From: Voyageur Council [voyageurscouts@playground.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 11:26 AM
Subject: Scouts Canada - Voyageur Vision, November 2002
VOYAGEUR VISION, November 2002
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GREETINGS! Please copy and share this e-newsletter with members in your group! The e-newsletter will update you on the latest news about Scouts Canada and inform you of upcoming events. It is sent to all registered members, mid-month, who have provided us with an e-mail address. If you are aware of someone who is not receiving this and would like to, please provide us with their e-mail address for the next distribution.

IN THIS ISSUE -From the Desk of the Council Commissioner/What's New/Council Cheer/Introducing "Voyageur News" and "Scouts Rules"/Honours & Awards/Scouts Canada Membership Management System/Membership Survey Results/Voyageur Council Website/Upcoming Events/13th Annual Scouts Canada Food Drive/Training/Group Support/Wassup from the DCC-Youth/Fall Popcorn Campaign/Scout Night with the Ottawa Senators/Hey Troop Scouters/National Scout Shop/Voyageur Council Meetings/Canada Science & Technology Museum/Warsaw Caves.

FROM THE DESK OF THE COMMISH!
NOVEMBER: a time for remembrance and reflection. As Canadians reflect on the past and give thanks for our freedoms, let us also take time to remember Scouting events and activities that have enriched our lives. Let’s celebrate the “spirit” that lives within our movement. Remember your first campfire with the silly skits, or the graceful song that you still hum from time to time. Remember your investiture, or your son’s first badge. Remember the hike through the swamp where Raksha’s boot got stuck in the mud. Remember the first time you were walking down the local mall and a youthful voice cried out, “Hi Scouter Bob,” at the top of her lungs. These are the pleasures of being a member of the World’s largest youth movement. The making of program memories is what the Area Service model is all about. We, in Voyageur Council, have moved to the model with grace and with enthusiasm. Our focus is to deliver the best possible program to our youth, but we as adults also want to have fun while doing so. Keep up the great work. As we prepare for our Annual General Meeting and I reflect on our successes this past year, I thank you for your dedication, your energy and your commitment to assisting in the development of today’s youth. Keep smiling and keep the spirit alive.
Marilyn Johnson
Your Council Commissioner

WHAT’S NEW
*The National Chart of Accounts is new:
-A system to standardize accounting practices of record keeping and reports.
-A system to assist in the administration of financial transactions for all Areas within one model to be tracked at the regional level.
-Note though that Areas still determine the use of Area funds.
-Areas still authorize expenditures of local funds as based on an Area Action Plan.
-Local Camp Committees still create budgets to provide programs and facility maintenance that are covered from Area Funds.
-Group Committees still maintain the local decision on fundraising and tracking of Group finances.
-Only the administration of Area funds is being transferred to the regional level. Decisions and authorization for expenditures rest with the Area Service Team.
Marilyn Johnson, Your Council Commissioner

*Check this out! All the frequently asked questions and answers have been posted on the MMS system. When you log in simply scroll down to the Support Links on the right-hand side. Once you click on the subject needed you will be presented with information and the technique to produce results. Thanks to the technical support of the MMS for their ongoing help and for producing this much needed site.

*Have you seen the November Leader Magazine? We are extremely pleased to see 2 of our own groups mentioned on pages 16 and 17. The 1st Greely Group and Bell's Corners Eagle Pack were complimented for their ability to quickly recognize and adapt to the most recent changes in Scouting and communicate these changes to parents. Excerpts of their letters are in this Issue - Congratulations.

COUNCIL CHEER - We have received six submissions for this contest. A final decision is still pending. Stay tuned for further updates.

INTRODUCING "VOYAGEUR NEWS" AND "SCOUTS RULES!" - We now have two newsletters for youth and leaders respectively which will be mailed each Fall and Spring to contact leaders, as well as being available through your Council office, your Area teams, and the Scout Shop. The Fall editions, which were mailed at the end of October, contained resource information and contact details while the Spring editions will focus on Scouting stories from the year and thoughts on Retention and Recruitment over the summer. Many thanks to our three advertisers, the Science and Technology Museum, the Aviation Museum, and the Corel Centre, whose advertisements enabled us to mail the newsletters to members at no cost to your Council.
Yours in Scouting, David Wray, Communications & Public Relations, communications@voyageur.scouts.ca

