Winter 2014

Area 2 Newsletter Everything new in Area Two!

Area 2 is comprised of the lower peninsula of

Michigan, also known as the Michigan Crossroads

Council. It serves the four Field Service Councils:

President Gerald R. Ford, Water and Woods, Great Lakes, and Southern Shores.

In this Issue:

Page 3

Venturing Kickback

Weekend

Page 4

Letter from the

President—Area Venturing Conference

Page 5

Message from the Area 2 Advisor

Page 7

Program Feature:

Aquatic School Summer Camp

Page 5

Events to Come

New Water and Woods FSC VOA!

The first meeting of the newly formed Water & Woods Field

Service Council Venturing Officers’ Association was held on

Sunday, January 19th

at the BSA Scout Office in Flint. Twenty

Venturers and Sea Scouts were in attendance, representing 8

different Crews and 3 different ships within the Water & Woods

FSC. Adults representing various Crews and ships were also

present.

The Venturers and Sea Scouts that were present elected VOA

officers (the officers for the Water & Woods FSC VOA are on page

2).

Powder Horn Page 6

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Winter 2014

Like Area 2’s Page on Facebook!

Area 2:

http://www.facebook.com/groups

/CRV.Area2/?fref=ts

Water and Woods:

http://www.facebook.com/groups

/44602549603/?fref=ts

President Ford:

http://www.facebook.com/groups

/58006254760/?fref=ts

Southern Shores:

http://www.facebook.com/groups

/45491999635/?fref=ts

Great Lakes:

https://www.facebook.com/group

s/81835021000/

Also follow Area 2 on Pinterest!

http://www.pinterest.com/venturingarea2/

Have a Scouting comic or one-liner? Send it in to be in our next newsletter!

CRVenturingArea2@gmail.com

Continued From Page 1 Discussions of what activity to plan for the Water & Woods FSC were

started, it is hoped that there will be an activity for all Venturers in the

Water & Woods FSC to attend sometime in July! The next meeting of the Water & Woods VOA will be on Sunday,

March 2nd

at 2 pm at the Flint Scout Office. All Venturers in the

Water & Woods FSC are invited and welcomed to come and share

their input. We hope to see you there!

Water and Woods VOA Officers:

President – Andrew Black, Crew 176

Secretary of the President – Bridget Suski, Crew 176

Secretary of the President – Nathan Snow, Crew 176

Vice President of Communication – Jessica Paling, Crew 321

Assistant Vice President of Communication – David Fountain,

Ship 218 and Crew 216

Vice President of Program – McKenzie Scheffler, Crew 7772 and

Ship 8772

Assistant Vice President of Program – Paige Donald, Crew

7772 and Ship 8772

Vice President of Administration – Craig Terryah, Crew 42

Assistant Vice President of Administration – Lindsey

Fountain, Ship 218 and Crew 216

Submitted by Jessica Paling, VP of Communication Water & Woods

FSC VOA

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Winter 2014

President’s Passage A letter from the Area President

Hello Area 2! The 2014 Area 2 Conference, held January 10-12 in Midland, MI, was a

wonderful winter experience for everyone who dared to take the challenge. The

Area Conference is a yearly opportunity for Venturers across Michigan to meet

with the current officers and with other Venturers in the area. It is also a great

place to gain knowledge about upcoming events and changes, as well as to

gather ideas about what to do with one’s own crew. This year we covered the

changes that are happening in Venturing, discussed the range of training

opportunities and events that are available for Venturers and

Advisors across the area, and more.

A major component of this year’s conference was the

changes that will be happening in Venturing this year. One

of these is that of the Venturing awards. There will be four

consecutive awards for Venturers to earn, and the skills

required to earn these new awards will be similar to the

current awards; however, they will be more flexible in terms

of what each crew does and will no longer be called the

Bronze, Gold and Silver awards. Outdoor-based crews to

robotic crews, and everything in between, will still be able to

receive the advancements. Another big change is the Venturing handbook. It will be easier to read and less

flipping back and forth will be required to follow the requirements and tasks that one has to complete. The

Ranger, Quest and Trust awards will still be available. Of course there are other exciting changes to come as

well.

