Sent to: All Scouters and Rovers in Voyageur Council |
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Voyageur Council Trail Guide
October 15, 2022
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Let’s Get OutCon: Fall 2022 is open for registration! |
Hello Scouters,
Registration is open for Let’s Get OutCon, so keep reading on for more information on how to join us for an amazing day of learning and fun!
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New and updated information this week: Let’s Get Outcon update and Ope Fall Work Weekend.
Have you checked out the News and Events section on Scouts.ca? You can find great updates there along with new ideas, new resources, and much more!
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Camp Opemikon Work Weekend
Camp Opemikon will be hosting a Fall Work Weekend on Nov 4-6. The Spring Work Weekend was a great success and propelled us into a great position this Summer; now we need to get the camp ready for winter. We're looking at getting a number of jobs completed, including: bench building, campsite rejuvenation, kybo pits dug, firewood moved and a bunch of cleaning.
In exchange for your help you will get free Section camping or free lodge accommodations, with Lunch on Saturday provided by the OPE Rover Crew.
**All other meals must be cooked at your campsite or can be catered with advance notice** The water system in the lodges has been turned off for the season.
You're free to come up Friday evening for a welcome campfire. We'll meet at 9AM on Saturday to coordinate the work, should be done by 4PM. You can stay overnight and enjoy a day at Ope on Sunday, with check-out by 2PM.
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Let's Get OutCon: Fall 2022
On November 5th, many Scouters are gathering at Camp Sheldrick to network, expand their skills and discover new adventures available for their sections. This event is outdoors for one reason, it’s our classroom, the space that makes us Scouts!
There is something for everyone. Our morning is filled with sessions on expanding your ability to support your section better, from basic Section specific fundamentals, Emergency response plans, Parent engagement and more on volunteer support. We will also host an hour of session with different local partner organizations, showcasing their activities available for your section.
Our afternoon is filled with some Scouter and Outdoor skills sessions. We have gathered some amazing Scouters to host these sessions and you will have a chance to attend 3 of these sessions.
A detailed program schedule will be sent out later.
Hope to see you there!
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How Groups Can Prepare for Safety this Fall
Safe Scouting has a wide variety of tools and tips to help you and youth plan for safe adventures. Check out these resources for your safety toolbox!
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First Aid Update: October 15, 2022
Standard First Aid
As in the past, we are offering St John Ambulance (SJA) Blended First Aid courses. This course is comprised of about 8 hours of online training in the David Huestis Learning Centre followed by a one-day in-person class to review the online content, cover the CPR-C and AED training as well as write the exam. SJA requires successful completion of the online portion in order to be allowed to attend the in-person class. Participants must be 13 years old on date of in person course.
Costs for these courses is about $70 including taxes and fees.
A two-day in-person St John Ambulance (SJA) First Aid + CPR-C and AED course will be held in Kingston on October 22 – 23 from 8AM to 4PM. There is limited room; registration and cost details are still being worked out. Please contact me at the email below if you are interested in attending.
News for recent CWMT WFA and past AWFA participants
We will not be holding an Advanced Wilderness First Aid course this Fall due to insufficient interest to meet the minimum number required. We’ll plan it for the spring after we run a few more Wilderness First Aid courses.
There was little interest in the planned scenarios day. We also won’t be running that until the spring.
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The dreaded Dragon has woken from its hundred-year slumber and is wreaking havoc in all the land. Only the Cosmo Crest can lull the Dragon back to sleep!
To face each week’s challenge, youth must unlock the power of one of the Forces of Nature to overcome the task at hand, choosing from Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire.
The Dragon Trail Quest will bring Sections on a five-week voyage, traversing the mystical lands of a fantastical world to face challenges as a team, discover their personal strengths and find a way to lull the Dragon back to sleep, saving the land.
Don’t forget to download the Scouter’s Guide in English or French and register for upcoming info sessions and mug ups!
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New Scouters' Network!
Voyageur is excited to start a new Scouters’ Network! It will be a monthly get-together for each Section (i.e. Colony Scouters, Pack Scouters, etc.) that will be running in a facilitated, virtual format. These sessions will allow for mentoring opportunities, so we are placing out a call for facilitators. If you are interested in this role or have questions, please reach out to Joni Boyd (joniboyd@scouts.ca).
