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Rochester Scouting For Food Drive      

Area Boy Scouts & Cub Scouts in Rochester & surrounding areas will canvass the neighborhoods to collect canned goods for Channel One food bank during the first 2 weeks of March to benefit the Channel One Food Bank. If you need to pick up your units door hangers please contact Anthony DeBusk at adebusk@bsamail.org or call 507.358.2536.  In need to find out what neighborhoods that your unit covers, please contact Shelly Erpelding (Scouting for Food Chair) at shelly.erpelding@gmail.com or call 507.261.8025.

• Door hangers are to be dropped off to area homes on March 3rd.
• Pick-up food on March 10 from 9 am to 1 pm and deliver to Channel One Food Bank.

 

2012 Gamehaven Merit Badge Fair      

 

The Gamehaven Council Merit Badge Fair will be held on March 17, 2012 at Lourdes High School and nearby offsite locations.  Find out all the information about the Merit Badge Fair by clicking on the patch.  Check the Merit Badge Fair Information page often for more detailed information and updates on the event and merit badge pre-requisites.  Over 50 merit badges are being offered - there is certainly one that your scouts will be interested in.  See you there!

 

2013 National Scout Jamboree      

Get ready!  The 2013 National Scout Jamboree is coming and it ain't your father's jamboree.  We're talking seriously high adventure, people!  Whitewater rafting, zip-lining, rappelling, mountain biking, hiking, and more - with 50,000 of your closest friends at the brand new Summit Bechtel Reserve in the wilds of West Virginia.  Check out the National Jamboree Website and start planning now to be a part of history at the very first jamboree at The Summit.                                                                                                                                             Click on the patch for more information on how to be a part of history with the Gamehaven Council Jamboree contingent.

 

Journey to Excellence Unit Awards     

Celebrate your unit's success!  Order your Journey to Excellence Unit Awards.  This order form will also be placed on the Forms Page and the Scout Shop Page.     JTE Order Form

 

Upcoming Training Sessions     

Boy Scout Leader Specific training will be held March 17, 2012 at the Gamehaven Council Merit Badge Fair.  This session is for Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters.  Advance Registrations are due by March 9, 2012.  Flyer

Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills training will be held on April 24, 2012 (Pre-Course) and the May 4th through the 6th for the weekend outdoor session. Both sessions will be held at Gamehaven Scout Reservation.  This session if for Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, and Webelos Leaders.  Advance Registration is due April 20, 2012.  Flyer

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) will be held June 10 through June 19th at Gamehaven Scout Reservation.  Registrations are due by May 4, 2012.  This session is open to First Class Scouts who are 13 years of age by January 1st.  Approval Form   Registration Form

 

Wilderness First Aid Basics      

March 23 and 24, 2012 are the dates to take Wilderness First Aid Basics.  High Adventure programs now require that "one person, preferably two be currently certified in Wilderness first Aid or its equivalent and in CPR from the American Heart Association of the American Red Cross or an equivalent."  This session will be held at the Spring Valley Area Ambulance Service Center.  Registration and payment is due by March 16, 2012.  Class size is limited to 15 students and must have a minimum of ten (10) for the class to take place.  Registration Form

 

2012 Summer Safari Camp      

Summer camp information and registration forms are here! Plan your summer safari adventure today. 

2012 Pre-Camp Guide            2012 Camp Registration Form  

Registration is on a "first come, first served" basis.  Helpful hints for camp registration are in the documents and on the Upcoming Camps page.  Be sure to check it out and plan for a fun safari at camp this year.

 

Save the Date!          

October 27, 2012 for the 4th Annual Pumpkin Chuck'n Contest.  Flyer

 

Chess Merit Badge Makes It Debut          

"The game of chess is not merely an ideal amusement.  Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it, so as to become habtis, ready on all occasions."  So said Benjamin Franklin in 1786 in an essary that described how cheess teaches foresight, circumspection, caution, and perseverance.  The BSA has introduced the Chess Merit Badge, the latest hobby-related badge in the Boy Scout Advancement program.   Check it out!

 

Saturday Trading Post Hours to continue          

The Council Office Trading Post will continue to be open on Saturdays from 9AM to 2PM.  There is now one more oppotunity to shop at the Trading Post.  Be sure to stop in!

 

Tour Plans           

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.  Online tour permits will be suspended.   The definition of a tour plan in scouting language is this:  Units complete this form when planning for local, national, or international adventures.  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.  Learn more.  Tour Plan Form.  FAQ

 

2012 Northern Tier High Adventure - Wildnerness Canoe Treks               

Summer 2012 Registration opens 8:00 AM CST on April 1, 2011 at Northern Tier National High Adventure Program

for Wilderness Canoe Treks for the summer of 2012 at one of the three National High Adventure Bases that are part of the Northern Tier Program.  Open registration for individual units begin on April 1, 2011.

Registration Form and Sign up Procedures

 

Leading Cub Scouts

What's new for Leaders and Adults in Cub Scouts?  The change for Cub Scouts is a piloted and successful method of delivering the existing Cub Scout Program that is hand-book based and focuses on den activities leading to youth advancement and higher retention.  Click on the Cub Scouts 2010 button for the all information, links, and resouces to guide you through the Cub Scout year! 

 

 

Be A Scout Campaign

The new BeAScout campaign is ready for unit leaders to put their units on the map!  BeAScout helps parents and volunteers locate packs, troops, and crews nearest them and request information about Scouting opportunities in their area.   Webinars are being held for unit leaders.  Learn more.  Unit Leaders Guide.

 

New Policy for Youth Protection Training Effective June 1st

Youth Safety is the No. 1 concern of the Boy Scouts of America.  To increase awareness

of this societal problem and to create even great barriers to abuse than already exist today in Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America is implementing several important changes to further enhance its Youth Protection policies.  These policies take effect June 1, 2010.  Learn more.

 

The Summit - BSA's new High Adventure Camp

A fourth high adventure camp is in the making.  Learn all about the "The Summit" here.

 

Scoutcasts Resources

Scoutcasts are podcasts (an audio and or video file) that features helpful information for scouters, parents, and volunteers at all levels and on different topics.  Check out the scoutcasts here.

 

Letter from the Chief Scout Executive

Robert J. Mazzuca writes about Scouting in the next century and his hope.  Read his letter.