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?
The perfect fit for families and units, Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council's (SVMBC) Camp Hi-Sierra has 12 different cabins with a variety of sleeping arrangements, an amazing four-season dining hall & kitchen, and is in the ideal location for a fantastic ski trip. Camp is only 15 minutes from Dodge Ridge Ski Resort, amazing cross-country skiing at Pinecrest Lake, or ideal for snow shelters and snow caves. With a regularly plowed road, a friendly ranger on site, and unlimited hot chocolate Hi-Sierra can’t be beat as your destination for the winter months.
Quick links to selected advancement topics have been added to the District website. A list of useful guides and references have been added to the Advancement page. This includes a link to Personal Safety Awareness Videos that replace Cyberchip, and a new Merit Badge Counselor registration guide. Take a look at the advancement resources here.
Thank you to District Advancement Chair Andy Chen for contributing this item
Scouts BSA/Sea Scouts Breakout: Path to Eagle and Pack-to-Troop/Club transitions
Safety moment: Gas stoves
Roundtables provide unit leaders with the skills and the will to do what is needed to ensure that every member of every unit has a great Scouting experience. They build upon the foundation provided by position-specific basic training and each leader’s commitment to serving youth through Scouting
Held as a Zoom session on the third Tuesday of every month, we have break out rooms focused on Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA where we provide an engaging and informative program focusing on the needs of units. With 30-40 fellow Scouters present at most meetings, there is always someone who is either dealing with similar issues or who can provide support with something you may have done or want to do - why reinvent the wheel when you have this amazing resource available?
Thank you to Roundtable Commissioner Jon Gillespie for contributing this item
NEW: Trainer's EDGE - open to youth and adults!
February 3 @ San Jose
Offered by SVMBC. The purpose of the Trainer’s EDGE course is to improve a trainer's skillset. It is meant to supplement the practice offered through Wood Badge and NYLT staff development, with a focus on the participant. Only practice can polish these skills, but this course is intended to “train the trainer” on behaviors and resources while offering hands‐on experience in methods and media. Open to youth leaders and adult volunteers.
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.
Golden Gate Area Council will hold LEAD on January 27 -- hope to see you there! In addition, 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.
Back again for 2024! Our District Award Dinner is for us to recognize the amazing leaders we have in San Francisco and Daly City (like you!). Be on the lookout for award nomination forms and instructions on how to register for this great event. While the event is primarily focused on adult leader recognition, scouts and family members are invited to attend.
Registration link coming soon!
District Scouter Scoop
San Francisco Newsletter from... 1892?
July 15, 1892
18 years before Baden-Powell started Boy Scouts of America, another organization focused on getting youth (mostly boys) outdoors, including a major chapter in San Francisco: The Boy's Brigade, a Christian-affiliated youth outdoors movement. This edition of their newsletter recounts their camping trips in the Bay Area. If you think this newsletter is long, their newsletter was 16 single-spaced pages!
Braving cool temperatures and rain, hundreds of local Scouts BSA attendees learned how to safely camp in wintery conditions at the Winter Camp Awareness event aboard the USS Hornet. Conducted by our Order of the Arrow lodge, Yerba Buena Lodge, this youth-led event prepared Troop members for overnight winter camping at events like our Council's Klondike Derby, the SVMBC's BearPaw Winter Camping event or unit-run events.
Thanks OA youth leaders for a great event!
Something more current?
We'd love to share information about your unit's activities! Submit your news below or on the news section of our website.
Being held at Elks Lodge @ 1312 Mission Ave in San Rafael instead of Camp Tamarancho this year, the Order of the Arrow Talako Lodge members will be helping Cub Scouts to cut their Pinewood Derby car blocks on February 10. The cost is $8 per Cub Scout, which covers up to an hour of build time on Pit Row including one 20-minute session in the design and workshop area plus a cool PWD Pit Crew patch! You must bring your own Pinewood Derby Car kit pre-purchased from one of the local scout shops.
Pacific Skyline Council will also hold a Pinewood Derby Workshop in January. Check it out on January 27 @ Foster City Scout Shop, 10am-2pm (no RSVP required).
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.
Shooting Sports for Cubs: Bullseye Bonanza @ Camp Chesebrough
March through October 2024
Take a day trip down to Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council's (SVMBC) Camp Chesebrough (Highway 9, south of San Jose) for a fun-filled day of BB, archery, and slingshots for Tigers through Webelos scouts. See registration website for dates and activities.
February 2-4 or February 23-25 @ Camp Hi-Sierra (Long Barn, CA)
The outdoor camping experience allows participants to put into practice what they learned during troop meetings or winter camping training. This may be the best high adventure they may ever participate in as a youth; even adults have fun!
2-Day Courses in February, 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 Merit Badge Midway registration is now open to GGAC youth. This event will be in person at Ralston Middle School in Belmont + two other locations nearby on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Two sessions are available, 8:30-11:30 AM and 12:30-3:30 PM. A few classes will be all day, so a Scout would only be able to take one merit badge if attending one of those classes. The fee for this event is $60.
Featured this month: Paul Lanzi, District Commissioner
Why attend camp?
It's a question that parents, scouts and scout leaders find themselves asking this time of year. Whether it's GGD Cub Day Camp, Webelos Adventure Camp, Scouts BSA Summer Camp or Maritime Explorer Camp, our scouts have access to a huge variety of local camp experiences. So why attend one of them?
One word: FUN. Anecdotally, camp is the one summer-time adventure that my son mentions as the highlight of his summer. It's an opportunity to get outside, be physically active and make new friends -- all in an atmosphere that adheres to the Scout Law and Oath. Our camps take place at some of the most incredible recreation locations available to scouts anywhere on the planet -- and they're in our backyard! Now is the time of year when parents begin to plan out their children's summer time activities -- be sure to promote GGAC summer-time camps as a great option!
Congrats on the Golden Gate District for reporting more than 9,000 service hours in 2023! Thank you for all that you do for our community!
2023 Service Hours as of 1/12/2024
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