and Ben and Jerry's before headinghome. However, the night was not over.

After the NYC expedition, we had a crew movieand game night. There was game playing, movie watch-ing, snacks, drinks and, of course, chocolate. It was awonderful day that all crew members enjoyed.

Venturing is a youth development program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men andwomen who are 14, or 13 years of age and completion of the eighth grade. through 20 years of age. Ven-turing Crew 276 meets monthly in Byram Township at the Lakeland Emergency Squad building. Moreinformation on the crew can be found at venturecrew276.com

Scouts Venture out to Camp Somers for First Annual AdVENTUREeBy Patriots’ Path Council VEX Committee

On April 8-10, 2016, the Patriots' Path Council Venturing Exploring eXperience Committee(VEX) held its first annual AdVENTUREe. The AdVENTUREe is a council-run Venturing eventwhich was hosted at Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation in Stanhope, NJ. Crews from both withinand outside of Patriots’ Path Council participated in the excitement.

The program focused on high adventure activities and award requirements, all while beingincredibly fun. Sessions included pistol shooting, archery, ATV training and riding, COPE, anight-time rock wall climb, mountain biking, land navigation, wilderness survival and backwoodsengineering. Other activities included tomahawk throwing, dessert making, candy making, giantJenga and other games. In addition to all these activities, first aid, CPR and Venturing trainingcourses such as Project Management and Goal Setting and Time Management and were also offered

There were also STEM related activitiessuch as a HAM radio shack and a drone demon-stration throughout Saturday. In addition to thedemo, the pilot flew the drone and recorded theaction as it unfolded. From Friday night’s rockclimb, to ATV riding, to the pistol range andmore, the attendees got to review their participa-tion from an aerial perspective on the big screenduring the Saturday night camp fire program.

On Saturday, after a full day of activities,participants were encouraged to form teams andparticipate in the camp wide race. The camp widerace was a relay type race that tested Scoutingskills and knowledge, superhero trivia, puzzlesolving and more. After dinner on Saturdaynight, the crews and staff gathered around thecampfire for skits and songs performed by both

the youth staff and crew participants.

.

ATV Training and AdVENTUREe

Night-time rock wall climb

Scouts Venture out to Camp Somers for First Annual AdVENTUREeBy Patriots’ Path Council VEX Committee

The event was conceived, coordinated and executed by the youth members of the recentlyformed VEX committee. One of the goals of this committee is to expand the methods in which ourcouncil serves its current Venturing crews, ships, and Explorer posts. This event is one of manyprojects the committee will be using to fulfill this goal.

There were so many activities that every attendee and staff member was able to tailor theexperience to their interests. Staff member Ken S., said “I had a great time throwing tomahawks andbeing the MC for the campfire on Saturday night.”

Cassie M. said, “The camp wide race wasfun in how each team worked together toaccomplish a task. Overall, the AdVENTUREewas a hit and I am excited for next year.”

Stephen R. said, “Pistol shooting wasundoubtedly my favorite session of the day! Itwas great, because not only did we shoot atpaper targets, we got to test our sharpshootingskills on playing cards and bowling pins. Thepistol range was not only fun, but veryinformative thanks to the excellence of the in-structor staff. This was a great camping tripand was definitely one of my favorites.”

To learn more about Venturing and the VEX committee, visit the VEX committee’s website at:https://ppcbsa.org/committees/youth-executive/venturing-exploring-xperience/

Instruction and practice at the pistol range

Straight shhoers at the Archery Range

Nestled in the heart of Pennsylvania’s outdoor adventure mecca, theLaurel Highlands Council’s premier high adventure experience, EagleBase, offers summer adventures For Venturing Crews and older BoyScouts. Perfect for the novice and experienced high adventurecamper, our program is a base camp experience with a choice ofhighlight activities run by professional partner vendors and our staffduring the day and an assortment of evening programs. Campers areintroduced to many high adventure activities, trail cooking, wilder-ness camping, and trail equipment. Go caving and rappelling, shootsporting clays, whitewater raft, climb, kayak, and much, much more!For more information go to http://tinyurl.com/LHCEagleBase andcheck out the 2016 Heritage Reservation Guidebook.Check out this exciting Eagle Base video: https://youtu.be/-1onmxeoZFoContact Mike Manner, LHC Director of Camping, atmike.manner@scouting.org or 412-325-7914 for questions.