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Reminders from the Help Centre Team
New member welcome: Don’t forget to take some time to welcome new parents to their respective sections by introducing yourself and your team. A friendly “hello” goes a long way in the busy age of digital communication tools and automated emails! A phone call is an excellent way to welcome new members into the Scouting, then follow up with an email to share detailed information regarding meeting logistics.
Role status for volunteers: “Pending” Scouter roles take up to an hour from when the last requirement has been met to become “Active.”
Group Commissioners needing “GCap” should contact their Group’s assigned Group Support Scouter, Scouting Relationship Manager, Camp Committee Chairs, or Property Support Manager to obtain their role approval.
NEW option: “Code of Conduct” option has been added to the left side menu for current Scouters so they can accept if the Code of Conduct does not pop up on screen. This option is not available for those who have not yet registered or renewed for 2022-23.
Role status for participants (excluding Rover Scouts): “Pending” participant roles are the result of incomplete registration; they do not count against Section capacity nor “hold a spot” for the new membership year. Parents are notified after four hours and again after seven days if the registration has not been completed. After 30 days, “Pending” roles are cleaned-up automatically.
Welcoming 2023 registered youth early: If you have youth who have been registered only for 2023 who you can take early, please provide a complete list to registration@scouts.ca including who the youth are and to what Section they should be added for 2022.
2023 participant transfers: Transfers for next year are not yet possible as a self-serve option via the “Transfer Participants” tab. If you have youth needing their 2023 role changed (move from Pack to Troop or to Colony, for example), please send lists to registration@scouts.ca including who the youth are and to what Section the 2023 role should be moved.
Waitlists: When a Section reaches its set “max participants” capacity for 2023, waitlists will begin to generate. If space becomes available in the Section, the youth waiting the longest will be offered the space first. It is not possible to prioritize youth lower on the list nor to change the order.
Scouters registering their own youth: The exception to Waitlist is for “Active” Scouters in the Sections they support; they can register their own youth in those Sections regardless of capacity. Example: An “Active” Pack Scouter can register their own youth to the Pack even if other parents (including “Pending” Pack Scouters and “Active” Colony/Troop/etc. Scouters) see only the option to “Waitlist My Child.” “Active” Group Committee Members are viewed as supporting all Sections so they can register their youth in any Section where they are “Active”.
Renewing Respect in Sport: If a Scouter has renewed their Respect in Sport training but the new certification date isn’t showing up in their MyScouts profile, please have them log in again and access the David Huestis Learning Centre to refresh their training record.
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Apple Day Crest Coming Soon
We have been informed that Apple Day Crests will be available for 2022. More details to come soon!
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Tick and Lyme Disease Awareness
Don’t fall out of good habits this autumn—it’s still tick season! Scouts Canada is proud to partner with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to raise awareness of Tick and Lyme disease this fall.
- Did you know that ticks can be the size of a poppy seed?
- Did you know that ticks can be found throughout Canada?
- Did you know that Lyme disease is spread through infected blacklegged ticks?
- Did you know that more than 40 different types of ticks live in Canada but only 2 types can spread the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in people (blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks)?
It’s important to identify and understand the risk of tick bites, how to prevent them and how to remove a tick if you are bit.
As part of this campaign, Scouts Canada and PHAC have developed a comprehensive program designed to help scouting youth and their families:
- Understand risk of tick bites and Lyme disease
- Recognize ticks and the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
- Increase awareness around climate change and how this can affect tick populations and geographic distribution
- Connect ticks and Lyme disease to the earth & science personal achievement badges (PAB) and the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
- Provide resources for further learning, bite prevention and safety tips
- Enjoy the outdoors safely this fall!
Learn more about tick and Lyme disease by checking out these great resources!
