Welcome to our September 17th, 2012 Monday Memo

Open Letter To Parents

Dear Scouting Parent,

We recognize you have entrusted to Scouting the development and safety of your child. We are honored by your faith in this organization and want you to know these are top priorities. In this period of heightened awareness about youth safety, we want to share with you Scouting’s many important programs, policies, and procedures that help protect our members. We are committed to consistently strengthening and enhancing our Youth Protection measures, and in recent decades, have expanded our programs significantly as more information and new techniques and technologies have become available to us. Recently, experts in youth safety and the media have acknowledged the strength of our Youth Protection programs in place today:

• “The Boy Scouts of America is one group advocates say has gone farthest to institute such measures to safeguard kids.” (MSNBC, November 2011)
• “The Scouts’ current prevention policies are considered state of the art and several independent child-protection experts told The Associated Press that the Scouts—though buffeted in the past by many abuse-related lawsuits—are now considered a leader in combating sexual abuse. ‘The Boy Scouts have the most advanced policies and training,’ said Victor Vieth, a former prosecutor who heads the National Child Protection Training Center in Minnesota.” (Associated Press, January 2012.
• While we continuously evaluate and strengthen our Youth Protection programs, we recognize that abuse can happen anywhere, even in Scouting. You may have heard recent news surrounding the release of certain Ineligible Volunteer Files. BSA Ineligible Volunteer Files, still in use today, help keep people deemed to be unfit leaders out of Scouting. Still, we believe constant vigilance is the best protection. In Scouting, we tell everyone involved with our programs that “Youth protection begins with you.”™ That means that each of us has a role to play in keeping kids safe.

We want to ensure that you are aware of our Youth Protection programs, policies, and procedures, so you know what to expect of our organization. Our safeguards include the following:

• All volunteers must complete a rigorous application and screening process before joining Scouting. As part of this requirement, applicants must provide references and submit to a national criminal background check. We also verify that our organization has not received any prior allegations of misconduct on the volunteer’s part by checking names in our Ineligible Volunteer Files. Our goal is to ensure that all adult volunteers represent the values and character outlined in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and are good leaders for your child.
• All volunteers are required to complete Youth Protection training and must renew the training every two years. This training is accessible to the general public online at www.Scouting.org, under the Youth Protection tab. Please review the training, as it provides important information about detecting and preventing abuse, no matter where it may occur.
• Scouting’s two-deep leadership policy requires at least two adults to be present for all Scouting activities. No youth should ever be alone with a Scout leader for any reason.
• Every Boy Scout and Cub Scout handbook includes a pamphlet to help parents teach their children how to recognize, resist, and report abuse. If you haven’t done so already, please immediately review and discuss this information with your child. A copy of the pamphlet and other youth-oriented literature is available under the Youth Protection tab on our website.
• All Scouting activities are open to parents, and we encourage families to enjoy Scouting together.
• Anyone suspected of inappropriate behavior will be immediately and permanently banned from Scouting. If you ever have any concerns about your child’s safety, please contact the BSA immediately through your local council. You can find the contact information by typing “Local Council Locator” into the search bar on our website.
• Internationally recognized child abuse prevention expert and former law enforcement professional Mike Johnson today leads Scouting’s Youth Protection program. Johnson, formerly a police detective investigating child abuse, working in close coordination with other experts in law enforcement, psychology, and other disciplines, is building upon these and other existing policies to further enhance Scouting’s safety, educational, and training programs.

These measures are by no means the full extent of our efforts, but given the media attention youth-serving organizations including Scouting have recently received, we wanted to share some of the most important aspects of our program. Additional information and resources can be accessed by visiting www.Scouting.org and clicking on the Youth Protection tab.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local Scout executive. Thanks for all you do to support Scouting and help us keep kids safe.

Sincerely, Wayne Brock
Chief Scout Executive, Boy Scouts of America

Voice Of The Scout

California Inland Empire Council set to collect the Voice of Scouts, Parents & Volunteers in September

As part of a national Boy Scout of America program, the California Inland Empire Council is excited to announce their participation in the Voice of the Scout.  With over four million members, this program is being adopted as a key way to collect experiences and deliver upon the expectation of members as they participate in Scouting. 

