Summer 2015

Leader INSIDE THIS ISSUE June 2015 1 New Award Review 2 Changes of Cub ScoutingNEPA Council Venturing Officers Association 3 Winter Crew Activities 3 VOA Goes Green 72 Montage Mountain Road 4 Prep for West Point Moosic, PA 18507-1776 5 Area 5 Rendezvous voa.nepabsa.org Every month we will feature a NEPA [email protected] Council Crew. Drop off your crew bio at 570-207-1227 the next VOA meeting.New Awards Review By: Claudia Shandra As you may know, there have been quite a few changes happening in the world of Venturing. One of the most recent changes is one in awards. There are four new awards. They are the Venturing, Discovery, Pathfinder, and Summit Awards. You must earn each award in that respective order. All the awards focus on four main concepts. They are the ALPS- which stand for adventure, leadership, personal growth, and service. In the past, Venturing was lacking in a few areas. The awards were put in place to correct this. More emphasis will be put on the ALPS as Scouts work towards these awards. Each individual award is based around one specific area. The Venturing Award is joining, Discovery is participation, Pathfinder is leadership, and Summit is mentorship. The Venturing Award is easily attainable. If you are already a member of a crew, you may already have earned this award. If not, you have a head start and it won’t be difficult to finish. The Venturing and Discovery Awards were presented and discussed at the last VOA Meeting, and we will continue to discuss the next two awards at upcoming meetings. This is a great opportunity to learn firsthand about the awards and how to earn them. (You also get free pizza- it’s worth attending a meeting.)

VenturingLeader Page 2Changes in Cub Scouting Get ready for the new Cub By: Joshua Sepcoski Scout Recently, I attended Area 5 Journey to Excellence(JTE) Conference, one of the sessions I attended Adventure!focused on the Changes in Cub Scout advancement.What I learned there inspired me because I absolutelyadore the new program and makes me want to be aCub Scout again. In general, the structure of the newCub Scout program is a series of “adventures,” whichCub Scouts, individually and as part of their den, willexperience while working on their badge of their nextrank. Once a Cub Scout has completed the six coreadventures and one of his den’s choosing he will haveearned his badge of rank. In addition to the adventuresrequired for rank advancement, there are electiveadventures that members of the den may earn. Eachadventure is designed to take around three denmeetings to do, one of which may be an outing, rangingfrom attending a sporting event as a den, to taking ahike, to visiting a museum or going on a campout. Atthe end of each adventure, a badge is awarded to thescout. The creators also made a series of electiveadventures in addition to the adventures required forrank advancement. This allows dens to individualize andcustomize a program for the interests of the children ofthe den, as well as create the opportunity for a funyear-round Cub Scout program.

Page 3 Venturing LeaderWinter Crew Activities Page 3 By: Matt Gromala Several local crews have certainly been making the most of the snowfall this winter! Thiswinter has been perfect for some snow-covered activities, and the Venturers of this councilseized their opportunities! Crews 2025 and 3701, both of Avoca, recently went to Sno Mountain,formerly Montage Mountain, in Moosic for a fun evening of snow tubing. When asked, SarahGromala, NER Area 5 President, and member of Crew 3701, said the evening, “extremely fun, itwas great going down the slopes in the tubes.” Crew 1, out of Honesdale, went out of state toenjoy the winter wonderland. The crew travelled north to Pico Mountain, in Vermont, to hit theslopes there. “The crew had a good time and learned a lot about skiing and snow cats,” said AlexKille, who is the Crew 1’s Activities Director. Crew 365, out of Wallenpaupack also hit the slopesthis winter as well. “The Venturers voted to go locally to Montage Mountain since the Crew'sskiing ability ranged from beginner level to very experienced. A great time was had by all; ourbeginner took advantage of the ski school while the more experienced kids hit the harder trails.The falling snow just added to the excitement. The participating Venturers voted to make skiinga regular winter event for Crew. Snowshoeing and a Penguins hockey game were also some ofour winter activities and we are finishing off the season with an ice fishing trip,” said CrewAdvisor Deb Coppola. But winter activities aren’t limited to just hitting the slopes. Crewsthroughout the council came out to compete at both district’s winter sled races, the KlondikeDerby at Goose Pond and Polar Bear at Camp Acahela. The VOA as well as individual also cameout to help make both districts’ (Dan Beard and Two Mountain) Winter Fun Day’s enjoyable forthe cub scouts. So even with the tons of snow dropped on us this winter, our Venturers madethe best of it and had some great times. And even though spring has officially arrived, odds aregood council crews aren’t through with snow-filled activities.NEPA VOA Goes Green By: Ryan Clarkson This March, the NEPA BSA VOA bared the frigid temperatures and marched in the 2nd Annual Pittston St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Decked out in our Venturing green and some Irish green, we passed out membership pamphlets as we traveled through the parade route! In the packets were our new VOA Lanyards and information on what Venturing is, how you can join, and where there is a crew near you! After the parade, everyone was invited to Savo’s Pizza in Pittston for pizza, wings, and a good time!

VenturingLeader Page 4 Crews Prep for West Point By: Matt Gromala Two council crews, and a council troop, are preparing tohead to the 53rd annual West Point Camporee, held at theUnited States Military Academy, in West Point, New York.Crews 3701 and 2025, as well as Troop 316, all out of Avoca,have been selected out of a large amount of units thatapplied, to make the trek up North. Both crews have attendedthe Camporee in years past, and are excited to go again. “Ican’t wait, it’s a great event, and we’re headed up ready tohave a lot of fun,” said Sarah Gromala, NER Area 5 Presidentand member of Crew 3701. The Camporee will be held theweekend of May 1st through the 3 rd. It has always been runby the West Point Scoutmasters Council, a group of cadetswho were all involved in Scouting in their youth, now lookingto give back to the program. The event is open to Boy Scouts,Venturers and also Girl Scouts. While not required, the eventfeatures a competition not unlike Polar Bear and Klondike,only without the sled to pull. Scouts arrive Friday anddepending on how they were picked, will be either taken totheir campsite by bus or by a 3 mile hike up a slope known asBull Run. The hike is the method the crews will be using to getto camp once they arrive. The next morning begins with early,6 am to be exact, PT (Physical Training) session not unlikewhat cadets at the academy undergo on a daily basis. It isvarious stretches to loosen the body up, followed by push-ups,sit-ups, sprints, and ended with a distance run no longer thana half-mile. Then the crews will have breakfast, and go out toeither enter the competition, or see what displays theCamporee has to offer. At night, usually there is a DJ puttingon a scout-friendly version of a rave, providing a safeatmosphere to relax and unwind and interact with otherScouts after the day’s events. Sunday consists of aninspection form the academy Superintendent, then camp isbroken up and the Camporee ends. This is sure to be a greattime for the units from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Councilthat are attending.

Page 5 Venturing Leader Page 5 Area Rendezvous Recap By: Cara Sepcoski The Northeast Region Area 5 Rendezvous was recently held at NEPA’s own Camp Acahela. The 2015 theme was Willow Wonka’s Candy Adventure. Wonka and her Oompa Loompas worked day and night turning Camp Acahela into a wonderful brightly colored candy event. There were countless fun sessions for participants to enjoy, including climbing, fencing, puppy room, shooting sports and even a color powder run! Next year’s theme is Mythology, and we hope to see everyone there!https://twitter.com/NEPABSAVOAhttp://nepabsavoa.tumblr.com/http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs6Lhb5hg-P6gOCCCsf2OXwhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/NEPA-Council-Venturing-Officers-Association/485868761534738