Hello, We are pleased to announce that the Winter 2016 Volume 20, Issue 1, edition of THE TELEGRAPH "The Voice of Sea Scouts in the Northeast Region" has been posted on our Northeast Region Sea Scout Website at http://www.nerseascout.org/ for your review, distribution, and reading pleasure. Please share this information with your Flotilla's Sea Scouts. This issue includes: Training Trifecta

SUNY Maritime by Deidre Buchner, Liberty Flotilla Chair Pine Tree by Ann Newman, Delaware Valley Flotilla Chair Catoctin by Skipper Todd Skiles, Ship 100 VA

NNJC Aviation Camporee by David Tarantino, Ship 39 NJ STEM/Nova Jamboree by Taylor Kalpokas, Erie Canal Boatswain National Capital Area Council Landship by Jeanine Reilly Sea Scout Chanters Fundraising Around the Region Check out the issue! Would love your feedback. Thank you. Deidre Buchner Editor, The Telegraph

VVVeeennntttuuurrreeerrrsss &&& VVVeeennntttuuurrriiinnnggg LLLeeeaaadddeeerrrsssWant a dedicated Venturing Summer Camp Program with a

great track record featured in The Forum – search TheForum archives to see what Venturers think of Goshen

Scout Reservation’s - Camps Bowman & Lenhok’sin. Wantmore than one week of Venturing Camp at a time, more hike-

able terrain than either Philmont or The Summit at half thecost - $360/week? Come to Goshen’s Venturing Program,

now in its 7th year. It is tailored to the new Award System &Ranger! Join us this summer from 27 June thru 8 Aug!

Call Phil at (301)214-9195 or go to the guide below:

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/ncacbsa.site-ym.com/resource/collection/D7F219CD-7A1C-49D0-A200-F3254CAE24CA/Goshen_Venturing_Guide.pdf

NNAATTIIOONNAALL CCAAPPIITTAALL AARREEAA CCOOUUNNCCIILL,, BBSSAAGGOOSSHHEENN SSCCOOUUTT RREESSEERRVVAATTIIOONN

VViieewwiinngg RRoocckk OOvveerrllooookkiinngg GGoosshheenn SSccoouutt RReesseerrvvaattiioonn

SEABADGE (SB-28-CT-2016)

Dates: November 18th , 2016 thru November 20th 2016 Cost: $175.00 / Participants

Course Director: Marshall Parsons, twinpars@earthlink.net C860.938.7681

Application and Information: http://nerseascout.org

Meet with other Sea Scouts around the Nation This course is the newest and revised for 2016 Learn from over 100+ Years of Sea Scouting Knowledge from our Instructors Participate in activities that will build on your seamanship skills Team Building Activities Explore the Seaport and learn about “living” maritime history Right in Picturesque Mystic CT Make new Scouting Friends

Easy Location for Travel Nearby Groton Airport GON Severed by Regional Airlines TF Green Airport in Providence about 40 Min Away Amtrak in Mystic CT Bus Service and Train Service to nearby New London CT

Your Venturing Crew/Explorer Post+Our Mountain camp=Best summer ever!

Whether you choose to zipline into a mountain gorge,

rappel down a waterfall, kayak down a whitewater river,

shoot pistols or rifles, go horseback riding, go hiking,

mountain bike our mountain trails, float down the Green

River, take our Wilderness Survivor Challenge, or get wet

and wild at our luau…these are memories for a lifetime!

Each Crew/Post designs their own program by selecting

from these and other exciting adventures. It can be a great

time for team building, learning new skills, and working on

your Venturing Ranger award.

