The Central Point Newsletter of Central Region Venturing | BSA February Newsletter 2014
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Happy 16th Birthday Venturing! A brief History of the Venturing Program The Venturing program was established on February 9, 1998. This fact is what most people know, what most don’t know, however, is how it came to be. In 1910, when the Boy Scouts of America was first established, the first National Executive meeting report noticed that they were losing older boys due to lack of program. It took a while but in 1939 they created a Senior Scouting program, which included the Explorers, Sea Scouts, and Air Scouts, which were created to try and keep the older boys in the program. In 1949, they consolidated the programs, with the exception of Sea Scouts, into a program called Exploring. In 1995, the Outdoor Exploring Committee met and discussed how to support and sustain the growth for the outdoor program. During a five year period in the 1990s, the program saw a 94% growth rate, which meant almost 100,000 members had joined during that period. They decided to go back to the 1950s version of the Exploring Handbook and followed how the program ran back then, with a few changes. Soon Venturing was born on February 9, 1998 with an outdoor program made for young adults ages 14-21. For the next six months, the Venturing program was adapted to the program that it is today. On August 1 st, 1998, all non-vocational Exploring Posts were changed to Venturing Crews. Over the past 16 years of Venturing, Eagle Scouts have talked about how Venturing gave them a place to be an Eagle Scout and to continue to learn and grow. Young women proclaim how Venturing gave them a place to be a Scout along with their mom, dad, and brothers. Venturing does change lives!
In This Issue: History of Venturing
1
NEW! Venturing Award Names 2 Area 7 Venturing Conference
2
See Our Venturing— Custom Generators
2
Your Chartering Organization and You
3
Area 2 Venturing Kickback Weekend
4
NYLT
4
Sea Scout Update
5
Area Pages
6
President’s Corner
7
Venturing Oath: As a Venturer, I promise to do my duty to God and to help strengthen America. To help others, and to seek truth, fairness, and adventure in our world.
NEW! Venturing Award Names
Annual Area 7 Venturing Conference If you are interest in Venturing and want to have a good time and receive some valuable information come join the Area 7 Venturing Officers Association for its annual Venturing Conference! Whether you’re new to Venturing or know the program well this conference will have some fun, completely new, and invigorating information. This years Conference will be held on March 1, 2014 and will be at Key Lime Cove in Gurnee, IL. The early bird sale ending on February 15th is $25 after that it is $30 a person. You don’t want to miss the latest updates on the upcoming Venturing program changes, High Adventure prepping, backpacking tips, everything you wanted to know about Sea Scouting, upcoming events, networking, teambuilding, great food, and lots of fun! You can come for a day or even make it a weekend at the resort! Also as part of your conference admission, free swim is included for after the event, so bring your swimsuits and enjoy some relaxation after a busy day. We hope you all come out and make a splash at the Central Region Venturing Area 7 Conference! For a promotional flyer and more information, please visit here. ~ Katlin Adams
With the changes to Venturing comes a new awards system! The new system will follow the new program matrix. Their will now be four different levels of awards, instead of just three. For more information on the changes to Venturing and the changes to the awards, go here. The new names for these awards have just been announced! Get excited to earn some awesome awards! Venturing Award Discovery Award Pathfinder Award Summit Award
See our Venturing—Document Generators
The full announcement can be found here.
Does your crew have a set of by-laws? By-laws are important to help establish the provisions for a smoothly running unit. By-laws typically contains information regarding the crew’s uniform, meeting times, and officer selection process. If your crew doesn’t have by-laws, but would like to write them, check out the by-law generator on the Central Region website! Fill in the information requested and a set of by-laws will be created! You can then take that document and adapt it to fit the specific needs of your crew. The generator is a great way to start the process of writing by-laws. To find the by-law generator, click here. Has someone in your crew done something exceptional? Has your crew conducted a training course lately? You can make custom certificates for fellow crew members/participants! Go to the Central Region website to find a generator that will create a certificate specifically for your crew’s event or to recognize someone in your crew! Check it out now and recognize fellow Venturers for their accomplishments! Generator can be found here.
"People with humility don't think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less." - Ken Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale
Caption Contest Last Month’s Picture:
“Venturer taco? Or practicing First Aid? Probably the taco!” ~ Caption Submitted By: Michael Ross
This Month’s Picture:
“The Venturing Advisor in it's natural habitat......and what's this? The three of them seem to be making some sort of hand message and odd face contortions.” ~ Caption Submitted By: Michael Ross
We know you can do better than this caption! Send in your caption, name, and council you are from to vp-communications@crventuring.org. If you win, your caption will be featured in next month’s newsletter and on our Facebook page. Check back next month to see who wins.
