April 10th, 2017

Featured Stories

Tour & Activity Plan Eliminated

Mount Rubidoux 

Cedar Badge Is A Great Start For Youth Leadership Training!

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38th Annual Scout Memorabilia Auction & Trade-O-Ree

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Service Day~San Bernardino City Clean-Up

In San Bernardino, we are having a service day which includes cleaning as much of the city as possible. This is a joint partnership between the Service Council of San Bernardino and California State University, San Bernardino. Please have your scouts join us for the day. 

When: April 29, 2017
Time: 8:00am-Noon
Where: The Service Council will be working in the Pioneer Cemetery, Secommbe Park and the Little League field, all located from 5th to 7th Street and between Sierra & Waterman Avenues.
Contact Person: Margaret Hill- 909-991-6422

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Troop 148

Troop 148 of Temecula spent spring break in the Mojave Desert and Havasupai Falls enjoying the beauty of nature. The Troop weathered wind, rain and snow prior to entering the canyon. On the day of the trek into the canyon they could not have asked for any better weather with slightly overcast skies. Truly a trip to remember.

YIS,

Jeff Hays
Scoutmaster Troop 148

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Mount Rubidoux 

Adult leader training will be fun at camporee

Three adult leader training courses for Cub Scouting, Webelos and Boy Scouting will be offered at Mount Rubidoux District's camporee that will be held April 28-30 at Lake Perris Recreational Area. Participating adults will camp and dine with their units. (Camping arrangements will be made for out-of-district adults.)   Two courses, Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills for Boy Scout leaders and Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders, will be conducted concurrently. The training runs Friday night through Saturday evening. Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) is one of two parts necessary to be Trained for a position in the troop (the other course is Specific Training for Scoutmasters). The training is open to anyone in the council. Training fee is $5. Out-of-district adults and those from MR District not attending with the unit must pay camporee fee of $20.

Register Here

The third course is just for Cub Scout leaders. Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) will be offered as a hybrid course, which is offered only by Mount Rubidoux District. A webinar covering the classroom portion of the training will be held the week of camporee. At camporee around noon Scouters will participate in the three-hour practical portion of the course. The training is open to anyone in the council. Training fee is $5.

Register Here

Camporee Register Here

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Tour & Activity Plan Eliminated

April 3, 2017 update: In response to commenters wondering whether this was my annual April Fools’ Day post: It was not. The Tour and Activity Plan is no more. See these official FAQs on Scouting.org for more details. The original post follows.

Be prepared to spend less time filling out forms and more time having fun.

The Boy Scouts of America has eliminated its Tour and Activity Plan, shifting the focus away from paperwork and toward creating a safe space for Scouts to enjoy the program as designed.

The Tour and Activity Plan was a two-page document submitted to your local council for approval at least 21 days before longer trips. As of April 1, 2017, it is no more.

Richard Bourlon, team leader for Health and Safety, encourages unit leaders to instead use a “flexible risk-assessment strategy” when planning outings.

“We looked at how the old plan was being used, how many people were using it, how many calls we received about it, and how much time this took staff and volunteers, versus the return – did it create a safer environment?” Bourlon says. “There wasn’t a correlation, so we’re giving them that time back.”

What’s replacing the Tour and Activity Plan?

The old method: One adult leader filled out the form and submitted it to his or her council.

The new method: Have a plan. Get everyone on the same page. For Cub Scouts, that means the pack leadership. For other units, that means adult leaders work with Scouts/Venturers to plan a trip that’s safe, fun and engaging. No forms required.

“Getting everyone on the same page is a beautiful thing,” Bourlon says. “And then we also know you are using a handbook or other program literature consistent with BSA rules, regulations and policies.”

Going to do an activity that supports Scouting’s values but isn’t in any book? Consult the flexible risk-assessment tools in the Guide to Safe Scouting and the Enterprise Risk Management Guidebook when planning.

This change has added significance in Boy Scouting, Sea Scouting, Varsity and Venturing, where older youth should be doing most of the planning anyway.

“Before, this was only available to adults,” Bourlon says. “Our materials are now publicly accessible and appropriate for youth to use.”

What about Tour Permits?

Though you might find some still floating around, tour permits (local and national) were eliminated in March 2011 and were superseded by tour plans — and then by the Tour and Activity Plan in 2012.

All have now been eliminated.

How does insurance work in the post-Tour and Activity Plan world?

The Tour and Activity Plan wasn’t a determining factor in insurance coverage. (Neither, by the way, is wearing a uniform. You’re covered whether in or out of uniform.)

Registered volunteers have primary coverage for official Scouting activities, and nonregistered volunteers are provided excess coverage for official activities.

If an automobile or watercraft is used, the BSA provides additional excess auto coverage.

To be official, the activity should be consistent with the values, Charter and Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, the operations manuals, and applicable literature of the Boy Scouts of America.

Do I need to file any forms or notify the council of any trip we take?

No. But you should use the BSA planning tools available here. In most cases, this doesn’t include forms to complete and submit. These tools are meant to prompt discussions and conversations about risks.

What about Exploring?

The manual process Learning for Life and Exploring used in the past for outing permits is discontinued, too.

How does this change affect the safety of BSA outings?

It doesn’t. The Scouting program, as contained in our handbooks and literature, integrates many safety features. But no policy or form will replace the review and vigilance of trusted adults and leaders at the point of program execution.

Moreover, the program hasn’t changed. For example, parents still must give permission for leaders to take youth on a trip. Cub Scouts should only camp at council-approved locations. Etc.

Where can I find more information about BSA Health and Safety?