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Volunteer Lifecycle Review
Volunteering with Scouts is a rewarding experience. With your help, we are looking to undertake a holistic review of volunteer roles and journeys so we can identify opportunities to simplify and reduce the administrative tasks. We hope this will help all volunteers have more fun by receiving the support they need. To make volunteering more fun, we need your help and to share your stories and insights. If you’re brand new, kind-of new, or have been volunteering for a while, we need your voice as we build a contact list of Scouters called the Volunteer Reference Base.
We are looking for 3,000 Section or Group Committee Scouters willing to:
- Commit to one or more in-depth surveys that will probe different aspects of being a Scouter
- Respond to a series of spot/one-question surveys (these should take a few seconds each)
- Take part in discussion and focus groups in the upcoming months.
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Scout Popcorn 2022
This year’s Scout Popcorn fundraising campaign will run from October 3 to December 1!
- Registration and bulk order forms
- Sales brochures
- FAQs
- Promotional material
- Fundraising townhall recording and registration link
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We Need Event Support Scouters!
Do you love planning events? Do you have experience with event management or project management? Would you like to provide feedback and enhancement suggestions on various event standards and procedures? Then you should consider becoming an active member of the National Network of (Major & Local) Event Support Scouters!
The Event Support Team is continuing to recruit Event Support Scouters to help support large events and provide guidance through the event planning and application process. The process to join the team is quick and simple! Click the button below if you are interested in the role – a Program Support Manager will be in touch to schedule a quick interview. We look forward to having Voyageur Scouters join this growing team and help support amazing events that are being planned around the Council and the country.
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Counsellor-In-Training (CIT) program at Ope
It's back! Did you miss out on being a CIT because of two years with no summer camp? We'll be running a CIT program to fill that gap and help youth prepare for a job at summer camp. It will run in November and March Break and will be like the CIT program offered during summer camp.
There will be two weekends of instruction at Ope that will include sessions to provide the skills necessary to a successful summer counsellor and provide exciting programs. The other component of the CIT program will be a week at March Break camp at Ope. During this week the participants will get hands-on experience helping run programs for the campers.
The CIT program is open to youth 15 - 18, note that you must be 16 to work at summer camp. The first part will be November 4 - 6 and 18 - 20 at Ope. March Break camp, including early arrival for pre-training, would be March 12 - 17, 2023. Cost for the program is $190 + tax and convenience fee, payable at time of registration. Link to register: https://scouts.doubleknot.com/event/opemikon-cit-program/2943334
Registrations will close on November 2 at 11:59PM.
Company Scouters, please pass this along to your youth.
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Property status as follows:
- Camp Legewade:
- Currently closed.
Please note that all bookings must be made at least 72 hours in advance
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COVID Restrictions
Voyageur Groups in Quebec: All Groups in the Outaouais/Gatineau region (QC) may operate under Stage 5 Scouting.
Voyageur Groups in Ontario: All Groups under all Ontario Public Health Units may operate under Stage 5 Scouting.
Updated COVID restrictions were shared in an email sent on Sunday, March 20, 2022. For more detailed information, please refer to that email or click the button below.
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As a reminder to all Scouters, for your own safety and the safety of our youth and communities, you must follow public health guidelines at all times.
When in doubt, follow the most restrictive guideline.
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Voyageur Council Staffing Announcement
Effective Monday, September 19, Kira Berger will be vacating the Council Relationship Manager role in Voyageur Council as she will be joining the National Revenue Development team. We wish her well as she embarks on this new adventure with Scouts Canada!
We are incredibly pleased to announce that Brittiny Catalano will be stepping into the Council Relationship Manager role! Brittiny joined Scouts Canada in 2018 as an Scouting Relationship Manager (SRM) Intern and transitioned to SRM for Voyageur Council 6 months later. Once returning from maternity leave, she joined the Quebec Council CK3 and has supported groups in Quebec, Voyageur, and White Pine Councils. Please join us in congratulating Brittiny as she transitions into the CRM role and as a member of the Voyageur Council Key 3!
- Paige Gladwin, Council Youth Commissioner, and Joni Boyd, Council Commissioner
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Voyageur Council Key 3
Please do not reply to this email. This email address is not regularly monitored.
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Voyageur Council, Scouts Canada 1345 Baseline Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada K2C 0A7
© Scouts Canada
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