HONOURS and AWARDS - "The best thing to do behind a person's back is to pat it." - Franklin P. Jones
Voyageur Council is pleased to announce and congratulate the following Scouters and youth who have recently been recognized:
Award for Fortitude: Scouter Sharon Eaton, Carleton Area
The Medal of Good Service: Pat Streich, 1st Point Pleasant Scout Group and Joe Garrah, 1st Amherstview Group, Loyalist
Regional Youth Award: Venturer Matthew Thomas, 2nd Alexandria Company, Stormont Glengarry Area
50 Year Service: Russ Bedford, Upper St. Lawrence Valley
Ontario Volunteer Awards were presented to the following Scouters from Valley Highlands:
Jim Britton 3rd Carlton Place
John Armstrong 1st Elmsley
Heather McBride 1st Elmsley
Jane Paul 1st Lanark Highlands
Lee Horning 1st Merrickville
Yours in Scouting, Stan Lasenba, Voyageur Council Honours & Awards Chair, awards@voyageur.scouts.ca

SCOUTS CANADA MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
*PLEASE READ AND PASS INFORMATION ON TO GROUP REGISTRAR & CHAIR*
Registration up-date: Now that the October 31st deadline for registration has come and gone I have good news and bad news. The good news is that many groups have entered their youth and adults into the Membership Management System, confirmed the 2002-2003 season for their members and sent registration forms to the Council office. Invoices have gone out to those groups and payment is being received for those members registered in MMS.

The bad news, however, is that some groups have not completed their registration, including entering member into the MMS and sending registration forms to the Council office. I require the registration forms along with any interview, reference checks and Police Records Check by NOVEMBER 30th. Please adhere to this final deadline.

We at the Voyageur Council do acknowledge the trials and tribulations that are present with the implementation of any new registration system and do appreciate all the hard work our leaders have done but, it is crunch time, let's get the paper work into the Council office. If you suspect your Group Registrar or Group Committee Chair does not receive the Voyageur Vision please forward this important information on to them.

Any questions or concerns can be forwarded to me or to technical support at mms@scouts.ca or toll free 1-866-274-0477 Monday-Friday between 9 am and 5 pm. Thank you. Lynn Levitan, Voyageur Council Registrar, ext. 502 llevitan@scouts.ca

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS - As of November 9, survey forms from 78 youth and 15 adults have been returned. Of these, 40 are new members and 28 are returning members (there were some respondents using the original survey form which did not tally new or returning members). This represents just less than 1% of the August 31, 2002 membership numbers. Overall, respondents identified the following National Campaign media advertising as influential: TV adverts 14%; Scouts Canada Web site 9.7%; Magazines adverts 6.5% and Movie Theatre adverts 5.4%. In terms of the local Area and/or Group initiatives, Through a Friend was the most effective means of recruitment with 48.4% of respondents, followed by Other at 29%; local newspaper adverts 15.1% and Area or Group web sites at 1.1%. Of those giving “Other” reasons, Program and fun was most influential with 36.4%; followed closely by Commitment to Scouting 31.8%, Family influence 27.3% and School Talks at 4.5%. Lots of statistics to say we seem to watch TV a lot and the biggest influences for recruiting and retention are program, family and friends. The tools for retention and growth appear to be within us! Keep those survey forms coming in to see if that conclusion holds true. The full summary of the Membership Survey results can be found at www.voyageur.scouts.ca/growth/MemberSurveyStatSummary.htm
Brian Glenn - DCC Growth dcc-growth@voyageur.scouts.ca

VOYAGEUR COUNCIL WEBSITE - http://www.voyageur.scouts.ca. Check out your Council website for all your resource needs. For example, it includes training information, your event calendar, forms, links to Area websites, links to Scouts Canada information, discussion groups, and contact information for your Council Team. New resources are appearing daily!

UPCOMING EVENTS - Please visit the Voyageur Council web site at http://www.voyageur.scouts.ca for details on these events and others.
Dec 7 Annual General Meeting, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Barrhaven United Church, Nepean, Ontario
Dec 14 Scout Night with the Ottawa Senators

13th ANNUAL SCOUTS CANADA FOOD DRIVE - FIGHTING COMMUNITY HUNGER!
The Scouts Canada Food Drive on Saturday, November 2, 2002 was a huge success!! The drive itself did
extremely well this year raising 53 tons of food - an 11 ton increase over last years result. Colin Chalk, Public Relations Manager for the Food Bank conveys "A huge success - well done everybody. Sincere thanks to everyone involved in making this years food drive such a success. It has been a pleasure as always working with you and your team." Special thanks to the following Scouters for their dedication to this annual event: area co-ordinators Doug Lyon (Carleton), Carol Raoult (Heritage), Bruce McCracken (Nepean), Rob McConkey (Rideau), Andy Wilson (Odawa); Heather Gaudet and Amanda Bowes (Sorting Station Floor Manager), Sean and Phil Edens (Advisor)

