Briones Fellowship and Unit Recognition Awards!
Sunday, March 10, 2024

Eagle Scout Project of the Year
Chase Belhumeur – Troop  224B
Caitlin Loughran – Troop 303G
VFW Eagle Scout of the Year
Nia Ho – Troop 200G
Award for Gracious Service
Heather Tzortzis
Award for Distinguished Commissioner Service
William (Bill) Lew
Charles E. Savage Award for Exemplary Program Leadership
Amy Cole
Lifetime Service Award
Matt Ariker
Community Partner
Russell Stepp & St. Monica’s Catholic Church
District Award of Merit
John Mlynek
Rodolfo Martell
 

Youth protection is a core value of the Golden Gate Area Council. We have an update on the Live Scan background check requirement of California law AB 506, which adds layers of protection to our already robust BSA Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse policies.

As noted in previous communications, all youth service organizations (e.g. Scout units, church groups, and sports teams) are required to meet AB 506 standards as of January, 2022. Two of the AB 506 standards affect all adult volunteers, all employees, and many of our families.

Mandated Reporter Training from the State of California:

Mandated Reporter Training is required in addition to our BSA Youth Protection Training. Volunteer leaders must complete the 2 hour training and upload their certificate at California Scouting.

They must also complete a Live Scan background check :  A Live Scan background check (the digital version of inked fingerprinting) is required for all volunteers and staff. Live Scan replaces previous background checks; all volunteers will have to complete this once.

Please follow Step 3 at California Scouting/GGAC and use your web browser’s pdf reader to open the Live Scan Request Form. Only the “Applicant Info” section needs to be completed. (Note: if your default settings are to open pdf files in Adobe Acrobat, the form may not be populated with our council’s unique routing number)

Continue to refer to the California Scouting site, developed by all California councils, to follow the steps necessary for your training and Live Scan background check. It is imperative that you complete steps 1-3. Local information will continue to be available at GGAC Youth Protection. We appreciate your patience and assistance as we join all California Youth Service Organizations in improving youth protection.

All GGAC adult volunteers must be registered with the BSA and be Youth Protection Trained (YPT) to ensure that all adults know how to recognize and correctly report behaviors suspicious for grooming and abuse. On May 19, 2021 the GGAC Executive Board adopted a YPT policy to reinforce our awareness of Youth Safety. GGAC now requires that all registered adults 18 and over maintain YPT compliance for their entire registration period. As it is currently possible for YPT to expire during that period, this will require adults to refresh their YPT training on an annual basis.

GGAC has a new YPT Policy for Rechartering. The policy is as follows: All adult leaders MUST be trained in Youth Protection for the full length of their current registration period. Basically, that means that for our 2022 recharters, every adult’s YPT certificate must expire in 2023 or 2024. If you have adults who need to complete YPT, Marie Mlynek would be happy to do an in-person or Zoom YPT training for your unit so that every adult gets trained at the same time. Please reach out to him to set up a time.

My Scouting sends reminders at 90, 60, and 30 days prior to YPT expiration. The BSA updated its YPT course materials effective June 1, 2021. If your YPT training is not current or will expire before December 31, 2021, you should complete the course as soon as possible. If your YPT training is current, you do not immediately have to take the updated course, but you will need to ensure compliance with GGAC policy.

Learn more about YPT training here.

Check your YPT status via My Scouting here.

Mental health issues have become a major concern for several units, due to the recent deaths of two students in the Lamorinda area. May is mental health awareness month.

BSA doesn’t have its own mental health training, however, Andrew, our former District Executive, was able to find some resources:

https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/trail-to-adventure/supporting-our-scouts-mental-health-at-camp/

https://oa-bsa.org/article/mental-health-awareness

https://scoutingwire.org/keeping-an-eye-on-our-mental-health/

Another resource is Beingwellca.org Graham Wiseman from Troop 200 is the founder of Beingwell and is a valuable mental health resource.

For printed BSA mental health flyers click on the links below:

Psychological First Aid
Youth Suicide Prevention
Depression

Please use the information here: https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/pre-event-medical-screening/ for pre-event medical screenings.

Make sure that you are logging your unit’s service hours through the Activity Log on Scoutbook. Reporting these hours is very important so that the National Council can tabulate the total number of hours our organization gives as service nationwide.

The new Guide to Advancement 2021 is available. Go to: https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/ to learn more or download a copy.

Make sure that you are keeping up with your Invitation Manager and Application Manager on www.my.scouting.org! That is where many potential Scouting Families reach out to us.

The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek has some great opportunities for Eagle projects or conservation service hours. We will also be working together in the near future to offer rank advancement at the garden. Please reach out to Marie Gelin, Children’s Education Manager at [email protected] if you are interested in those opportunities.

Check out the new User Support page from our council at https://ggacbsa.org/support/. This page has support for passwords, Scoutbook, BeAScout Pins, and lots of other issues.

Please check out: https://campwolfeborocaliforniascoutsbsa.shutterfly.com/pictures/1088. These pictures are most recent one taken at Camp Wolfeboro. Your FOS donations directly help to fix and maintain our properties.

Certificates of Insurance for 2023 are now available from Council. Please let Marie Mlynek know if your Scout Unit needs one and who needs to be listed as the property owner.

The Covid page on the Council website is updated regularly! Be sure to check it to see the latest on what activities are allowed. http:/www.ggacbsa.org/covid

The attached pdf is from an organization called BeingwellCA. It was formed in honor of a Scout from our district who we lost to suicide in 2013. Their mission is to raise funds to provide mental health counselors in schools. Please read the letter and if you feel led, pass it on to your Scouting Families and friends, to show support for this great cause. BSA Support Letter

Make sure that you are keeping up with your Invitation Manager and Application Manager on www.my.scouting.org! That is where many potential Scouting Families reach out to us.

