Cub Leaders: Save the Date for Saturday November 9th

In order to support our Cub leaders with quality training programs, the Council Training Committee is planning a Cub-specific Day of Training for Saturday November 9th. This event will be for everyone involved in the Cub Scout program, from brand new leaders to seasoned veterans. The courses will be designed to help support you in running effective packs and dens.

Be on the lookout for more information in the next Training Newsletter!

Fall NRA Courses Open for Registration

The Shooting Sports Committee has announced the following NRA course offerings in the fall at Camp Woodland:

August 24 NRA Basic Pistol Class cost $100.00

      No Pistol License is needed, Must be at least 14 years old

August 25 NRA Pistol Instructor Class cost $150.00 

        (MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 4 REGISTERED TO HAVE CLASS)

        No Pistol License is needed. Must be at least 14 years old

September 27 NRA Basic Instructor Training class cost included is in Instructor training classes 

        (MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 4 REGISTERED TO HAVE CLASS)

September 28 NRA Rifle Instructor Class, Cost is $100.00 

        (MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 4 REGISTERED TO HAVE CLASS)

September 29 NRA Shotgun Instructor class, Cost is $ 150.00 

        (MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 4 REGISTERED TO HAVE CLASS)

October 12 NRA Co-op Muzzleloader Instructor class, cost is $150

        (MUST HAVE MINIMUM OF 4 REGISTERED TO HAVE CLASS)

All courses are open to both adults and to youth 14 and older. Registration is open now for all courses through Tentaroo. Contact Council Shooting Sports Chair/Council Commissioner Chris Velez at lhcshootingsports@gmail.com for more information.

Safeguarding Youth: An Update From the National Director of YPT

Glen Pounder, National Chief Safeguarding Officer recently shared an update on the BSA's initiatives on youth safety. Excerpted here are some key components of the update, especially regarding Youth Protection Training:

"I wanted to update everyone on the progress of our Youth Protection initiatives since I joined the organization on May 1, 2023...

...The Youth Protection Committee is directly involved in helping us achieve our mission and is engaged with us to review all policy changes regarding our Youth Protection Program. No element of our programs or operations is immune from evaluation as we look to improve, modify, or replace policies to help mitigate threats as we understand them and make the policies clear and easy to understand, implement, and enforce...

...The mission statement of this committee is: "The Safeguarding Youth Committee is dedicated to the safety, well-being, and protection of all participants while maintaining relevant, dynamic, and exciting programs and units. We will foster a safe environment where young people can learn, grow, and thrive, guided by the Principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law."...We are focused on delivering operationally against our board's primary strategic imperative: to Be a Leader in Safeguarding Youth.

We are currently overhauling our Youth Protection Training. When this updated training is rolled out in late 2024, one change will be to require this mandatory training annually (currently every two years)...

..Finally, we are about to launch a significant upgrade to the ScoutsFirst helpline, a crucial tool in our youth protection efforts. This upgrade will introduce a new feature that allows adults or youth to text to report a safeguarding concern anonymously. We believe this feature will provide a significantly more accessible and user-friendly reporting channel, building trust, ensuring anyone who might seek to abuse their position of trust knows there is another avenue to report and encouraging more individuals to come forward, and ensuring we can respond promptly and effectively to potential issues...

...Safeguarding youth is our number one strategic priority, yet we know and appreciate that this is a journey, not a destination."

New Online Cub Leader Training Available

With the release of the new Cub Scout advancement program, online training for all Cub Scout leaders has been updated with new content. The Training Committee is reviewing the material and will give further updates.

Spots are still available for the NYLT course being held August 4th-9th at Camp Kingsley.

National Youth Leadership Training is the premiere training for youth aged 13-17 who want to take their leadership skills and their troop to the next level.

Registration closes July 5th, so sign up today! Course fee is $350.

Spotlight on: BALOO

Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation is the course that prepares Cub Scout leaders to offer safe, effective, and engaging outdoor program to leaders and families.

BALOO will not show up on a Cub Leaders' Required Training list in My.Scouting. This is because it is not considered required training for any specific Pack leadership position. Rather, the Guide to Safe Scouting requires that a minimum of one BALOO-trained leader is present for any Pack campout or any Webelos/AoL den campout. It is recommended training for all Cub leaders as it adds to your repertoire of Scouting skills and knowledge.

As your Pack plans your program for the next year, please evaluate your need for BALOO-trained adults. The more leaders you have trained, the more coverage you will have for outdoor activities. Make sure you're able to get at least on BALOO-trained leader to every campout!

BALOO has an online orientation portion offered through My.Scouting, and an in-person field component. The next BALOO course will be September 21-22 at the Outdoor Training Weekend at Camp Woodland. We hope to see you there!

Chair's Corner

It's Training Tuesday!

I have in the past week had many people tell me that they could not find the training that they are required to take. Or, that they do not know which training they are missing or required to take.

We have the ability to identify which training you personally are missing and can best advise you on how to take them. If you are having a problem locating a specific training please let us know an we can help identify where that training module is and how you find it.

As of today 60.44% of registered leaders are trained in Longhouse Council. This number incorporates all leaders within every program of the Council.

Did you know that if you are a Merit Badge Counselor, that you have a second registration with the Council? So you may be trained in one registration but not in the other. 

Did you know that hazardous weather training needs to be updated every two years? This is one of the more common reasons leaders become untrained, as this training expires after two years. 

So to answer the question – How do I find out what I am missing? When you log into Scouting.org go to My Training, then go to Requirements. This will list all of the positions and the training that you need for those positions. If you are fully trained you will see the Trained Logo next to your name. If you are missing a training, there is a link where you can follow to take that required training. 

If you run into any problems please don’t hesitate to email me at training.longhouse@gmail.com

With your help we can raise that number!

Yours in Scouting, 

Michael Cargill 

Longhouse Council Training Chair

training.longhouse@gmail.com