Another highlight of the Conference

was the opportunities for individuals as well as

crews. Since we had multiple participants that

were either about to start a new crew or VOA,

were a new crew, or just interested in getting

and staying involved, we were able to tailor our

discussions to show how a crew can grow and

have opportunities for the individuals as well as

the entire crew. Some of these were that of

leadership training through NYLT or Kodiak

Challenge, as well as the Council Standard of

Venturing Excellence that a council can earn

through hosting activities and growing the

number of Venturers. Do to this years weekend

Participants enjoy a delicious lunch!

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Winter 2014

conference, we were able to have some one on one time

between Venturers and area officers as well! Also at our

conference, several officers were awarded with the area

Venturing Leadership Award, showing that no matter what

level of Venturing

one is in, there is

always an

opportunity to be

involved and even

recognized.

While at the Conference we did recognize Venturing as a whole and

the work and satisfaction one can get from it, we also had a

wonderful example of how determined one has to be at times—

especially due to the interesting weather. It was chilly and quite

slippery where the event was hosted this year. However, overall it was an event that was helpful to those

whom had been involved in Venturing for a while, and knowledgeable for those just starting. It was fun for

everyone, and a bit adventurous for those brave enough to “Venture” the journey.

Everyone acts as an animal in a

communication game.

Area VP, Erin Dunne is awarded with the area VLA

Area 2 Venturing Kickback Weekend

Kickback weekend is quickly approaching and I wanted to remind all of you

of all the details and fun activities that we have planned! It is going to be

held February 21-23 at Gerber Scout Camp (1733 Owasippe Rd. Twin Lake,

MI). The cost is $45 and will go up to $55 after February 14, 2014. The last

day to register will be February 17! You can register at this address:

http://www.michiganscouting.org/Event.aspx?id=9429

Some of the activities that will be offered this year include shooting

sports, snowmobiling, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, dancing,

board games, capture the flag, a scavenger hunt, and much more!

We are expecting a great turnout and have very high hopes for this

event. I hope to see you all at the Area 2

Venturing Kickback Weekend!!

Daniel Ruland

VOA President President Ford FSC, BSA

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Winter 2014

Venturing in Michigan is alive and well! Despite some membership declines

during 2013, Venturing Crews, Council Committees, District Forums and

Council VOA's strengthened significantly. We expect 2014 to be a banner year

of growth and activity as we rebound from the effects of the economic decline

of recent years.

We are excited that we're conducting our 10th Powder Horn course in 11 years -

no other Central Region Area can match that record. The inaugural Can-Am

Venturing summer camp at D-A Scout Ranch this summer will be lots of fun

shared with Scouts Canada. The Annual White Water rafting adventure continues

in June, and we welcome the christening of the 52' ketch Retriever and her new

Great Lakes off-shore sailing adventures. There are other great events

happening. Be sure to stay connected through our Facebook pages and the MCC web page.

I would like to extend my appreciation to the hearty souls who traveled great distance in snow, ice and wind to

attend the Area 2 Venturing Planning Conference in January. It was a great meeting of sharing best practices,

exchanging information and having fun. Many thanks to our VOA officers, and to Jerry and Robin Kiste, for the

planning and hospitality that went into the conference.

Be sure to reach out to our officers and advisors if we can be of any assistance to you. And even though our

year is only half way done, interested Venturers should consider submitting their applications for Area VOA

officer positions now! Those applications and job descriptions can be found on the national Scouting web site.

Jeff Geralds

Area 2 Venturing Advisor

Message from the Area 2 Advisor

Events Looking Ahead

2014 Ventuirng and Sea Scout Adult Leader Training, ILSC, and ILSS—February 15, Lansing MI

2014 A2 Venturing Kickback Weekend—February 21-23 at Gerber Scout Reservation

Venturing and Sea Scouting Basic Leader Training—March 10, Midland, MI

2014 Venturing BOSS—April 25-27 in Gregory, MI

2014 Powder Horn - May 9-11 and May 16-18 at D-A Scout Ranch

2014 Area 2 White Water Rafting—June 14-17 in Fayetteville, WV

2014 Can-Am Venturing Week—July 27-August 2 at D-A Scout Ranch

2015 Powder Horn at Gerber Scout Reservation

2015 World Jamboree in July/August at Yamaguchi, Japan

2017 National Jamboree at the Bechtel Summit Reserve, WV

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Winter 2014

Powder Horn 2014

Powder Horn is a high adventure resource management course

designed to motivate and prepare adult Venturing leaders to

support the Ranger award. Boy Scout leaders are also

welcome to participate in Powder Horn. This course will give

all participants an opportunity to experience the Ranger

program themselves as if they were the Venturing youth.