Your Chartering Organization and You One of the most important things the administration side of your Crew does is work with your chartering organization. Your chartering organization is the organization that your crew is based out of and likely owns your crew’s meeting place. Chartering organizations can be churches, park foundations, camping or climbing equipment stores, or even yacht clubs for Sea Scouting ships. You and your chartering organization should have a mutually beneficial relationship. For instance, in exchange for a meeting place, your crew might do service projects for your chartering organization. Communicate with your chartering organization; they might have more to offer you than you might think! Churches are sometimes linked to schools that have lots of sports equipment and park foundations on a reservoir might be able to get you discounts or even free access to sailing or boating equipment. In addition, if you chartering organization is a school or church with a youth group, they may be an excellent place to recruit new members out of for your crew! While your chartering organization can be of great benefit to your crew, don’t forget to keep the relationship a mutually beneficial one! Offer to help out during events they host or fix something if you notice it is broken. Your chartering organization is there to help you, just as you are there to help them. Make sure you’re meeting with them frequently to ensure your relationship is as mutually beneficial as possible. ~ Dagny Gargas
Did You Know…
72% of Rhodes Scholars are Scouts. 104 million people have been members of the Boy Scouts of America since 1910. 240 individuals have received the Heroism Award. Boys’ Life Magazine was started by an 18year old Scout, Joseph Lane, in 1911. Over 75,000 religious emblem awards have been earned.
Name That Camp!!
Each edition of the Central Point will feature a photo from a Boy Scout camp in the Central Region. Can you name that camp? This Month:
Last Month:
Camp Buckeye Logan, Ohio For more information regarding camps throughout the Central Region, go to Where to Go Venturing: click here
If you would like your photo to be a “Name that Camp?” clue, please email it to Emily Mausshardt at vp-communications@crventuring.org.
Area 2 Venturing Kickback Weekend It is chilly and it is cold but it is the best time to go out and have fun with other Ventures. Area 2 Kickback weekend is quickly approaching for all of us. If you are one who has never been out for a full weekend of fun in the snow I suggest that you start. Kickback is a fun event for all Ventures to come and enjoy winter activities in Michigan. It has a wide arrange of activities to choose from such as rappelling, shooting sports, zip lining, snow shoes, games and much more. The amazing fun in the snow is the weekend of February 21st-23rd at Gerber Scout Reservation at a price of $55 . It is a great time to partake in a large arranges of activities that one may not have tried, as well as have fun with other Ventures from around the areas. Remember just because it is chilly outside does not mean you have to stay inside for a good time. Come out and be warm from the fun and friendliness of others. For more information, visit the Central Region Venturing website, but clicking here. ~ Jasmine Dittel
Tell Us about Your Crew! What makes your crew the best crew out there? What have you done recently that was fun and exciting? Submit your story to vpcommunications@crventuring.org and it will appear in the next edition of the Central Point! Has your crew ever played a live version of Where’s Waldo? How about dressed up like superheroes to go bowling? Submit a short story or even a longer one about your crew’s activities! If you have pictures, please include those, too!
NYLT Around the Central Region Have you taking the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews or Ships course? Then you are eligible to attend NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training). NYLT is typically a week long camping experience where you expand upon the leadership skills learned in ILSC or ILSS. It is an excellent opportunity to meet new people, while strengthening your leadership skills. To find a course near you, contact your local Scout office. Several courses happening in the Central Region are listed below. All of the following courses are open to both Boy Scouts and Venturers. Is your course not here? Add it to the Central Region Venturing Website by going to the calendar submission page. June 8th-14th, 2014: W.D. Boyce Council NYLT, Ingersoll Scout Reservation June 14th-20th, 2014: Three Harbors Council NYLT, Indian Mound Scout Reservation June 15th-21st, 2014: Three Fires Council NYLT, Camp Rochelle June 21st-26th, 2014: Abraham Lincoln Council NYLT, Camp Illinek June 30th-July5th, 2014: Rainbow Council, Rainbow Scout Reservation July 20th-26th, 2014: Greater St. Louis Area Council Venturing NYLT, S-F Scout Reservation
Area 5 Venturing Conference The Area 5 Venturing Conference is set to take place February 21st to 23rd, 2014 at Grace Evangelical Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. A variety of course topics will be offered, including the new changes to the Venturing, Program, strengthening VOAs, growing small crews, Leave No Trace, NYLT, COPE, shooting sports, and more! A Kodiak Course Directors’ Conference, Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews Course, and a Venturing Leader Specific Training Course will also be held during the day. After a fun day of learning, Venturers will top the night off with thrilling games of bowling!
