Scouting News!   Program Planning —Important Step in Retention   Every District in the Greater Pittsburgh Council uses the June Roundtable as its yearly Program Planning Conference. At this Program Planning conference, materials needed to help your unit plan for the upcoming program year is distributed and discussed. The District leadership will be present to guide participants through the important steps of creating a vision for your unit, a program plan and budget to achieve those ideas, and the steps to raise the needed funds to make it a reality. After this conference, before summer ends, the leadership of your unit should hold a meeting to establish their program plan and budget for the 2009-2010 program year. This meeting will typically last for two hours. This meeting will result in the following: Establish the vision of the unit Determine the goals of the unit for the upcoming year Prepare a preliminary unit calendar and budget Review unit program year kick-off plan and agenda Understand what support is needed in terms of leadership Which leaders are returning from last years What positions do we have to replace Who needs training? These agenda items and others should be resolved before the summer ends so that you can be prepared to begin meeting with youth in the fall. Remember the Fall Membership Recruitment effort can help identify parents of youth who are joining your unit to serve as unit leaders. The Greater Pittsburgh Council is committed to supporting units and helping them achieve Centennial Quality Unit Status. The council coordinates a popcorn sale to help units raise the money needed to fund a quality program. The trails end popcorn sale is designed to help your unit raise the funds necessary to finance your unit’s budgetary needs. Don’t forget to register your service hours at www.goodturnforamerica.org You can do this by logging in with your Unit ID and Password on website or by sending your project information to www.gpc-bsa.org. Remember that Scouting for Food qualifies as a Good Turn for America service project!  FALL MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT (School Night / Troop and Crew Open Houses) PREPARATION   During the Fall of 2009, the Greater Pittsburgh Council will conduct its Fall Membership Recruitment Campaign that will include a School Night for Cub Scouting Program in every elementary school –public and private within its geographical boundaries as well as Troop and Crew Open Houses during the month of October. We will talk with 5th and 6th grade classrooms for any Boy Scout Troop looking to increase its membership. We will set up informational booths and activities designed to attract teen agers so we can invite them to join Venturing. For this to happen we need all Cub Scout Packs to appoint a School Night Chairperson who will be responsible for attending training, and making arrangements at your Pack’s designated school to ensure all new boys and their parents have an opportunity to join Cub Scouting this Fall. To facilitate this effort, on Monday, July 20, 2009, we will conduct our Fall Membership Recruitment Training for all District and Unit level leaders interested in helping us in this membership effort. This is an important step in the process of youth recruiting. As mentioned earlier, we intend to open every elementary school in to give youth and their parents a chance to join Scouting. District –wide kickoffs will occur during the month of August. This is a huge project, and we need the assistance of well-able, highly trained Cub, Boy and Venturing leaders who are willing to conduct a Fall Membership Recruitment program at a neighboring school this year. The training will prepare you and your unit for this opportunity to recruit youth and their parents. Campaganza2010  Who is sponsoring Campaganza2010? Campaganza2010 is being brought to you by the councils of the Northeast Region, Area IV.   Allegheny Highlands  Bucktail  Chief Cornplanter  French Creek  Greater Pittsburgh Area  Juniata Valley  Moraine Trails  Penn's Woods  Potomac  Westmoreland-Fayette When is Campaganza2010 going to happen? The event will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010, at Moraine State Park near Butler, PA.  Who should attend Campaganza2010? Participants, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers will be permitted to camp at the state park for the weekend at no additional cost.  Why should Scouts attend Campaganza2010? This event is intended to provide a "jamboree" type experience for the 95% of Scouts that are never able to attend a national event.  How can I get on Staff for Campaganza2010? If you have an interest in being one of the 300+ staffers for the event, and have not already joined a committee, the Campaganza2010 website is your way of letting us know who you are. Staff positions for Campaganza2010 are available to adult Scouters and Boy Scouts and Venturing aged 16 and older. Committees have already been formed and meetings are scheduled in the near future.  Visit Campaganza.org for more information BSA Alumni Connection BSA Alumni Connection is a call to reconnect and engage former Scouts and anyone who has been touched by the Boy Scouts of America — family members of Scouts (both past and present), volunteers, Scouters, community leaders, and the tens of millions of Americans who have benefited from Scouting in their communities. Visit the BSA Alumni Connection website at: www.scoutingfriends.org

Registration Fee Increase   The National Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution at its May 2009 meeting to increase the traditional membership annual registration fee for youth and adults from $10 to $15 effective January 1, 2010. The annual Exploring fee will remain $10. A great deal of thought and consideration went into this decision by both the Executive Board and the Membership Fee Task Force led by National Commissioner Tico Perez. Consideration was given to the impact to program and council support, the necessary funding required to implement planned initiatives over the next several years, and the overall fees paid by councils. Input was sought and received from staff and volunteers at the council level. It was then determined that the best approach was to increase the fee to the level chosen and to make every effort to hold that level for the next several years, rather than raising the fee every year. The last registration fee increase was implemented seven years ago. The National Council is committed to providing added benefits to local councils and volunteers to support the delivery of high-quality Scouting programs in every community. A key investment continues to be providing more user-friendly Web-based resources. For example, via MyScouting, volunteers will be able to complete even more training requirements on their own schedule, 24 hours a day, utilizing online resources. This will complement their current ability to recharter and manage advancement records online, complete and submit tour permits, and participate in the Scouting Community social network, which continues to grow. The National Council strives to minimize operating costs, and it is worth noting that, even with this increase, youth can receive the full benefits of Scouting membership for only $1.25 per month. International