This email goes to all registered adult leaders in the Golden Gate District (San Francisco/Daly City). Want an easy way to share this with others who may be interested?
We will be presenting one of our Golden Gate District scouts the Medal of Merit for a life-saving action they took earlier this year. Come to the dinner to hear the story!
Special Prizes will be given to the units with:
- The most attendees at the dinner - The highest % of registered scouts and adults attending the dinner - The Scouter with the most years active in scouting - The person who is furthest from their current residence
Registration and nominations close soon! While the event is primarily focused on adult leader recognition, scouts and family members are invited to attend. Enjoy a delicious meal and celebrate scouters from across San Francisco and Daly City. Know a leader worthy of recognition? Sure you do! Nominate them using the link below.
CLOSING SOON: Sharks Scout Night Tickets Available
February 17 @ SAP Center (San Jose)
Join us on Saturday, February 17th for Scout Night at the Shark Tank as the Sharks take on the Columbus Blue Jackets! Scouts, leaders, and family are all invited to join us for this fun event. Scout patch giveaway + come on the ice to take slapshots after the game! Tickets are $29 and up.
Thank you to Roundtable Commissioner Jon Gillespie for contributing this item
NEW: Spring Special Needs & Disabilities Roundtable
March 6 via Zoom
The National Special Needs and Disabilities Committee invites you to participate in the following Roundtable discussion, “Promoting National Disabilities Awareness Month within the Unit.” It takes place at Wednesday Mar 6, 2024, 4:30 PM Pacific Time.
Register in advance for this meeting using the below link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting
Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council holds their adult leader training event, University of Scouting, on March 2. More than 90 classes offer a huge variety of education for Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Sea Scout, Explorer and Venture leaders.
Important Change to New Adult Registration Process
Starting March 4
Beginning March 4, new adults must pass their Criminal Background Check (CBC) before they are considered registered adult leaders. This delay may add 3-5 days after the New Adult Application is approved by the Chartered Org Rep. This is a change being made nation-wide to the registration process.
This change will have the most impact to units that are trying to register adult leaders right before leaving on camping trips or Summer Camp. Be SURE to allow enough time for CBCs to complete for new leaders or they will NOT be permitted to stay overnight with the scout unit.
Save the Date: Bike Rodeo
May 5 @ Pier 30-32
Back for 2024, bigger and bikier than ever! This year's Bike Rodeo will take place on Saturday May 5 at Pier 30-32. Free parking to get you there: lots of fun biking education and safety activities to make it a great day!
Registration link coming soon
District Scouter Scoop
Units From Across the District Celebrate Scout Sunday
Sundays in February
The Boy Scouts of America allows chartered organizations to celebrate Scout Sunday on any day in February that best serves the chartering partner. Some organizations choose the Sunday that falls before February 8 (Scouting Anniversary Day) as the date to recognize the contributions of young people and adults to Scouting.
Scouting Adventure - Welcome Webelos! If you’re looking to meet your Scouting Adventure requirement, this is the outing for you. Join Troop 333 for a day hike on Sunday, February 25. For more information and to RSVP, check out https://333sf.org/calendar
Updated info: Changes to Cub Scout Program Coming in 2024
National has released an updated FAQ about the first revamp of the Cub Scout program in 10 years. After soliciting input from more than 23,000 parents and volunteers, several key changes are being made to the Cub Scout program starting in 2024.
We will be talking about these changes at Cub Scout Roundtable breakouts in early 2024. In the meantime, you can find information about the changes:
New loops, pins, and handbooks will start rolling out in March 2024 and Scoutbook will reflect the modified requirements starting in June 2024.
BALOO Training Available
Tuesday March 5, Tuesday March 12 + March 16-17
BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation) is required for any Cub Scout Pack that wants to do an overnight. Rules have recently changed, allowing 2-night overnights for Packs -- come learn about that change and lots more! Must attend all 3 parts of this program offered by Pac Sky Council.