The cost is only $25 for the conference! Bowling will cost an additional $5 and the Kodiak CDC will cost an additional $10 to cover the cost of supplies. Lodging will be available at nearby Camp Geiger for those who need somewhere to stay for the weekend. So, what are you waiting for? Get registered today by following this link. More information regarding this excellent opportunity can be found here!
Sea Scouting Update Central Region Rendezvous(May 16-18, 2014)Do you and your crew have a certain hobby? Well, this year the Central Region Rendezvous's theme is, "You Choose"! You and your crew can come up with an awesome theme and whoever best represents their theme at the Rendezvous will when the contest and a prize! The event will be on May 16-18th, 2014, the weekend before Memorial Day. Located at the Sailing Center at Camp Illinek on Lake Springfield in Springfield Illinois, the Rendezvous is for any Scout: Sea Scout, Venturer, Boy Scout, or Explorer at least 14 years or older. The Rendezvous is a fun-filled weekend that will have over 30 events including sailing, boating triathlons, cardboard canoe races, paddleless canoe races, and much more fun. For the cardboard canoe races, you'll get to construct your best boat out of cardboard and duct tape and then race it in the water against the other teams before it sinks! For more information about this great weekend, go here or here. Also check out this video about the Rendezvous on YouTube and look us up on Facebook! Contact Bill Hamilton with further questions: whami9@aol.com NAYLE at Sea Base(March 15-21, 2014 and April 12-18, 2014) Have you ever been sailing? Have you ever gone to NYLT and heard of NAYLE? Well there is a opportunity for you to combine both experiences and have an amazing time doing it. This Spring, National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience(NAYLE) is going to Florida Sea Base for the first time! That means that you can be a part of the first ever NAYLE at Sea Base. The sessions will be March 15-21 and April 12-18, 2014. It's open to Venturers, Sea Scouts, and older Boy Scouts. You will be able to learn to sail on a 42 foot sailboat off the Keys, go snorkeling, learn to become a great leader, and most of all, enjoy the fun of NAYLE! Sign up now!! For more information: Go here. Check out this video on YouTube! NAYLE at PhilmontIf you're more into hiking great mountains then you can go to NAYLE at Philmont Scout Ranch in the great land of New Mexico. Philmont is over 137,000 acres - about 214 square miles of beautiful hiking terrain! NAYLE has moved to a different camp in the past year so you will be the second year of participants to ever attend NAYLE at Rayado Ridge Camp. You will get to experience great leadership training and team-building with fellow Scouts from all over the country. There are six different sessions offered of NAYLE at Philmont. For more information, go here. Lake Huron High Adventure Sailing Experience(July 16-20, 2014) On July 16th-20th, 2014, you have the chance to crew and sail a racing yacht back home to Port Huron from Mackinaw after it races in the annual Mackinaw Race. You get hands-on learning experience while having a lot of fun sailing with experienced captains and a crew of youth. Contact Wayne Hastings, the Sea Scout Area 2 Vice Commodore or Bill Hamilton if you are interested in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Area 6 Fun Event— Arctic Blast AdVenturous much? Crews from around Area 7 are taking on the cold at Arctic Blast 2014 on January 18th in Morris for a day full of snowy fun! In preparation, crews will build a klondike dog sled, which will be loaded up and raced around the campgrounds in a Klondike Derby... 1897 Alaskan Gold Rush style! With competitions at every turn, you will have a great time in the snow! Venturers will also get to participate in a paintball course and take aim at the range with some new firearms! The day will conclude with hot chocolate and a campfire! This is winter Venturing!
Submit your Venturing event on the Central Region Website! Go to http://crventuring.org and click on the “submit a calendar event” button on the lower left side of the page. Fill out the form, and now you will be able reach thousands of Venturers to come to your event!