What: 2016 High Adventure Summer Camp

Where: Camp Bob Hardin –Saluda, NC

When: July 5-9, 2016

Average Temperature: 76°FBase Cost: $150

For details and our Adventure Guide, check us out on Facebook or at our web site!

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CAMPBOBHARDIN WWW.CAMPBOBHARDIN.COM

Is your Crew LAB Ready?Lumpkin Adventure Base 2016

America’s First Venturing Specific Camp is calling. Is your Crew ready? Is your Crew strongenough and filled with Scout Spirit and that longing for adventure? If so, Lumpkin is the onlycamp destination that makes sense for you and your crew!

We are pleased to announce our first crew is now registered, as well as a group of InternationalScouts from Haiti are planning to make Lumpkin their summer camp destination next year!Hope to see your Crew there as well.

Top Reasons for your Crew to make Lumpkin Adventure Base your 2016 camp experience!

1. LAB is the ONLY Venturing specific camp in America!No trying to find your niche in the merit badge based program at your local Boy Scoutcamp. Come to LAB and spend the week with other co-ed Venture Crews at America’sFirst Dedicated Venturing base!

2. You can travel with a partner troop that is coming to Camp Daniel Boone or CampRainey Mountain.Located in Western Carolina, LAB is just a short drive from Camp Daniel Boone andCamp Rainey Mountain. You can cut travel costs by partnering with a local Boy Scouttroop for travel purposes. If you need transported from either camp, we can help.

3. Amazing High Adventure Program.

A diverse and exciting array of program opportunities including multiple rivers to raft,thousands of miles of trails to hike, climbing, shooting, riding … the list goes on.

4. Location Location LocationWestern North Carolina is one of the most diverse eco-systems on earth, and it providesan amazing back drop for your Crew’s adventures. With camp located at about 2,000feet elevation, the summertime temperatures are cool. Backpacking treks will cross5,000 foot peaks and evening temperatures can drop into the 50’s.

5. Partners in Adventure

We partner with several certified outdoor program providers including the NantahalaOutdoor Center, which is heralded as one of the “Best Outfitters on Earth”. We will alsowork with you to make sure your Crew itinerary meets your needs and exceeds yourexpectations.

6. Affordable Camp FeesWith trek fees starting at just $350 per person, it is an affordable week long experience.

7. Great Food Made the way YOU like it … Guaranteed!Part of the program is your crew cooking your own food! You know you will like it! Thisprovides a great team building opportunity, and your crew will learn the fine art ofoutdoor cooking. All food and cooking equipment is provided.

8. Just the right size.Your crew will be a part of a larger group in base camp, but not so large your feel lost ina sea of people. With 60-100 campers per week, it is a comfortable camp setting whereyou can meet other Scouts from across the country.

9. Program equipment is provided.We know many Crews do not have gear, so we will provide the needed gear. Tents,cooking equipment, water purification systems are all part of the package, be it for basecamp or backpacking.

10. Plenty of program in base camp as well.When not in the back-country, there are plenty of program opportunities in base campincluding Frisbee golf, human foosball, and geo-caching. There are also social activitieslike campfires, Ice Cream Social and time to just relax on occasion.

For more information contact

Dan Rogers (828) 254-6189

dan.rogers@scouting.org

www.lumpkinadventurebase.org

Venturing Crew 5 61 member. Bailey, multiple scout member for Troop 125Lucky Baldwin District and Venturing Crew 561 Rose Bowl District of theGreater Los Angeles Area Council, playing with Jay Cohen trumpeter forSanta Anita Race Track in Arcadia CA. for the Arcadia Mayor's Breakfast.

Bailey is presently working on his Bugling MB through Venturing Crew 561at the American Legion Post 280 in East Pasadena, CA. with LarryBallenger, retired Presbyterian Pastor and Bugles Across America Volunteerwhile my being in AZ. Larry Ballenger is a very accomplished musician andI am glad to have his assistance.

My knowing Jay Cohen for several years, I'm glad Bailey had theopportunity to play with such a fine musician.

