Year 2013, No. 7  --  April 1, 2013
 

April is National Youth Protection Month

Youth Protection Begins with YOUEach April schools, youth organizations, and governmental associations observe the month of April as a time for protecting our youth. Units are asked to schedule a meeting or a series of sessions to share with their Scouts the "3 R's" of Youth Protection - Recognize, Resist, and Report. The BSA has developed a series of age approrpriate videos to assist the leader with this task. If you have any questions regarding the videos or would like assistance in their presentaton, contact your District Executive. Copies for loan and for sale are available at your local Scout office/retail unit.

April is also a good time for all Scout Committees to check on the status of Youth Protection Training for all adults. The appropriate session (Venturing has its own requirement and program) can be taken online through the Youth Protection Online Training Program at www.myscouting.org. Participants should have available for entry their annual membership card which lists their individual identification number. Youth Protection Training must be taken every two years. Failure to have a current YPT certificate on file could deny a unit a Tour Plan for an outing.

Friends of Scouting

It's the beginning of a new calendar year and once again we begin anew our annual Friends of Scouting campaign.

This year's theme is "Scouting Builds Future Leaders."

To schedule your FOS presentation at an upcoming Blue-Gold Dinner or Court of Honor, please call your District Executive.

How is your District doing? How much did your unit give to this year's campaign? When will the Appeal be made at my units. These questions and others will be answered by clicking on your District's FOS web page.

Del Norte - Camino Real

Live Oak - Cachuma - South Coast

The statistics on the District FOS pages are prepared by your District Executive. If there is a problem, please let him or her know.

To download a special brochure about FOS, click here. For the special LDS unit FOS brochure, click here.

In addition to any money that you pay to your unit, it takes at least $150 annually to support your Scout and keep our facilities open. FOS makes this all possible. Your donation is tax deductible, and we will work with you if your employer has a matching contributing program.

Please be prepared to give to FOS, or go online at the Council's website and make your pledge.

 

District Camporees

South Coast District: April 19-21 at Rancho Alegre

Live Oak and Cachuma Districts:  April 26-28 at Rancho Alegre

Camino Real and Del Norte Districts:  April 19-21 at Camp French

For the most up-to-date information about your District Camporee, contact your District Executive.

March 15th Issue

We recently became aware that some of you may not have received the March 15th of the Los Padres Council Newsletter because of a computer glitch. If you wish to read that news, you can click on this link.

Order of the Arrow

Check out the OA High Adventure programs at Philmont, Sea Base, and Northern Tier. These programs offer two full weeks of high intensity outdoor adventure, leadership development, and a way to build friendships that will last a lifetime, for as little as $250. Any Order of the Arrow member between the ages of 16 and 21 is eligible, and spots are available for the summer of 2013. Visit us at http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/

Ordeal is coming up on May 17-19 at Rancho Alegre. We will be working on some major camp improvements at Rancho Alegre, such as trail safety, our Low COPE Course, and campsite renovation. Hope you can be there to work side-by-side with our Ordeal Candidates. Online registration is now available.  Registration Form.

Have you paid your 2013 Dues yet?  Still only $15. Click here to go online for a form or make the payment.

Rancho Alegre Summer Camp Registration Opens April 1st

Are you coming to Summer Camp at Rancho Alegre in July? Registration for classes is now open online. Be sure to register early and get your first choice!

Paintball Activities Prohibited in Scouting

Recently there have been several units that have misunderstood the BSA's policy on Paintball as an approved activity. Here is the wording from BSA at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Alerts/Paintball.aspx

Paintball poses a significant risk of injury, especially among children. In contrast to other Scouting activities involving firearms, the object of paintball is to fire a pellet—at a speed of at least 300 feet per second—at another human. A paintball that hits the body may produce a mere sting or welt, but a paintball that strikes an eyeball can cause severe injury to the eye and even blindness. The Consumer Product Safety Commission noted three deaths between 2002 and 2005 from paintball gun equipment.

Per the Guide to Safe Scouting, “The following activities have been declared unauthorized and restricted by the Boy Scouts of America . . . Pointing any type of firearm (including paintball, dye, or lasers) at any individual is unauthorized.”

A complete listing of the Unauthorized and Restricted Activities can be found here.

In addition, paintball, if it were permissible, would require under California Law the completion of the parental permission slip to hold or fire a firearm for minors.

Schedule the Date

Rancho Alegre Camp Work Day - May 11th. Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and Council volunteers will be in camp assisting with the projects. APhiO is the National College Scouting Fraternity.

Wilderness First Aid - April 12-13. This class has reached maximum capacity and reservations are no longer being accepted. Check with Rancho Alegre Program Office about being wait-listed.

Varsity Team Leader Specific Training - May 4 (8:30 am to Noon) at the Santa Maria LDS Stake Center (908 E. Sierra Madre). This course is a half-day course for Team Leaders and Assistants of a Varsity Team. No charge for this course.

Venturing Crew Adviser Specific Training - May 4 (9:00 am to 1:00 pm) at the Santa Maria LDS Stake Center (908 E. Sierra Madre). This course ia a half-day course for Venturing Crew Advisers and Assistants. There is a $10 fee for this course.

Woodbadge - September 26-28 and October 17-19. The first weekend is at Rancho Alegre; the second is at Camp Three Falls in this course hosted by Los Padres and Ventura County Councils. Woodbadge is the ultimate Scout training leadership program. Fee is $240 if paid in full at least 30 days prior to the start of the sessions.

Summer Camp and Programs - Check out our different Summer Camps and Training Activities coming up later this year. Click here to go our camp web page for any of these events.

  • Lifeguard Academy - June 24-28
  • Staff Training Week - June 30 - July 6
  • Boy Scout Camp (Traditional) - July 7 - 13
    • Applications now being accepted for Provisional Scouts and Day Campers
  • Boy Scout Camp (LDS) - July 15-20
    • Venturing Days (LDS) - July18-20
    • Cub Scout/Primary Day (LDS) - July 19
  • Cub Scout Resident Camp - July 21-24

National Youth Leadership Training - August 5 - 10 at Rancho Alegre (coed course). Applications for participants are now being accepted. For more information and to enroll your youth leadership, click here.

Below you will find a list of some upcoming Council-wide events for Los Padres Council. To register and/or pay for any of these events, click on the line and it will take you directly to the registration page. Included in the calendar are major civic and religious activity dates as well as dates of college testing for college students. This enables units to plan activities around these events. For events beyond the last date, click on the link to the calendar.

To find out about upcoming Scouting events, log on to the Council website at www.lpcbsa.org. 

This newsletter to our valued Scouters in the Los Padres Council is issued twice monthly on or about the 1st and 15th of each month. Deadline for articles is four days prior. Send all articles, pictures, etc. to the webmaster at RanchoAlegre@cox.net.