TRAINING - Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.
I thought I'd take this opportunity to clarify a few common questions with respect to training. Courses for Section/Group Leaders - Mandatory or not? Scouts Canada is moving to the recognition of demonstrated skills. Gone are the days of getting your Wood Badge Woggle or Necker just for attending a course. >From this point on, courses are being delivered to provide leaders with knowledge about specific areas. These leaders can then take this knowledge to develop proficiency in the required skill areas, defined via the national objectives. Only the Orientation package, and the Gateway Course are mandatory for all leaders. All other courses will be taken by leaders on an "as needed" basis. Basic Courses - Modular or not? Right now, you cannot take the various parts of the Basic course separately. Overall, the Basic courses have been broken up into a set of Units. The first of these is the "Gateway". This is the material that is centered around youth safety. It is a mandatory course for all leaders who do not already hold a Wood Badge Part I on Sept. 1, 2002. You must take this course before you can work on the objectives associated with this material. Next come the 2 Core Units - "Outdoor Skills" and "Planning". These are common across all sections, and a leader needs to demonstrate competency in these areas only once. Finally, there is the Section Specific Unit (one for each Section). These are the ones that leaders may take as they move to a new section. As a number of the sessions being given in the core units are new this year, and the fact that we are still "fine tuning" the sessions and units, we are not offering the units separately in Voyageur Council during this Scouting year. The plan is to allow leaders to take individual units in the coming Scouting year.

Basic Courses - Do I have to take Gateway First?
No. Gateway is one Unit for the Basic level objectives. It does not have to be taken prior to attending any of the other modules. However, a leader must complete all of their Orientation objectives prior to taking the Gateway, Core or Section Specific basic Units.

Course Registration Deadlines - What's the story?
The registration deadline for all Basic courses and Group Committee Workshops in Voyageur Council is the last business day (usually the Friday) 2 weeks prior to the first day of the course. Registration for all of these courses is via the Scout office, and only those people with the necessary forms and payment will be considered registered on the deadline day. To be fair to any people registered for the course, along with the Trainers, the decision of whether a course is a go or not will be made on that day, allowing people to make alternative plans with their valuable time. This is no different than planning in your own sections, where you need to know in advance how many youth would like to go to camp, so you can plan tents, cabins, food, equipment, etc. For Advanced Program Planning and Delivery courses, as well as Advanced Development Modules, the deadline is 1 month prior to the course.

Please check the Council Web Page for the most current info and training schedule at http://www.voyageur.scouts.ca then, click onto the training link. If you have other questions with regards to training, please contact your Deputy Area Commissioner - Volunteer Development and Training (phone numbers and Email addresses available on the Council Website), or Paul Totten, DCC Training dcc-training@voyageur.scouts.ca

GROUP SUPPORT - After an excellent meeting of the DACs for Group Support, I am pleased to tell you that the administrative side of the organization is alive and kicking. We have a strong team, dedicated to supporting our Group committee Chairs and thereby supporting the Program Delivery.

Our new Membership Management System continues to present us with interesting challenges, but we are making headway. The team wishes to thank Lynn Levitan of our Council Staff for her extraordinary efforts in navigating us through the new system.

Among the focuses for our team in the near future are Group Committee training, communications, a Group Committee Resource package, and a further definition of roles and responsibilities. The team will meet again in January, with terrific progress anticipated in our challenges.

Group Committees: Please make sure you know your DAC Group Support! These people are here to help you help your Leader team. If you have questions on any part of Group administration (management, finances, outdoor activity guide, etc.), give them a call. Yours in Scouting, Doug Hall - DCC Group Support dcc-groups@voyageur.scouts.ca

WASSUP! From the DCC-Youth
I would just like to start off by introducing myself to those of you who may not already know me, my name is Kerry Nicholson and I am your Deputy Council Commissioner for Youth. Basically I'm going to focus on a section of scouting every month and provide some ideas on how leaders can improve the way the program is delivered to our youth. As well, I will pass on and point out any exciting news that I believe will be worth while for our Youth to know.

For this month, I would like to focus on the Beaver Section. Often when many of us plan an activity or outing for Beavers we usually find one and say "ok Beavers, here’s what we're going to do". A suggestion would be to select a few outings and or activities and then present these ideas to the beavers and have the Beavers vote and pick one of those activities or outings that THEY WANT TO DO. This way they can be a part of the planning process in at least one area. Kerry Nicholson, DCC Youth dcc-youth@voyageur.scouts.ca

FALL POPCORN CAMPAIGN- Product pick up date is November 30. Please note that we will not be offering a spring 2003 campaign. For further information please contact your Area Popcorn Coordinator or Dee Rizewiski, ext. 509 or by e-mail: drizewiski@scouts.ca

SCOUT NIGHT WITH THE OTTAWA SENATORS - Saturday December 14 @ 7:00 pm - Ottawa Senators vs New Jersey Devils! The Ottawa Senators are providing a special discounted price of just $29 per ticket (Tickets are in U3 area. Regular price is $40 per ticket). The deadline to order is Monday November 25th...so get your group together now!