Cub Scouts will participate in various activities, including skills & crafts, soccer and fun games, and we'll visit the Cal Academy of Sciences on Thursday! Learn tons of facts about the natural world, our solar system and beyond...
This 3-part hands-on course provides adult leaders the practical outdoor skills needed to lead Scouts outdoors. Upon completion, leaders should feel comfortable teaching Scouts the basic skills required to obtain the First Class rank. Along with Scoutmaster/ASM Position-Specific Training and Youth Protection Training, this course is required for all direct contact leaders of Scouts BSA troops. All three parts are required.
2-Day Courses in March, April, May or June @ San Jose
Prepare for the unexpected with this fun, hands-on introduction to wilderness medicine. If you like to take short trips relatively close to medical resources, work at wilderness camps, enjoy weekend family outdoor activities, or recreate outdoors, this course is for you.
This course is great for people of all experience levels, and is best suited for those who recreate outdoors where EMS response can be expected in a timely manner (fewer than 8 hours). You'll learn the Patient Assessment System, how to provide effective first aid treatments for injuries and illnesses common in the outdoors, and how to maker appropriate evacuation decisions.
Requirements: Must have current First Aid and CPR prior to start of class. Skills will be tested first day of Wilderness First Aid. (Can be taken the Friday before the course)
The American Numismatic Association offers free resources for Scouts BSA leaders (Merit Badge Counselors) who are offering the Coin Collecting Merit Badge. The resources include free coins for the scouts!
Featured this month: Robin Praegar, District Chair
Scouting Passion in Golden Gate District and a challenge for you as leaders
Last weekend many Scouters in GGD rang in the Year of the Dragon and then watched the Superbowl. A sixth Superbowl matching the sixth year of the Dragon since ‘64 was not to be. I watched the game with friends including seven of whom worked at Royaneh. One friend 40+ years ago ran the pool. He fondly recalls watching campers progress from non swimmers to beginners. Kids who had never been exposed to a pool before camp progressed from fear to confidence by week’s end. I think about the impact that scouting and camp has had on my life.
We want similar things for the scouts today.
Let’s get our scouts to camp. Please be sure that all your scouts are aware of camperships that are offered. Getting kids to camp is something I have a passion for and ideally camperships can help bridge the gaps for some.
Making sure that the campership dollars are in fact available is a way that together we can impact scouting. FOS provides money for camperships. Please share the things in scouting that you are excited about and challenge your families to participate in FOS. Last night I challenged the entire District Operating Committee to contribute. Later in the year I will report back on our progress. I believe that a 100% participation goal is attainable. Encourage every family to find a way to donate or find a friend or relative to participate in their place at a level that they are comfortable with.
Each of you has your own scouting passion that you can share that will help your units understand the value of scouting and the importance of financial support.
In ‘23 GGD crushed our fundraising goal, however participation levels were low. In ’24 we will again crush our goal but ideally with broad participation. Here is the donation link for our District:
I look forward to seeing many of you at the District recognition dinner March 5th . GO NINERS!
2023 Journey to Excellence
Recognizing outstanding GGD Units
Service hour reporting will be back soon - for this month we'll recognize GGD units that have submitted and been approved for their 2023 Journey to Excellence accomplishments.
JTE Gold Status
The following units have earned JTE Gold Status for 2023:
Pack 88
Pack 108
Troop 14
Troop 15
Troop 58
Troop 88 and 88G
JTE Silver Status
The following units have earned JTE Silver Status for 2023:
You can send the completed 2023 Scorecard to your Unit Commissioner or to District Commissioner Paul Lanzi.
Connect with Golden Gate District on Social Media
Find the latest stories and photos on a variety of platforms
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook using the buttons below. Want to see your own unit's photos and adventures featured in the GGD social media? Send photos to ggd.communications@gmail.com and/or tag 'BSA Golden Gate District' in your unit's or your personal posts.
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