Due to Lack of Registration the Cub Scout Basic Training Event on Jan 27, 2018 has been CANCELLED.
Cub Scout Basic 101
Cub Scout Basic 101
Who: All Cub Scout Leaders
What: Cub Scout Leader Basic Training
When: 9 am to 3 pm Saturday, January 27, 2018 (Bring a sack lunch)
Where: Midnight Sun Council, BSA office
Why: Growing Scouting in your Program
Cost: $5.00
Pre- Registration ends on January 26, 2018 by close of business
RSVP to the Midnight Sun Council office
(to help facilitate planning/copies/light snacks)
For more info contact BSA office at 452-1976
or via email at john.daly@scouting.org
Jack Daly cell: 907-385-5011
Merit Badge Counselors and Adult Members
Youth Protection Training! Remember that all leaders need to keep up with this important annual training!
We are updating our list of trained adult leaders and merit badge counselors and in doing this we have discovered that some of the trainings have not been completed. One major training that seems to be missing is the Youth Protection Training that is required of all registered adults of the Boy Scouts of America.
We are asking that all adult members and merit badge counselor’s take Youth Protection (YP) training to comply with the National Boy Scouts of America and the Midnight Sun Council’s rules and regulations. The Youth Protection Training is to be completed on a yearly basis to comply with the Midnight Sun Council’s board of director’s rules and regulations.
We are asking that you complete the Youth Protection Training, to avoid being dropped as a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America and this could have a big impact on continuing in your Scouting unit that you are registered with, as well as being a merit badge counselor.
You can complete this training online at the following website https://my.scouting.org where you will sign into your my scouting account or if you are new to my scouting and do not have an account you will need to create an account using your member id number. If you do not remember or know your member number, contact our registrar at 907-452-1976.
When you get into your account go to the upper left corner and click on Menu then my dashboard, then my training and the Youth Protection Training will pop up. Chose the (YP) training that applies to your Unit. Cub Scout/Boy Scout is the first (YP) training. If you are a merit badge counselor you will take the Cub Scout/Boy Scout YP training. If you are registered with a Crew you will take the Venturing YP training. If you are registered with a Post you will take the Exploring YP training.
After you have completed the training please print your certificate and email a copy to yvonne.orsini-boone2@scouting.org so that it can be added to your profile.
Thank you,
Registrar
Midnight Sun Council, BSA
Phone: 907-452-1976 Fax: 907-452-1977
Essentials of Merit Badge Counseling
The Essentials of Merit Badge Counseling
This PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes covers the required procedures for merit badge counseling, clarifies the role of counselors in the BSA advancement program, and discusses the appropriate approaches to use in working with Scouts. It is intended as an instructor-led presentation to counselors of any experience level and takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
Click here to Download PowerPoint Presentation
Wood Badge
Due to the lack of registrations, the 2018 Wood Badge Course is being postponed until 2019.
We are planning to have a Wood Badge kick off/promotion scheduled later this year, in order to give everyone the opportunity to meet some of the staff and to ask questions about this fantastic opportunity.
We need at least 30 people to register to hold the course.
For questions please contact Stephen Smith at stephen.smith@scouting.org
Introduction to Leadership Skills Training (ILST)
Introduction to Leadership Skills
Boy Scout Youth Training
The purpose of the ILST course is to teach Scouts with leadership positions about their new roles and how to most effectively reach success in that role. It is intended to help Scouts in leadership positions within their troop understand their responsibilities and to equip them with organizational and leadership skills to fulfill those responsibilities. ILST is the first course in the series of leadership training offered to Scouts and is a replacement for Troop Leadership Training. Completion of ILST is a prerequisite for Scouts to participate in the more advanced leadership courses National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). It is also required to participate in a Kodiak Challenge Trek.
Youth Protection Training
The Boy Scouts of America places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members.
Youth Protection Training Will Be Updated on June 1
What does this mean?
Anyone who has only partially completed the online training will have to begin the online training again.
If you haven’t taken your Youth Protection Training yet this year or are in the middle of it, try to get it completed before June 1st, otherwise you’ll have to take the updated version and lose any progress in the old version you may have had.
This does not change the frequency that an individual must take Youth Protection training. It continues to be two years and the renewal continues to be based on the date you took YPT.
(Remember, every volunteer in the Midnight Sun Council must complete the BSA’s Youth Protection annually.)
There are no large changes to the content, rather small adjustments.
The Boy Scouts of America’s updated youth protection training doesn’t just talk about the dangers of child predators – it shows how they work to gain access to their victims.
The BSA introduced newly updated youth protection training that is required for all volunteers.
The updated training, which includes three modules and a test that take a little over an hour to complete, draws on research from experts in the field of child abuse and maltreatment to identify the contributing factors and threats across the spectrum of child abuse, including: bullying, neglect, exposure to violence, physical and emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse. Once completed, volunteers will not have to retake the training for two years.
New to this version of the training program are video interviews with psychologists and law enforcement professionals who discuss the root causes of abuse, how to recognize it, and how to respond.
“There is no substitute for hearing directly from experts who have spent their careers studying child predators and abusers,” said Michael Johnson, the BSA’s director of youth protection. “They shine a new light on the challenge we all face in protecting kids and how parents and volunteers can put barriers in place to keep them away.”
Some of the most impactful aspects of the training are interviews with abuse survivors, who give their first-hand perspectives. “In developing this training, we discussed whether or not to include survivor videos,” said Johnson. “It was the right decision. Their testimony is powerful and highlights how predators work and the tragic impact like nothing else.”
In addition to updated training, the BSA recently announced new policies to ensure compliance with mandatory training requirements, including:
As of January 1, 2018, no new leader can be registered without first completing youth protection training.