Bugling is Alive!!!MARK G. RIEBS

Content copyright 2016. leepaac.com. All rights reserved.

2016 Regional Explorer ConferenceDate: July 10 - 15, 2016Location: Western State Colorado University

2016 Conference Registration will be OPEN SOON!

2016 Conference Guide: COMING SOON!

2016 Conference Schedule: COMING SOON!

LEEPAAC has begun planning the 2016 Regional Law EnforcementExplorer Conference and planning will continue through the Spring of2016. 

LEEPAAC member agencies have agreed to take over the followingcommittees:-Ceremonies Coordinator - Denver PD-Competitions/Dispatch - Lakewood PD-Cop Shop --Entertainment Coordinator - Adams County SO-Individual Competition Coordinator --Registration - Arapahoe County SO-Safety Coordinator - Larimer County SO- Medical Staff -- Conference Video -

LEEPAAC is currently seeking agencies or groups of qualified individualsto organize and oversee several team and individual competitionevents.

Please attend regular monthly LEEPAAC meetings to participate in theplanning, or to volunteer for a committee position or a competitionevent.  If you are unable to attend a meeting but would like to help,please contact any LEEPAAC board member.

What is new in 2016:

Required Documents from Learning For Life:- Learning For Life Medical Release (everyone)- Learning For Life Tour & Activity Permit (one per post)

We are bringing back the In-Service Training again - Hosted By:Colorado Springs PD

Individual Competitions Sign-Up:- Will be held on Monday July 11, 2016 from 1300-2300, with an hourbreak (1800-1900) for dinner.- You will NOT be dispatched to them this year.- You will register for the events you want to participate in, EXCEPTObstacle Course, which is a walk-up event.- Sign-Up will be held SUNDAY evening, right after the openingceremonies have concluded.- You will select a time and will need to arrive 20-mins prior to yourscheduled time.- Your choices this year are:

* Crisis Intervention - Hosted By: El Paso County SO* Pedestrian Stop - Hosted By: Douglas County SO* Obstacle Course - Hosted By: Jefferson County SO

National Exploringhttp://www.learningforlife.org/news-events/news-exploring/National Venturinghttp://www.scouting.org/venturing.aspxNational Sea Scouthttp://www.seascout.org/Central Region Venturinghttp://www.crventuring.orgNortheast Region Venturinghttp://nerventuring-bsa.org/Northeast Region Sea Scout Nethttp://www.nerseascout.org/Southern Region-Venturinghttp://srventuring-bsa.org/wordpress/Southern Region Sea Scouthttp://sregion.seascout.org/Western Region Venturingwww.wrventuring-bsa.orgUSA Scouting Service-Venturinghttp://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/venturing/UniformingFAQ.aspVenturing Magazinewww.venturingmag.org

Yahoo GroupsCentral Regionhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/crventuring/Northeast Regionhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/nerventuring/Southern Regionhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/srventuring/Western Regionhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/wrventuring/Nationalhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturinglist/

The FORUM is a National cluster conceptand a friendly way to help Scouting Leadersexchange ideas and programs among ourTroops, Crews, Ships, Posts, Councils,Areas, Regions and National..

The FORUM is shared by Volunteers andProfessionals across the country.

“The FORUM” has been publishedmonthly since 2003 and is not an officialpublication of any Council, Area, Region orNational. It is the Leaders and Professionalsnewsletter. Help support our teenageprogram by sending the FORUM yourstories, Newsletters. Council articles,By-Laws, Questions and Best Practices toshare with others.

As always, articles, questions andcomments are welcome. Promote Venturing,Sea Scouting and Exploring by promotingyour Unit and Council. We are seekingsupport from anyone interested in workingon the newsletter .Thanks for all you do!

Bob the BEAR Monto—Editor in ChiefPete Mapes—Associate EditorBernie Suess - Webmaster

TO SUBSCRIBE to the FORUM:Email Bob the BEAR atrmonto47@gmail.com

Use the email account you want to receivethe FORUM and give Full name andCouncil to place you in the right email list.