The Pleasant Hill Scout Shop is now open 508 Contra Costa Blvd. Suite K2:

Monday-Friday: 10am-1:30 pm 2:30-5:00 pm
Saturday: 10:30am-3pm

The Alameda Trading Post is now open 1714 Everett St. Alameda
Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Pleasanton Trading Post is open 6601 Owens Drive, Suite 100, Pleasanton
Monday-Friday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Fairfield Trading Post: 1955 West Texas St. Suite 1, Fairfield
Tuesday & Wednesday 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm, 1st Saturday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Troop Challenge is scheduled for April 27-28, 2024 @ Camp Herms, El Cerrito

Scoutmasters: Thank you for helping your Scouts in their journey through Scouting. The new merit badge, Citizenship in Society, is Eagle Required.  If your Scout is unable to get into a cohort for earning the badge, they may complete the badge with another BSA Council. For more information on the merit badge go to http://www.ggacbsa.org/citizenship-in-society/

Please:

• Review the Citizenship in Society requirements.
• Review the Scout’s record of completed merit badges.
• Discuss cohort participation with Scout and parent. Determine readiness.
• Complete the on-line form: https://forms.gle/rxgjH2zU8b8aofyf8
• Please assure the parent is connected to Scout in Scoutbook as all communication and Merit
• Badge sign-offs will occur through Scoutbook

What will happen:

• Parent will be sent coupon code and instructions for Scout to:
• Review Available Citizenship in Society Cohorts
• Select Cohort with compatible schedule
• Register using a one-time Coupon Code or pay $1,000 (this is there to ensure scout has a coupon code!).
• Scoutbook will be used for all communications.
• Virtual meetings such as Zoom, Goggle Teams, etc.

Becoming a Merit Badge Counselor for Citizenship in Society is different from counseling other merit badges. A dedicated GGAC committee (led by Advancement) developed an implementation plan as outlined by the BSA’s Guide to Advancement.

1. The committee is tasked with qualifying Citizenship in Society MB Counselors.
2. Counselor will act as a facilitator and meet the following requirements:

a.) have current YPT

b.) take Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training for Volunteers: SCO-1800. (Log-in to My.Scouting for the training link)

c.) be very familiar with the 11 merit badge requirements and concepts for discussions

d.) take GGAC council-presented orientation

e.) be approved through an interview process

f.) be registered as a MB Counselor

4. Counselor should not advocate a particular or personal point of view.
5. Merit badge is not suitable for large group discussion or at summer camp.
6. A listing of approved counselors will come from the Advancement Committee.

In-person Eagle Boards of review held at St. Monica’s  in Moraga are held on the first Tuesday of the month. In addition Scouts working with Mr. Lederman should arrange to drop their binders off with Bruce McGurk for pre-EBOR processing ([email protected] ).

In-person Eagle Boards of review are also held on the third Wednesday of the month at Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek. Contact Gordon Bell to arrange the binder review and schedule the board.

Our council has introduced a three-part patch that can only be earned by attending a weeklong summer camp at Royaneh, Wente, and Wolfeboro!

The Council Communications Committee has created a map to mark local Eagle Scout Projects! Please share the link with your Leaders who earned their Eagle Scout Rank locally so that they can participate: https://eagles.ggacbsa.org/eagle-projects-map/. If you earned your Eagle Scout Rank locally, please also add your information to this map!

Our National Council has a great website highlighting available scholarships for current and past Scouts. Please share this link with your Scouting Families: https://www.scouting.org/awards/scholarships/.

Please use the information here: https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/safety-moments/pre-event-medical-screening/ for pre-event medical screenings.

Marie Mlynek [email protected]  will be seeing a lot of Eagle Scout Rank Applications being emailed to him by a Scout without a second adult on the email. Please remind your Scouts that including a second adult is required in all forms of digital communication in Scouting. Also, when a Life Scout is ready fill out their Eagle Rank Application, they should contact their Scoutmaster or Advancement Chair and ask them to download an already-filled in Rank App from Scoutbook.  This App is a fillable PDF and can be easily completed and used to collect signatures.  It also shows if any Merit Badges or leadership is missing from the Scout’s official record.

Roundtable is a district monthly meeting normally held the first Thursday of every month at the either on Zoom or at Lafayette Library – Arts & Sciences Room, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette at 7:00 pm to help unit leaders plan and carry out their own program.  Roundtable is a form of supplemental training for volunteers. The objective of Roundtable is to give leaders program ideas; information on policy, events, and training opportunities; and an opportunity to share experiences and enjoy fun and fellowship with other Scouting leaders. As a result of the Roundtable experience, unit leaders will be inspired, motivated, informed, and able to provide a stronger program for their Scouts.

Eagle Scout Information

Scouts looking to advance to the Eagle rank have the choice of dealing with whichever area is most convenient for them.

For Eagle project approval  Scouts may work with Chris Kolm [email protected] or work with Mark Paulson [email protected]. Mr. Kolm meets with the Scouts at his residence by appointment on Monday evenings. Mr. Kolm will review projects via email and then arrange meetings at his residence in Moraga by appointment on Monday evenings. Mr. Paulson will work with the Scouts via email and will set up an appointment when the project is ready for District approval.

For Eagle Boards of Review:  

Scouts may work with Herb Lederman [email protected] or Scouts may work with Gordon Bell [email protected]. Gordon Bell’s Eagle Boards of Review are held on the third Wednesday of each month at Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek. Herb Lederman‘s Eagle Boards of Review are held on the first Tuesday of each month at St. Monica Catholic Church in Moraga.