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PTAC NEWS
Blast into Scouting 2017 is fast approaching and we need your help! Whether it's changing your Facebook cover photo or volunteering at a sign-up night, a little bit of your time can go a long way in bringing a great Scouting experience to more young people.

In the coming weeks, we will roll out a webpage that will be dedicated to everything related to community service. We know how much you do for your community and we want to help you tell your story.


If you are not reporting your unit’s service hours, you are limiting your unit’s ability fundraise and to demonstrate to your community that you are worthy of its support. In Illinois, every hour your Scouts, leaders, and families put into a community service project is worth $25.95. 


Having a way that proves how much your unit is doing will help you get better sponsors, larger donations and more support from VIPs. Asking a shop owner for a donation for your spaghetti dinner or pinewood derby will be easier when you show him or her your certification verifying the hours that your unit has contributed to the community.


Because we know how much this can help your community relations, PTAC is working with several agencies to offer more exciting and challenging service opportunities that will connect with your Scouts. If you have any questions or suggestions for how we can make the reporting process easier, email [email protected]

Help support our partners in their community service efforts and earn earn a cool patch!
Sign up your Scout for the PTAC Popcorn Kid Parties! He'll learn about prizes,sales techniques, how to set up a site sale, how to sell online, and he'll get to sample some of this year's offerings. Scouts are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero!
Kerner Kickoffs are the place to get all the necessary information regarding this fall's sale. Information about the Trail's End site, prizes, commission, product mix, and important dates, are just some of the things you will hear about.
PTAC Partners with The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award to Offer Unforgettable Adventure to Local Youth

This July, our staff lead a week-long adventurous journey program at Owasippe Scout Reservation in conjunction with The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, and you can relieve the life-changing week here! 


Please note: The OESA is not awarded to people for their involvement in Scouting, it is given purely based on their vocational and/or community accomplishments outside of Scouting. 

To nominate a potential OESA awardee please do the following:
1) Fill out the form provided in this link: http://www.nesa.org/PDF/542-057_WB.pdf
2) Forward the form to this email address: [email protected]
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
It's never too early to reminice on the fun you had at our 2017 summer camps! Submit the photo that best captures your summer camp experience and you'll be entered to win a six-person Coleman Sundome tent valued at over $100!

All submissions must be emailed to [email protected] by August 10. Please include your contact information, the camp you attended, and your photo. 

The winning photo will be posted on the Pathway to Adventure Council Facebook page on August 11. Good luck!
Become an In Tents Ambassador by reaching out and presenting to Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in the months of January, February, and March of 2018. Share camping promotional materials, excitement, and our camp prize games!

You can even earn cool camp swag!

Boy Scouts/Venturing/Exploring


On September 22-24, camp for the weekend and join us for free shooting ranges, .22s, archery, shotgun, COPE and climbing, canoeing and kayaking, Fishing Merit Badge, and free camping. 

(ATV Course offered but has $75 fee.)


Owasippe Scout Reservation 9900 Russell Road Twin Lakes MI 49457

For more information, contact [email protected]


TRAINING

Upcoming Changes to Youth Protection Training 

A new version of Youth Protection Training is due to be rolled out this fall. YPT2 will be an all-inclusive training course, eliminating the need to have separate courses for our different programs (Y01 for Cub Scout & Boy Scout leaders, Y02 for Venturing leaders, and Y03 for Exploring leaders).


To conform to state laws, which apply to all youth serving organizations, YPT2 will take an hour to complete and will have to be renewed annually. The BSA is exploring whether annual refresher courses must also be an hour long.

We are encouraging everyone whose YPT training is expired, about to expire, or perhaps has several more months before expiration to retake the current Youth Protection course appropriate for their registered position. The older courses take less time to complete. The new YPT2 course may not have to be taken until your current course is a year old.

 

Additional details and specific dates will be announced as soon as they are received from the Central Region Training Committee.