As a special fundraising initiative $4.00 from the sale of every ticket will be donated to Scouts Canada ! The more tickets you sell, the more money Scouts Canada will make to benefit programs. So invite your friends, family, neighbors, church group, office colleagues or your friends from school - everyone is welcome - !

GREAT PRIZES WHEN YOU PARTICIPATE
*Top Selling Scout Group gets a FREE "Building Tour" of the Corel Centre
*Top selling Scout receives a FREE Kids Ottawa Senators Jersey
*All Scout leaders with sales of 20 or more tickets will be entered into a draw to win 4 Club Seats (value $660.00), to an upcoming game

Take advantage of our easy fax order system. Just fill out an order form and fax it back. Order forms can be obtained by visiting the Voyageur Region Scout office or the Scout Shop at 1345 Baseline road, or electronically by visiting the Council Web Page under the Events Calendar at http://www.voyageur.scouts.ca/index2.htm You also can call 613-599-0116 and ask for a copy to be sent to you. Hope to see you at the game!! Kara-Lee Brandwood, Group Sales Manager, Corel Centre, phone: 613-599-0116, 1-800-444-7367 (ext. 4116) fax: 613-599-0359 email: klbrandwood@corelcentre.com

HEY TROOP SCOUTERS! - Make sure you have May 2,3,4 of 2003 marked on your Troop calendar! Brownsea Jamboree will be held that weekend at Baxter Conservation Area in Kars and it is going to be a blast! This is a Voyageur Council camp with skill challenges and fun for all Scouts! More information will be sent out to Troops early in the new year but plan to be there now and start practising those Scouting skills so you can show us your stuff in May! For more info, please contact Doug Hall, Council Camp Chief, at djhall@rogers.com or (613) 836-7860.

NATIONAL SCOUT SHOP, Ottawa - Your Family Outdoor Adventure Experts
Customer Alert: There has been a suspicious looking guy doing a little investigative shopping around your Scout Shop lately. This elderly gentleman, with red cheeks, fluffy white beard, twinkling eyes was heard letting out a HO HO HO cheer after reviewing some of the great holiday prices in the store. We think we know who it is but... it's those blue jeans that throw us off. More info to follow:

Leatherman Products: You just have to check out the new JUICE, PULSE and WAVE front counter display. The old guy spinned the display many times. He just couldn't decide which one to buy.
Jack Wolfskin Clear Out: 15% will be taken off all Wolfskin products at the cash.
Winter Clothing Wear: We have had to re order our winter line already. Youth and adult clothing available. Waterproof, breathable, affordable. Buy two garments and save 10%. Mitts, tuques and hats are in stock.
Eureka Night Hawk Back Pack: This 66l beauty was $160 now $99.95. The perfect camping bag! Limited supply!
New Display - Inventory Clearance Table: You must check out this area! Daily specials that will meet your budget. Grabber hand warmers are now .85 a pr, hundreds of discontinued badges @.50, stainless steel mugs were $6.50 are now $3.25, Outbound -25 mummy sleeping bag was $195 now $150. We heard a lot of HO- HO's from this area too!
Sorel Boots: A little snow and away they went! Don't be disappointed. Please check out our inventory now. Save 10% on our current stock. Youth and Adult sizes and styles. Gift Certificates: The perfect gift is available in the Scout Shop. They are available in denominations of $5.00, $10.00 and $20.00 units.

Popcorn Machine: There is a $25.00 per day fee charge for the new machine. Product and bags can also be purchased from Scouts Canada at cost. This machine is a complimentary tool for your Popcorn sale and is a great fundraiser throughout the year. Please e-mail hosterer@scouts.ca to reserve it today.

Scout Shop Managers of the Month: Looking forward to greet the 92nd Ottawa on December 4th. There are few evenings available in 2003. If your group is interested in a great evening program please call the Scout Shop 224-0139.

The Scout Shop want to wish our Muslim Scouting members a "Meaningful Fast" during the holy month of Ramadan (commencing November 6). We also want to wish our Jewish Scouting members a Happy Chanukah holiday. The festival of lights begins November 29.

The Scout Shop will be open seven days a week for your convenience. Please call to hear our hours of operation. Your Friends in the Scout Shop! Howard J Osterer, Scouts Canada National Marketing Manager, National Retail Services, hosterer@scouts.ca Tel: 613-224-5131 #229 Fax: 613-224-3571

VOYAGEUR COUNCIL MEETINGS
Commissioners' Forum: Saturday December 7th, Saturday February 22, Saturday June 15
Management Committee: Wednesdays - November 20, January 15, March 19, May 21, Saturday June 15