Sent to: All Scouters and Rovers and Venturers in Voyageur Council
Voyageur Council
Voyageur Council Trail Guide
October 20, 2023
Hello Scouters, Rovers and Venturers: Welcome to your latest Trail Guide.
New and updated information this week: Scouting Essentials, Scouts Canada Network, Scouter Synergy sessions, ScoutsTracker workshops, Wilderness First Aid, Beavers' 50th, and more.

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!

Cut off for this issue was October 18. Deadline for the next issue is November 1. If you have something you would like included in an upcoming Trail Guide, click here to provide the information. Questions? Comments? Contact dave.stremes@scouts.ca.

Looking for previous Trail Guides? Click here!
REMINDERS:
We are excited to invite you to participate in Scout Canada's Scouting Essentials Course, a fantastic opportunity for our dedicated volunteers to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Whether you're a seasoned Scouter or just starting your journey with us, this course will provide you with essential tools to make a positive impact on our Scouts' lives.


Course Highlights:
  • Engage with experienced Scouters and fellow volunteers.
  • Gain valuable insights into Scouting principles and best practices.
  • Explore ways to create exciting and enriching experiences for our Scouts.
  • Strengthen your leadership and communication skills.
This course is designed to accommodate volunteers with varying levels of experience, so whether you're new to Scouting or a seasoned pro, there's something here for you.

Voy - Scouting Essentials - Nov 4th
Voy - Scouting Essentials - Jan 6th
 
We will be exploring the following:
 
The wonderful world of Youth-led
  • Using the patrol system. (Lodges, Lairs and Patrols.. Oh My!) Including troubleshooting them.
  • Use of White Tails, Howlers & Patrol Leaders. 
 
Program building :
  • Plan-Do-Review 
  • Planning cycles 
  • Go for new adventures
  • Goal setting
  • Structuring your meeting and camps
  • How to have them contribute ideas to the program by doing gamestorming.
  • Building bigger adventures with SAGA Adventures. 
 
Awarding Achievement :
  • Dive into Personal achievement badges, Outdoor Adventure Skills, Personal progression and Tope section awards.
  • Ceremonies and Investiture.
 
Trouble shooting :
  • Answering and working on all those “What if” scenarios
 
Optional sessions:
  • ScoutsTracker introduction
  • Fundraising 
  • Parent engagement
  • -Team work (Scoutership team) / Delegating / sharing the load
 
Bonus !
  • Networking, camaraderie, helps you earn your WB1 and fun prizes! 
The Scouts Canada Network

All active Scouters in Voyageur Council are invited to join "The Network!"  This is a place that brings together Scouters from across the country who are eager to connect, collaborate and make our program even more impactful. This Network is housed on the Workplace platform from Meta.  By joining the Network, you will have unique opportunities to: 
  • Connect: Any active Scouter is welcome to join! The Network will expand your community with access to thousands of Scouters from different parts of Canada, with broad skillsets and perspectives.  
  • Collaborate: You will have access to unique opportunities to co-design ways to improve the Scouting program, reach Canadians in new ways, and engage diverse communities.  
  • Innovate: You will be involved in finding innovative and creative solutions to the challenges Scouting in Canada faces and help pursue emerging opportunities.  
  • Take Action: Your ideas will be uplifted, and you will be empowered and supported to try new things in your Sections.  
JOINING is easy!
  1. Please register by filling out the form here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/406c9ffa96fc4b3b9f23857e5b8a79aa 
  2. Once you have completed your registration, you will receive an invitation to join the Workplace platform within 5 business days.  
  3. When you receive your invitation link, please click it to complete your profile!  You will be greeted by a Welcome Bot, that will guide you to some key spots within the Workplace for you to check out. 
  4. As soon as your profile is completed, you can start checking out the content and engaging with Scouters across the country!
Once you're in The Network, be sure to join the Voyageur Council group!
Scouting Synergy Sessions coming!
Winter Skills
SAVE THE DATE for our annual WINTER OUTDOOR SKILLS Course, to be confirmed, January 5-7, 2024. Watch for details in November.
Wilderness First Aid
A Wilderness First Aid certification course open to youth and Scouters will be held on December 2 and 3, 2023 from 8:30 to 17:00 at Scouts National HQ on Baseline Rd. Cost of the course is $165 including taxes and fees. 

This is a 2-day course that covers the basics of first aid in a wilderness environment. The course includes Standard First Aid certification as well as meeting the Wilderness Medical Society’s requirements for Wilderness First Aid. The trainers are Scouts Canada volunteers, certification is provided by Canadian Wilderness Medical Training. The course meets requirements 6.1 and 7.1 of the Emergency Skills OAS.

Participants must be 14 years old on the date of the course. 

Register at: https://forms.gle/U1FuPm5TeiDvHHpA8. Payment information is at the top of the form. Registration deadline is November 27, 2023.

Contact Alex Gazaleh (scouteralex@gmail.com) and Paislee Kerrivan (paislee.kerrivan@gmail.com) (one will answer) if you have any questions.
ScoutsTracker Workshops
Two ScoutsTracker Workshops, each about 2 hours long, will be offered a few times this year.
A) ScoutsTracker for Administrators covers account setup, managing records, annual maintenance
B) ScoutsTracker for Sections covers events, signups, badge tracking and email.

The first pair of sessions will be held the afternoon of Nov. 12, in Carp, for up to 20 participants each. Participants may register in one or both. The fee is a Group crest or Group Event crest of your choice.

More details, registration, and expression of interest in future sessions, is now available at carletonscouting.ca.

If you have a Group with 8 or more interested participants, you will be asked to suggest a date and location for a future session.

Save the date for Beavers' 50th



For half a century, Beavers has been fostering a sense of adventure, camaraderie, and personal growth among our youngest members. This journey has been marked by countless memories, friendships, and moments of learning and fun.

To commemorate this significant occasion, Voyageur Council has planned an unforgettable celebration June 1, 2024 and we want you to be a part of it. Save the date!!! More details coming soon!
Calling all Colony Scouters! 

Join us in celebrating a remarkable milestone - the 50th anniversary of Scouts Canada Beavers! 🌟

We're on the lookout for passionate volunteers to help us plan an unforgettable event for June 1st. Whether you have event planning expertise or simply a love for scouting, your contribution can make a difference. Together, we can create lasting memories and continue the spirit of adventure.

Contact us by visiting https://forms.office.com/r/qZ5vcqESCq to sign up and get involved.

Together, we'll make this anniversary unforgettable! 🙌 #ScoutsCanadaBeavers50th
BP Guild
The 7th BP Guild (Bytown) is growing and accepting new members. It’s ideal for Scouters who want to stay involved, but don’t have the time or energy to be active with the youth. If you have left Scouting, but would like to enjoy the fellowship in a relaxed environment, you are welcome to join us as well. We do welcome active leaders as well. 

The Guild meets monthly from September to June at Scout HQ in Ottawa. We help out the Scouts Canada National Museum, and are looking to plan new activities for the future. We have members with ages ranging from 26 to 90; you must be 18 or older to join.

If you want to know more, head over to https://7thbpguildbytown.ca/
You can send us a message there, or via email at 7thcanadianbpguild@gmail.com 
Property Updates
Are now located on the Voyageur Council website at: https://www.scouts.ca/councils/eastern/voyageur/home.html
Voyageur Council Key 3 (CK3)
Council Youth Commissioner – Cadence James
Council Commissioner – Leo Caisse
Council Relationship Manager – Brittiny Catalano

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