As always, this page is your best source.

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Boy Scout Troop Flies Planes for Aviation Merit Badges

Boy Scout Troop 377 earned their aviation merit badges at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport with help from volunteer pilots from Young Eagles. (April 8, 2017) Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

"Core prop!" shouted Robert Scholes as the propeller of his plane began to spin. The plane shook as its engine roared to life on the runway at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal. The 14-year-old in the co-pilot's chair watched attentively and asked Scholes, a veteran pilot, what he was doing with his feet. Another 14-year-old, seated behind Scholes, waved to the Boy Scout committee chair on the tarmac with one hand and sent a Snapchat with the other. "You've never flown before?" Scholes asked Jordan Foley, the Shadow Hills High School student beside him, after the plane had reached its low, bumpy cruising altitude over the Salton Sea. Foley hadn't. Scholes briefly ran through the controls, pitching the plane up, down, left and right. He put the plane in autopilot while Foley asked questions. "Your airplane," he told Foley a few minutes later. "See the airport? I just took autopilot off, so all you've got to do is see if you can get us back there." Thirteen members of Boy Scout Troop 377 earned coveted Aviation merit badges Saturday at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal. They made and flew hand-held gliders to understand the principles of flight, learned how to read instrument panels and inspect planes, and then got to take flights — with a few kids taking over the controls. To qualify for the merit badges, scouts had to demonstrate knowledge of aircraft and flight, perform a pre-flight inspection, take a flight, build a model and test its flight precision and visit an airport. They completed all those tasks Saturday. 

"It was really fun, really cool to have control of the plane," Foley said. "It's different, seeing how I can have control." Foley, 14, is thinking about a career in aviation, but he'd only flown in commercial jets before Saturday. "When I first started, I was dizzy because I didn't know how to properly control it, so it was shaking a little," added Manuel Belandres, 13, who also got to fly a plane. The Palm Desert Charter Middle School student said he quickly figured out that had had to pull the throttle back when he turned left or right to keep the plane stable. Saturday's activities were organized by volunteers from the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, whose Young Eagles program aims to teach children and teens about careers in aviation. Sid Burks, a member of the local EAA, said Young Eagles has given kids more than two million plane rides nationwide. After their morning flights, the boys returned to the pilot's lounge — a meeting room with a few couches at the front of an airplane hangar — to munch on apples and popcorn and watch a presentation from an EAA member on the forces that make airplanes work.

Despite an early start Saturday, all 13 pairs of eyes were focused on the presenter's screen, and many boys interjected with questions. Piled on the table were the scouts' completed merit badge workbooks, full of questions about parts and types of aircraft. "They have been waiting for this for weeks," troop committee chair Aurissa Parsons said. "Not one scout wasn't on time this morning." Burks said the EAA hopes to offer the Young Eagles program to Boy Scout troops from all over Southern California, in hopes of inspiring them to pursue careers in aviation. "It's a way to get boys interested in a vocation," said Chris Flicker, the troop's assistant scoutmaster. "Where else are they going to get the opportunity to fly a plane?"

~Desert Sun

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Jamboree 2017

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Cedar Badge Is A Great Start For Youth Leadership Training!

Make your troop's youth leadership training pop with the original Cedar Badge - Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops!   Cedar Badge ILST teaches  Scouts with leadership positions about their new roles and how to most effectively reach success in that role. This district-level event is intended to assist those units with limited training resources, or those interested in giving their leaders additional exposure to unit operations, how to plan campouts, campfires, interfaith services, how to lead songs, and make your boy-run program operate more smoothly. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops is a requirement for National Youth Leader Training. Cedar Badge, a program designed by the Mt. Rubidoux District Training Team, is based on the Boy Scouts of America’s Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops and the Patrol Leader Handbook. Fee covers meals, refreshments and training materials. Course dates are May 5-6.  Early registration fee deadline is April 14. Registration deadline is April 28.  

Register here

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Past Scoutmaster of Grayback District

Local Firefighter On Vacation In Michigan Being Hailed A Hero

Capt. Terry Welsh, of the Redlands Fire Department, jumps in to help when more than a dozen people fall ill to carbon monoxide poisoning at his hotel.

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Camp Use Update

Cartoon Corner

Thoughts from the Scout Executive:

Positive Prayer & Quote
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This is your garden, Creator God,
a thing of beauty
beyond understanding,
a poem that is being written
not in words
but in colors,
wind's whisper,
soaring bird,
snowdrop's petal,
gentle rain,
sunlight's warmth,
This is your garden, Creator God,
A thing of beauty
beyond our understanding 

"No one can pass through life, any more than he can pass through a bit of country, without leaving tracks behind, and those tracks may often be helpful to those coming after him in finding their way."

~Robert Baden-Powell

Joe Daniszewski
Scout Executive/CEO
California Inland Empire Council

California Inland Empire Council, BSA
PO Box 8910
1230 Indiana Court
Redlands, CA 92374
909.793.2463, Ext. 120
877.732.1450 FREE
909.793.0306 Fax

Monday Memo is from Scout Executive Joe Daniszewski and contains his reflection on what is happening within the Council. The purpose of Monday Memo is to communicate information about the week ahead, to acknowledge the good things happening around the Council and to address specific issues that the Scout Executive wants to bring to your attention. Joe welcomes any comments, suggestions or recommendations on how to make this memo as helpful as possible. If you have something you want publicized in the Monday Memo, please send it to his attention c/o Monday Memo: Joseph.Daniszewski@scouting.org for Monday Memo Archives Click Here