Summer Training Opportunities
We are offering a few courses in August; however, the online training is always available through http://my.scouting.org. The minimum required training requirements for all unit leader positions shows the modules and the time to complete each module. Most modules take 5 to 12 minutes. Note that Youth Protection Training is required for all leaders and is also accessible at http://my.scouting.org. (Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills is also required for Scoutmasters, Coaches, and their assistants.)

Further information how to get the most from online training is available on the How To Page. If you have any questions after taking an online module, you may send email to [email protected]. Also use that address if you have general questions about training.

Remember: Every youth deserves a trained leader. Training makes your job easier, and provides a better experience for your youth.
    JOIN US FOR FALL WOOD BADGE:  
September 22, 23, 24 & October 13, 14, & 15
Camp Oh-Da-Ko-Ta, Burlington, WI
Questions Contact Course Director Marc White at [email protected]

Time is running out to register for our Fall Wood Badge course. Wood Badge is the premier adult leadership training course offered by the Boy Scouts of America. This is an intense, fun-filled, hands-on, six-day course that will challenge you as a leader and give you new tools to provide your unit with the highest quality Scouting experience; but more importantly, the skills that you learn can be applied to all Scouting programs and your home and business life. Space is limited, so please register today to ensure your spot on this course.


Registration ends September 1, so don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

Shooting Sports Training now available!
NRA Shotgun Qualification & Instructor Training
https://scoutingevent.com/456-11114
NRA Rifle Qualification & Instructor Training
Training Awards for Unit Leaders
The training awards and keys are designed to recognize unit Scouters for tenure, training, and performance in their leadership roles. Progress recording forms with the requirements for these awards can be found at the links below. Once the form is complete it should be sent to your district training chairman who in turn will sign off and forward the form to the local service center for processing. Once approved, the district commissioner will be notified and present the award to the applicant. 

SCOUTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
Share your stories! 

Do you have a Scout who deserves to be recognized? A unit service project you want your neighbors to know about? We’ve compiled a list of local news publications and websites for you to pitch your stories to.


Of course, this list isn’t all-inclusive – you know your communities best, so feel free to add your local publications to our spreadsheet so we can share Scouting’s stories far and wide! 


Chess merit badge tent making all the right moves at 2017 Jamboree
by Bryan Wendell

Justin’s opponent during my visit is Stone Yoder, 14, a Star Scout in Jamboree Troop 2443 in the Pathway to Adventure Council of Illinois.


Justin and Stone didn’t know each other before today. They met over the chess board.


“I really like strategy games, and this game makes your brain work,” Stone says. “It’s something you have to think out.”


Two Local Veterans and PTAC Volunteers Honored 

“The Bazooka Brothers” experienced their long-awaited welcome home thanks to Honor Flight Chicago. The two were on Honor Flight Chicago’s 76th flight and took part in a day that they will never forget.


They were able to hear the 'thank you's they never heard so many years ago. And they were able to travel to Washington, D.C., and see the memorials along with more than 100 other senior war heroes.

This Summer, Budweiser honored five Chicago veterans with a special day at Wrigley Field with the help of their families. Two of them were PTAC's very own. 



INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING
ADVANCEMENT
Summer Program 2017
Registration is now open for 5 new Trading Tech 300 clinics. More will be announced soon. Check www.pathwaytoadventure.org/TT300 regularly for new clinics. The summer program will focus on the week of:
• August 14-18

Remember, that to earn a completed merit badge your prerequisite work must be done before the clinic. BSA personnel will be checking work at registration. Click merit badge clinics below for details or to register:


  1. NEX Geocaching Merit Badge - August 15
  2. Nuveen Citizenship in the Nation - August 16
  3. Enova Digital Technology - August 17
  4. NIPSCO Electricity - August 18
  5. U.S. Bank Personal Management - August 23
ACTIVITIES
SPECIAL EVENTS
SCOUT SHOP DEALS
*Calumet Scout Shop promotions may vary.
STAY CONNECTED!