Powder Horn is designed to expose the Venturing leader to

activities and resources necessary to operate a successful

Venturing Ranger program in several ways. This course will

include participation in many high adventure activities*. Get

ready for 6 days packed to the brim with fun, challenging

activities!

The Great Lakes FSC will be putting on a course May 8, 9 & 10,

2014, and May 15, 16 & 17, 2014 at D-A Scout Ranch in

Metamora, Michigan. This Powder Horn course will include the following topics: Backpacking, Cave Exploring, Communications,

Conservation, Cooking, Cycling/Mountain Biking, Ecology,

Emergency Preparedness, Equestrian, Expedition Planning, First

Aid, Fishing, Hunting, Land Navigation, Leave No Trace, Life

Saver, Mountaineering, Outdoor Living History, Physical Fitness, Plants and Wildlife, Project COPE, Scuba,

Shooting Sports, Watercraft, Wilderness Survival, and Winter Sports. In order to attend the course, adults must be

We Want Your Events!

We are interested in what your crew and field service council are doing! If your event is open to other crews, councils, or even areas, please add it to our Central Region Calendar via http://www.crventuring.org/event_submission.php.

This calendar is a great resourse if your crew is looking for something fun to do. Check out all events on the calendar here: http://crventuring.org/Activities/Events_Calendar/.

registered members of the Boy Scouts of

America and youth must be at least 16 years

old and have unit leader and course director

permission. Also, all participants must be

fully trained for their specific position, and

must meet the physical requirements of parts

A, B, and C of the Annual Health and

Medical Record for high adventure activities.

Act fast, the course is limited—only 40

participants will be accepted. The price for

the course is $275 if paid in full by May 2,

2014 or $300 if paid in full after May 2,

2014. Register Online!

http://www.michiganscouting.org/Event.aspx

?id=557. To request more information,

contact Course Director, Jeff Geralds at (248)

930-9685 or jwgeralds@aol.com. You may

also contact staff advisor, Denver Laabs at

(313) 361-1272 or

denver.laabs@scouting.org.

*All activities are challenge by choice.

Program Feature of the Season:

Aquatic School Summer Camp

Article Submitted by Gretchen

Schuttger; Founding Boatswain of Sea

Scout Ship 681 Old Ironsides, Aquatic

School 2013 Anchorman & 2014 Staffer

Aquatic School summer camp this July

13-19 near Dallas / Forth Worth.

We are offering official Sea Scout

advancement for 15 rank

requirements spread across Apprentice, Ordinary, Able, and Quartermaster,

including some major difficult items such as 100% completion of BSA Lifeguard.

All Venturers, Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts through age 18 are eligible to earn the

coveted Anchorman medal.

Sea Scouts over the age of 18 are eligible to work as Aquatic School paid staff.

See the flyer here: http://www.longhorncouncil.org/uploads/d7/d79ac5c8-fdb6-4e3e-

b32d-876feb4cef21.pdf

BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!

"Aquatic School is a once-in-a-

lifetime experience that all Scouts

should attend. It teaches you skills

no other camp can!"

~ Ricky Trent; Squadron Bosun of

Capitol Area Council Sea Scouts,

Eagle Scout, Aquatic School 2013

Anchorman

"I'll never look at any aquatics activity the same way. The knowledge Aquatic School has given me is like putting on glasses..."

Interested in having the time of your life and gaining invaluable

leadership experience? Become an Area 2 officer! Apply by March 15th.

Apply here: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/venturing/pdf/2011-

2012VenturingPresidentNominationForm.pdf