As of January 1, 2018, no council, regional, or national leader will be allowed to renew their registration if they are not current on their Youth Protection Training.
As of September 1, 2017, no unit may re-charter without all leaders being current on their Youth Protection Training. Registrars no longer have the ability to approve charters without full compliance.
Effective June 1, 2018, adults accompanying a Scouting unit who are present at the activity for 72 total hours or more must be registered as a leader, including completion of a criminal background check and Youth Protection Training. The 72 hours need not be consecutive. All together, it’s a bold new approach that will serve as just one part of the BSA’s ongoing effort to enroll the entire community in the fight against child abuse both in and out of Scouting.
Need help with the training? Find out more in the How-to Guide for Taking Youth Protection
Youth Protection Training Now Available on Mobile
The Youth Protection (Y01) online training course will now work on mobile devices.
Volunteers can access YPT at my.scouting.org and complete the training from their tablet!
IMPORTANT: The training certificate is not automatically produced upon completion of the training course!
Volunteers will need to return to the My Training page to print their certificate. Improvements are in the works to prompt the volunteer to return to print the certificate.
Commissioners Training
Training the Commissioner Corps
Welcome to the Midnight Sun Council Commissioner Corps!
We currently have 14 commissioners serving the youth of Northern Alaska. Unit commissioners are volunteer Scouters who provide the primary link between their assigned units and the district and council. They carry out this responsibility by periodic visits to unit meetings and other events, contacts with the unit’s leadership, and interactions with the unit committee and charter partner. They then report these contacts, including assessments of the unit’s health, via my.scouting.org. Unit commissioners have a role in timely annual unit re-chartering, in urging the development and use of the unit service plan and its associated Journey to Excellence performance evaluation, in assuring stable and effective unit leadership, and in passing news, information and other communication back and forth between the council and the unit.
Because of all these important functions, commissioner training is essential. Our commissioners (unit commissioners, roundtable commissioners, district and council commissioners) are required to complete the following trainings to be considered “BSA Trained”:
– Youth Protection Training (available online at My.Scouting.org)
– Commissioner Basic Training (an 8-hour classroom training session, part of the University of Scouting)
We have offered the CBT nearly every quarter since Q4FY16, with the only missed quarters being due to a lack of students needing the course. Of our 14 commissioners we currently have the following 100% compliance rate (1 March 2020):
– YPT 14/14
– Basic Training 14/14
In addition to these standards, our council established the College of Commissioner Science in 2014. Since then, the following degrees have been earned. Many others are working on earning these advanced commissioner degrees
Class of 2015
Nicole Z. Hansen – Bachelors
Class of 2016
Brenda H. Stapp – Bachelors
Tyson J. Forbush – Bachelors
Nicole Z. Hansen – Masters
Class of 2017
F. Lawrence Bennett – Bachelors
Donald A. Frazier – Bachelors
Michael J. Galloway – Bachelors
Teresa N. Jones – Bachelors
Bradley J. Kilburn – Bachelors
Shannon L. Price – Bachelors
Alan F. Skinner – Bachelors
Mark A. Smith – Bachelors
Anthony P. White – Bachelors
William D. Wood Sr. – Bachelors
F. Lawrence Bennett – Masters
Michael J. Galloway – Masters
Tyson J. Forbush – Masters
Donald A. Frazier – Masters
Bradley J. Kilburn – Masters
Mark A. Smith – Masters
Brenda H. Stapp – Masters
William D. Wood Sr. – Masters
Anthony P. White – Masters
Class of 2019
Julie E. Cole – Bachelors
Class of 2020
Robert O. Jones Jr. – Bachelors
F. Lawrence Bennett – Doctorate
Since 2014, Midnight Sun Council commissioners have completed 15 BCS degrees, 10 MCS degrees, and 1 DCS degree. Many of these commissioners are no longer in our council, but we know they are well trained in whatever council they have moved to over the years.
So come join our commissioner corps! Serve units, serve youth, learn scouting, win awards! See you in our corps!
Medal of Merit Award
The Midnight Sun Council was honored to present the Medal of Merit Award to ten of the twelve individuals who earned it at our closing campfire last night. The remaining two will be presented at a future date. The awards were presented to participants and leaders of last year’s National Youth Leadership Training course (NYLT), who came across a wildfire and were able to put it out before it went too far. In a state where a fire can burn millions of acres, this was a great job well done. There were houses in the vicinity, but the nearest firehouse was at least an hour away. Using what they had, and engaging passing motorists, they were able to save the nearby houses, and prevent a catastrophe. Yes, these Scouts and Scouters set a fine example of teamwork, leadership, and what it means to be prepared. Congratulations and thanks to each one of you!
Intro to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS)
Intro
to
Outdoor
Leadership
Skills
Date: September 22 & 23, 2023
Place: Lost Lake Camp
Cost: $20
Time: Friday 7:30 pm – Saturday 6 pm
Who should attend:
Scoutmasters, Asst. Scoutmasters, committee members and future Scout Leaders.
click here to view/download flyer for more information
From the Course Syllabus: Specifically, this hands-on program gives adult leaders a practical introduction to the patrol method of a Scout-led troop by teaching many of the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts in the out-of-doors. In addition, the teaching methods, activities, and games model the variety of teaching used in effective and engaging Scouting programs.
Participating troop leadership should include the Scoutmaster, all assistant Scoutmasters, interested troop committee members, and new adult leaders from Webelo’s graduation and round-ups.
This course is REQUIRED to be considered fully trained in a Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster position, in addition to the specific leader training for your position.