Beginning late September, parents, Scouts & Venturers over 14, volunteers and chartered organizations will begin seeing surveys delivered into their email inboxes for Voice of the Scout.  The surveys have been designed to be very brief but will give needed insight into the variety of experiences at the unit and district within our council. 

Surveys will stay open for three weeks, and then information will be referenced for making key decisions to drive Scouting forward, as guided by the people that matter most - our members.  It will be a continuous program, in that we will launch these surveys twice per year, with no household receiving more than one survey every six months. 

Due to the sheer volume of surveys in this program, we must deliver via email to effectively and efficiently collect opinions.  To make the most of this program we will begin asking for emails updates regularly, so please make sure we have your most recent email.

Voice of the Scout is how we will help guide our decision-making for our future programs and operational delivery.  Please take a few minutes of your time to participate! 
 

Long Time Leader Honored John Edward Rose has served the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America for the past 45 years.  Mr. Rose was honored on 9/12/12 at the San Bernardino Stake Court of Honor for his service to youth. He has served as a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, and has held many positions in Arrowhead District. He is the receipient of the District Award of Merit and the Silver Beaver. He is Wood Badge Trained and is a member of the Order of the Arrow. And many cub scouts through the years earned their Archery Belt Loop under the supervision of Mr. Rose on the Archery Range at both LDS Day Camps and District Day Camps.  Despite recent health challenges, Mr. Rose is currently serving as a Unit Commissioner. On behalf of the San Bernardino Stake and the Arrowhead District. Many thanks to you John E. Rose for your commitment and service to scouting. ~Nancy Nielson, District Commissioner.

IE Scouting Golf Classic

The California Inland Empire Council – Boy Scouts of America would like to invite you to the Annual Scouting Golf Classic being held on Monday, September 24th, at Sierra Lakes Golf Club in Fontana. Registration is $600 for a foursome. Registration contact is Jesse Lopez at the Jack Dembo Scout Service Center 909-793-2463 ext. 128. CLICK HERE for Registration Flyer or to Register Online. Come play and help Scouting continue its great tradition of service to the youth of our community. Bring your friends and business associates for a day of fun, friends and prizes! This fundraising event is designed to allow you to join the California Inland Empire Council, to help insure that a quality Scouting program is delivered to all the youth in the Inland Empire by providing assisatance for registration, uniforms, books, training of adult volunteers and camperships.

Stampede For Venturers

Hi Venturing Crews,

On September 28-­???30, 2012, the California Inland Empire Council, BSA is holding its annual Stampede at the Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore, California. This year’s event will feature a Venturing-­???only encampment that will include lots of activities to choose from such as mountain biking, canoeing, land navigation, COPE, outdoor living history, and even the Venturing AMAZIN’ RACE.

In addition to the Venturing-­???only encampment, this year’s event will have an array of activities that are available for all ages including a water park, Boy Scout push car, Cubmobile races, and even a Dutch oven cook-­???off.

There are 2 packages available for interested participants to choose from when registering for the event. Registration details including a description of both packages can be found online at the California Inland Empire Council website, www.bsa-­???ciec.org.

Yours in Venturing,
Hannah Reynolds CIEC VOA President
voa.ciec@verizon.net

Scouting For Adventure

Season 5 of “Scouting for Adventure,” the Boys’ Life magazine TV show, will kick off on the Outdoor Channel at 10 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 5.

Each episode will be broadcast on Fridays at 10 a.m. Eastern, with repeats each week on Saturdays at 2 p.m. Eastern and Wednesdays at 7 a.m. Eastern. Check your local cable listings for the Outdoor Channel schedule in your area.
 

The Advisor for Venturers The Advisor is the monthly newsletter for Venturing Crews/Ships in the California Inland Empire Council published and written under the guidance of Ryan Kleinvachter and the CIEC Venturing Committee Click Here

Friends Of Scouting Report

Positive Quote
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"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love."

   ~ Gandhi

Joe Daniszewski Scout Executive/CEO California Inland Empire Council, BSA PO Box 8910 1230 Indiana Court Redlands, CA 92374 909.793.2463, Ext. 120 877.732.1450 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