Scout Exchange The BSA’s Chief Scout Executive, Robert Mazzuca, recently signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian Scout Association that outlines a long-term exchange program between the two Scout associations. It was agreed that groups consisting of 24 Scouts and four leaders each will visit between the associations. The aim of the agreement is to reach up to four visits each year, including summer camp and home stay programs. I n addition, the Scout Association of Japan has just announced a second exchange program to take place in the summer of 2009. Interested Scouts should complete the interest form (PDF) and return to it to Flag Plaza for consideration. CAMP ANAWANNA BEAVER DAY  Come and help out at Camp Anawanna on Aug. 22, 2009. We are looking for people that have special talents; please let us know. There are doors to be set, railing to be fixed, buildings to be painted, seats at fire circle to be fixed, and parts of Eagle trail to be cleaned up. The most important part is the cutting of fire wood so we have it for the year. To be able to run a chain saw you must have your safety equipment with you along with your training card.   As you can see there is plenty of work to do for all ages of boys and adults. If you are planning to come out for the day, please bring a lunch. The day will start at 9:00 A.M. and end @ 5:00 when dinner will be served. Pleae reply by Aug. 16 ,2009. You can contact Mike Serbak at serbak5@msn.com or 724-745-5814 (leave a message).  The following tools are always needed Log splitter, weed eaters ,and any yard tools. If a unit would like to camp out Sat. night it can be arranged by contacting Mike Serbak in advance. With your help we can get Camp Anawanna ready for the up coming year of weekend camping and other activities.  Thank you for your support!! Hope to see you at camp on August 22.  Reminder!   Silver Beaver Award Nominations due November 30, 2009 2nd Annual Moms of New Boy Scouts Weekend October 24 -25 Camp Guyasuta   The Camp Guyasuta Campmasters will host the second annual MOBS weekend on October 24 and 25 at Camp Guyasuta. This overnight camping experience is designed for moms and their new Boy Scout sons (those who have crossed over or joined Boy Scouts since January 2009). Moms will learn fire building, foil cooking and Dutch oven cooking while Scouts earn the Climbing Merit Badge and participate in bb and archery. Open program time and a campfire will provide the mom and son teams the opportunity to spend quality time together. Teams will camp overnight in their own tent.  Information packets will be mailed in mid August. For additional information on the event please visits www.gpc-bsa.org and click the program  Jamboree on the Air   When Scouts want to meet young people from another country they usually think of attending a World Jamboree or another international gathering. But few people realize that each year about half-a-million Scouts and Guides "get together" over the airwaves for the annual Jamboree-on-the--Air (JOTA). Modern communication technology offers Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without even leaving home..... The JOTA is an annual event in which Scouts and Guides all over the world speak to each other by means of amateur radio contacts. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared, via the radio waves. Since 1958 when the first jamboree-on-the-Air was held, thousands of Scouts and Guides have "met" each other through this event. Not only is it fun to talk to Scouts from other parts of the world but it provides also a chance to find out about other countries and about Scouting elsewhere. Many contacts made during the JOTA have resulted in pen pals and links between scout troops that have lasted for many years.   With no restrictions on age, on the number that can participate and at little or no expense, the JOTA provides an opportunity for Scouts and Guides to contact each other by amateur radio. The radio stations are operated by licensed amateur radio operators. Many Scouts and leaders hold licenses and have their own stations, but the majority participates in the JOTA through stations operated by local radio clubs and individual radio amateurs. Today some operators even use television or computer linked communications. Date and duration of the event: The world--wide Jamboree-On-The-Air is organized to coincide with the third full weekend of October each year. The event starts at 00.00 hours local time on the Saturday and concludes 48 hours later at 24.00 hours local time on the Sunday. Each station can choose its own operating hours within this period. Jamboree on the Internet   The World Scout Jamboree On The Internet (JOTI) is an international Scout Meeting on the Internet which takes places every year on the third weekend of October. This is an official event of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. During that weekend, thousands of Scouts from all over the world meet and communicate with each other over the Internet, using any technologies locally available, from web browsers to e-mail, chat programs, microphones, scanners and digital cameras. Scout groups can combine this event with the Jamboree On The Air (JOTA), an event where Scouts can communicate with each other over radio amateur frequencies with the assistance of a local radio amateur crew. Most of the communication takes place over E-mail and in a chat network called IRC, the Internet Relay Chat. JOTI allows you to build friendships with Scouts in other countries and to find out more about their civil and scouting life. Often, these contacts last for years and build the base for upcoming group trips and enterprises. Since 1996, JOTI is an official WOSM event and has a permanent place on the Web Site of the World Scout Bureau. To get the full text of the World Scout Bureau's Memorandum on this year's edition of JOTI (2009).     PENNSYLVANIA FIREWOOD QUARANTINE -- EMERALD ASH BORER Due to a recent contact by the PA Department of Agriculture to visit one of our camps to test for the Emerald Ash Borer, the Greater Pittsburgh Council camping and properties committees have enacted the following policy as it relates to hauling of firewood into any of our camping facilities. This includes Camps Anawanna, Baker, Guyasuta, Twin Echo and Heritage Reservation. It is the temporary policy of the Greater Pittsburgh Council camping and properties committee to enforce that the movement of firewood of all types and species into our camps is prohibited. Butler and Allegheny counties currently have additional quarantines to prevent the spread of plant pests. Each of our camps does have a limited amount of fallen trees and this can be gathered and burned while in camp. The cutting of standing timber is not allowed on any of our facilities. Pallet wood has been allowed and we will continue to permit this as long as all nails have been removed from the fire pit area. You must haul all pallet wood home that you bring or burn it; it can not be left when you leave the site. We will continue to get information from the State and inform our customers if and when this quarantine will be lifted. Please feel free to visit www.paemarldashborer.psu.edu/ for additional information Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.