Area 1
Area 2
Upcoming events:
Upcoming Events:
February 28-March 2nd, 2014, Winter Venturing Event, Rhinelander, WI September 5th-7th, 2014, Powderhorn, Haugen and Rhinelander, WI
February 15th, 2014, Venturing and Sea Scouting Training, Lansing, MI February 21st-23rd, 2014, Area 2 Venturing Kickback Weekend, Twin Lake, MI March 22nd, 2014, Venturing and Sea Scouting Basic Leader Training, Midland, MI
President: Mikaela Boston
President: Jasmine Dittel
Advisor: Chris Sandberg
Advisor: Jeff Geralds
Area 3
Area 4
Upcoming events:
Upcoming Events:
August 17-23rd, 2014, ArrowPower2014, Trego, WI
March 8th, 2014, ILSC and Crew Officer Orientation, Ballwin, MO April 25th-27th, 2014, Powder Horn, St. Louis, MO July 20th-26th, 2014, Venturing NYLT, Farmington, MO Also, check out Area 3’s YouTube page! http://www.youtube.com/user/CRVenturingArea3 President: Elizabeth Schneider Advisor: Bob Vogt
May 9th-11th, 2014, Area 4 Whitewater Weekend in the New River Gorge, Fayetteville, WV August 1st-3rd, 2014, Powder Horn-HoOC, Wakeman, OH August 30th-31st, 2014, Powderhorn-BC, Kensignton, OH September 12-14th, 2014, Wood Badge, Camp Stigwandish, OH President: Henry Gunther Advisor: Duane Zobrist
Area 5
Area 6
Upcoming Events:
Upcoming Events:
February 22nd-23rd, 2014, Area 5 Venturing Leadership Conference, St. Joseph, MO February 22nd, 2014, Area 5 Kodiak Course Directors’ Conference, St. Joseph, MO July 6th-12th, 2014, Venturing Summer Camp, Sedan, KS
No upcoming events. If you have an event you would like listed here, please submit it to http:// www.crventuring.org/event_submission.php.
President: Mallory Ware Advisor: Julie Dalton
President: Mandi Forsythe Advisor: Carla Gargas
Area 7 Upcoming Events: February 21st-23rd, 2014, Venturing Blast, Oregon, IL March 1st, 2014, Area 7 Venturing Conference, Gurnee, IL April 11th-13th, 2014, Powder Horn, Oregon, IL June 29th-July 5th, 2014, Ranger Week, Pearson, WI July 13, 2014, Youth Certified Angling Instructor Course, Pearson, WI
President: Katlin Adams Advisor: Kris Zahrobsky
President’s Corner Hey Central Region! February marks a very busy month for Venturing as we celebrate the 104th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America. February 8th, 1910 serves as the day we became an official national organization recognized by the federal government. A really neat fact about our organization is we hold a Congressional charter under the Title 36 of the United States Code. It is a very rare title and only a handful of other patriotic and national organizations hold this similar charter such as the Red Cross. Happy Birthday to the BSA and may we continue to change youth lives for many more generations!
Central Region Venturing President: Christina Vogt president@crventuring.org Central Region Venturing Advisor: Keith Gehlhausen venturing-chair@crventuring.org Central Region Venturing Vice President of Communications: Emily Mausshardt vpcommunications@crventuring.org Central Region Venturing Associate Advisor for Communications: Deb Keyes communicationscoordinator@crventuring.org
In addition to the 104th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America, February 9th also marks the 16th birthday of Venturing! On February 9th, 1998, Venturing was officially created by the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America. Over the next six months, the program was formed into Venturing, as we know it today. On August 1st, 1998, all non-vocational Exploring Posts were switched over to Venturing Crews. Happy 16th birthday Venturing! February is also a time for different faiths to participate in Scout Sunday where the youth are able to participate in the services. This is also a time for many churches to recognized youth with religious emblems such as the Catholic Pope Pius XII or God and Life P.R.A.Y award. Scout Sunday is another example of how scouts are continuing to be reverent in their everyday lives. The last big thing in February is the selection process for both the National and Regional officers are happening! This is a big time for you or your fellow Venturers while they go through these selection calls and I wish you all the best of luck! ~ Christina Vogt
About Our Organization... Venturing is a Scouting program for male and female youth ages 13-21 that lets youth experience new activities, build leadership skills, earn awards, make new friends, and of course have fun. The Central Region is one of four regions of the Boy Scouts of America. This region includes the states of: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia.