For more information, contact your district commissioner or training committee chair.

Let's keep our eyes open! Boy Scout trailer loaded with camping gear stolen

By SEAN EMERY
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

GARDEN GROVE – Authorities seek the public's help in locating a Boy Scout trailer containing $5,000 in camping gear stolen from a church parking lot.

The 15-foot trailer used by Garden Grove Boy Scout Troop 75 was taken from First Presbyterian Church at 11832 Euclid Street sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning, Garden Grove police Lt. Jeff Nightengale said.

A Boy Scout trailer was recently stolen from a church parking lot. The trailer was used exclusively by the Boy Scouts to store 20 new Coleman tents, six propane tanks, pop-up shelters, lanterns and kitchen equipment. "These kids lost all their camping equipment and everything," Nightengale said.

A lock used to secure the trailer was left at the scene. Authorities say any pickup with towing ability would have been able to move the trailer. The scouts had written "Troop 75" in large red letters on the sides of the trailer, as well as 110 Eagle Scout names in white on the back double doors. "Its not like it's a plain white trailer," Nightengale said. "It stands out."

Police have identified no suspects. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the stolen trailer to contact the Garden Grove Police Department at 714-741-5704 or investigator Rafael Loera at 714-741-5842. 

Internet Advancement

The free and easy way to maintain and track your Scout’s advancement progress!

Internet Advancement allows unit leaders to record youth advancement to their BSA member records at any time throughout the year. Ranks and earned awards will be added to the youth member records and submitted to the BSA’s ScoutNET system. This will update the youth member record and the unit advancement statistics as they are attained by rank and for each merit badge completed. The only exception in this process is in the Eagle Scout rank where a formal set of procedures require a validation process from the council and national office.

This program will play a vital role in helping your unit achieve gold in the new Journey to Excellence program. The Internet Advancement System is easy to use and your unit’s advancement reporting will improve because:

• The unit is responsible for the advancement of it’s Scouts, therefore the information provided is complete and accurate.
• The unit starts with BSA’s ScoutNET data and then updates it.
• No one has to decipher another person’s handwriting.
• You can make corrections to the data anytime before submitting.
• BSA rank advancement rules are enforced.

You can also print out a Unit Advancement Report and shopping list to take to the Scout Shop! In addition, you’ll be able to print temporary membership cards or a unit roster at any time. The roster is the most current information from ScoutNET, and it will include the person ID for each adult and youth member.

To access Internet Advancement, unit leaders can go to www.bsa-ciec.org and select the Internet Advancement button on the homepage. Units will need to create a profile using the unit’s ID number. This unit ID number can be requested through your district executive or council registrar.

Scouting's Journey to Excellence

“Scouting’s Journey to Excellence” is the BSA’s new performance recognition program designed to encourage and reward success and measure the performance of your unit.. It is replacing the Centennial Quality Awards Program as a means of encouraging excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA.

What Journey to Excellence Brings to Your Unit

A framework for planning the year. The Journey to Excellence standards are based on what successful units do to continually improve. If your unit plans to achieve gold or silver Journey to Excellence, you’ll have a strong and active program.

A method for evaluating your unit. Journey to Excellence provides tangible measurements based on things you are likely already tracking, such as how many campouts you have, how many youth are advancing, etc., and uses simple ways to calculate your performance.

Guidance in areas where you might do better. As you track your performance against the Journey to Excellence standards, you can easily see where you could do better.

Specific guidelines and standards of what is considered good performance. Journey to Excellence has specific, simple measures to help you. You can easily compare what you are doing against the standards.

Early warning of potential problem areas. You track any areas where your unit is not performing as you might like and have plenty of time to make corrections.

Recognition for good Scouting. You can proudly receive your bronze, silver, or gold recognition for your Scouting unit for the year.

Benchmarking to get ideas and tips from other good units. You can receive help and best practices in areas where other units have met the gold standard. In the areas where you are doing well, you can give help and ideas to other units.

For more information about the Journey to Excellence program including the unit requirements, webinars, and other resource materials, please visit http://scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/JourneyToExcellence.aspx

Follow Hawkeye Area Council Online to Achieve Journey to Excellence Gold

The Hawkeye Area Council in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is harnessing the power of social media to help other local councils achieve Gold status in the new Journey to Excellence recognition program. To learn more about the “Top 10 ways to make the gold,” head to the council’s Facebook or Twitter page and look for the JTE-related posts.

BSA Tour Permit Being Replaced with the New Tour Plan

Effective March 1, 2011, what are currently known as local and national tour permits will be superseded by what will be called the tour plan. The online tour permit system will be suspended until it’s replacement becomes available.

The definition of the tour plan is: "Units complete this form when planning for local, national, or international adventure. The plan helps ensure the unit is properly prepared, that qualified and trained leadership is in place, and that the right equipment is available for the adventure."

The plan is available for you to review: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-014_fillable.pdf

What's different?
1) The council is the reviewer of all tour plans; there is no regional review required.
2) The tour plan consists of a tour planning worksheet to be completed by the unit/contingent. It is retained by the council and a tour plan is returned to the unit after processing.
3) It's on standard 8.5 x 11-inch paper!
4) There is a 21-day advance notice requested for units to submit the plan for your review.
5) A single point of contact (not on the tour) for council use is included.
6) Defined reasons/times when a tour plan must be submitted for council review:
     a. Trips of 500 miles or more
     b. Trips outside of council borders not to a council-owned property
     c. Trips to any national high-adventure base, national Scout jamboree, National Order of the Arrow Conference, or regionally sponsored event 
     d. When conducting the following activities outside of council or district events:
             *Aquatics activities (swimming, boating, floating, scuba, etc.)
             *Climbing and rappelling 
             *Orientation flights (process flying plan)
             *Shooting sports
             *Any activities involving motorized vehicles as part of the program (snowmobiles, boating, etc.) 
     e. At a council's request (allows council to add review times based on local needs)
7) There is an updated Pledge of Performance.

What is not changed?
1) A council can define "local" tour plan review needs in addition to the above.
2) Requirements for qualified supervision, training, insurance, etc., remain unchanged-for example, CPR and Wilderness First Aid requirements for high adventure camps.

Over the next month, our council’s Risk Management Committee and staff will be preparing the policy and procedures for tour plans and sharing them with you at roundtables and through the council website.

Camp Emerson/Boseker Scout Reservation

Youth Safety is the No.1 Concern of the BSA

Leaders registered with your council may soon receive notifications of not-current or soon-to-lapse Youth Protection training. 

• Any leader whose YPT is due in 30 or 60 days will receive an e-mail reminder that they must renew the training before the time has elapsed.
• Any leader whose ScoutNET record shows they have not taken YPT will receive an e-mail reminder that YPT is required for all registered volunteers, regardless of their position.

Leaders who are not current with YPT will not be reregistered in the program.
 
To take the training, go to www.myscouting.org and log in or create a MyScouting account. From the left frame on the MyScouting home page, click E-Learning. Scroll down, and from Youth Protection Training, click Take Course. You can also take an instructor-led class, as long as it is reported to your council office so they can give you credit for it.
 
You can create a MyScouting account without a member ID. When you receive your member ID, log onto MyScouting and from My Profile in the left frame, click Update My Profile. Scroll down and from Membership Info, select your council; enter your member ID; and then click Add. This associates your profile with your member ID. For assistance creating a MyScouting account, click here to watch a brief video.
 
Venturing leaders should take Venturing Youth Protection training. 
View more information about Youth Protection training at www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx.

Please contact your district executive if you have additional questions about the YPT program. Your district executive can also give you more information on scheduling a group YPT presentation for your unit.

Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews (ILSC) Now Available Online!

The long-awaited Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews syllabus is now available online. Click here to download: http://www.scouting.org/Training/Adult.aspx or: http://www.scouting.org/Training/Youth.aspx

The purpose of the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews course is to teach crew members with leadership positions about their new roles and how to most effectively reach success in that role. It is intended to help Venturers in leadership positions within their crew understand their responsibilities and to equip them with organizational and leadership skills to fulfill those responsibilities. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews is the first course in the series of leadership training offered to Venturers and is a replacement for the Venturing Leadership Skills Course. Completion of Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews is a prerequisite for Venturers to participate in the more advanced leadership courses National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). It is also required for Kodiak.

Council Aquatics Committee Now Recruiting New Members

The Aquatics Committee of the California Inland Empire Council is recruiting new members. The mission of the council aquatics committee is to provide safe, exciting and challenging aquatic experiences and training in support of individual scouting units as they participate in year-round aquatic activities.

The committee supports numerous activities within the council including Safe Swim and Safety Afloat training, aquatic merit badge clinics, Cub Scout Aquatics, aquatic activities for Varsity and Venture units and the council’s camps including Camp Emerson & Camp Helendade.

The committee is organized into 6 sections:  Canoeing and Kayaking, Whitewater Boating, Swimming and Lifesaving, Smallboat Sailing and Rowing, Cub Scout Aquatics and SCUBA and Snorkeling.  New members would serve in one the existing sections.  Committee meetings are held four to six times each year.  If you have an interest and expertise in an area of BSA aquatics, please contact Kevin Gustafson at kevin.gustafson@scouting.org or by calling 909-793-2463 ext 139.

International Scouting Committee

Thank you to those who attended last night's (1/18/11) meeting of the International Scouting Committee (ISC).  Here is a brief recap:

1.  The ISC professional advisor, Marcel Vargas, advised us of the status of CIEC applicants for participation as members of the BSA national contingent in the 22d World Jamboree this summer in Sweden.  In addition, we learned that at least six other members of the CIEC submitted applications other than through the council and one of those (Bill Dull) has been accepted to serve on the 'international staff'.

2.  A special national contingent is going to attend an international encampment in Japan in February 2011.  The national contingent includes Scouts, Crew members, and leaders from all over the country.  CIEC VP Mike Downs was selected by the national office as a member of the national contingent.

3.  Information was released as to the site of the 2015 and 2019 World Jamborees.  The 2015 site (for the 23d World Jamboree) will be in Japan and the 2019 site (for the 24th World Jamboree) in the United States (@ 'The Summit' in West Virginia).  The 2019 event will be co-hosted by Scouts Canada, Asociación de Scouts de México, A.C., and the BSA. It will be the first World Jamboree ever hosted by three nations!

4.  It was noted that the International Camporee co-hosted by San Diego-Imperial Council and Asociación de Scouts de México, B.C., will be held 5/13-15, 2011 @ Cienega Redonda, Tecate, Baja California. 

5.  The ISC discussed the CIEC web site and access to information about international opportunities.  After an examination of styles and information from both Ornage County Council (http://international.ocbsa.org/index.shtml) and San Diego-Imperial Council web sites (http://international.sdicbsa.org/), the CIEC ISC members have all been asked to examine the above sites and others and make recommendations as to how to improve the CIEC site and access to it.

6.  The CIEC requirements for the International Activity Badge were reviewed (see attached).  It was noted that the requirements are aimed at Scouts.  Similar requirements are needed for other parts of the program (e.g., Cubbing, Exploring, Venturing, etc.).  Joaquin Ancona agreed to prepare a draft of requirements for Cubs.  All members were asked to make suggestions for a form to be approved by the council.  Any form must be 'down-;loadable' from the CIEC web site and if possible ... able to be filled directly from the website.

7.  It is essential that every district have a representative on the ISC.  Everyone was asked to use their influence with their fellow Scouters to secure someone from a district other than their own to be an active member of the ISC.  Marcel Vargas will work with the DE's to promote this effort.  The ISC chair will work with the CIEC Council Commissioner and the CIEC VP-Activities to secure district participation.

8.  The next meeting will be: February 15, 2011 @ 7:00 PM Jack Dembo Scout Service Center, 1230 Indiana Court, Redlands, California 92374-2896 Marcel Vargas @ (909) 793-2463-x-102 or (909)-435-6295-cell

Thank you again and Happy Scouting.
Mike Goldware, Chair CIEC ISC 

C.I.E.C. Requirements for International Activity Patch 

While a Scout, Explorer, Venturer or Crew Member:

Do one of the following:
1. Be a registered participant in any combination of two of the following:
          *an international camporee (2 or more countries)
          *the national jamboree of a country other than the United States, or
2. Be a member of the USA contingent to a World Jamboree

Do two of the following:
3. Serve on the youth staff of a World Jamboree, or
4. Serve on the staff of the BSA National Jamboree as an official interpreter, or
5. While a registered youth member of the BSA, be a registered participant of at least two Jamborees-on-the Air (JOTA), Jamborees-on-the Internet (JOTI) or a combination of the two, or
6. Serve on the camp staff of a Scout camp in a country other than the United States and which is under the control of a National Scouting organization other than the Boy Scouts of America, or.
7. Earn the World Conservation Award
8. Contribute or cause the contribution of $1000 to the World Friendship Fund

Do the following
9. Earn the Citizenship in the World merit badge.

 News & Tidbits

William D. Boyce New Unit Organizer Award Recipients

Positive Quote
-----------------------

"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late."

  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Have a great Scouting week!
Yours in the Spirit of Scouting,

Joe Daniszewski Scout Executive/CEO California Inland Empire Council, BSA 1230 Indiana Court Redlands, CA 92374 909.793.2463, Ext. 120 877.732.1450 909.793.0306 Fax