Whitby District Scouts Newsletter

January 15, 2002

Upcoming:

- Jan 17, Council Mtg
- Jan 19, Regional Council meeting
- Jan 20, registration deadline for First Aid Course in Whitby
- Feb 17-23 Scout Guide Week
- Mar 22-24 Wood Badge Training
- Jun 7-9 Canoe Tripping Course

Who We Are:

Whitby District covers the communities of Whitby, Brooklin and Ashburn. We currently have 15 groups and about 1,400 members. We run age-specific programs for youth from ages 5 to 26. New adult volunteers are needed in many areas including program and administration.

Join us.

Council meetings are held at St. Bernards Catholic School on the Third Thursday of the month at 7pm. These meetings are open to everyone and provide the membership with a great deal of information. Come and support the administration behind the program.

Scout-Guide Week: Scout Book of Records

Put your thinking caps on and challenge your group and youth to gain the recognition they deserve. Last year the challenge was to get your flag as prominent as possible. This year the challenge is open to your imagination. Make the biggest, fly the highest, do the fastest, stretch the longest, go the deepest, whatever your heart desires. Tell us what you have planned and we will call the media to cover it. More details available on the District website.

White Pine Region Comes Closer to Home

In December, White Pine Region moved from their original home in Peterborough to a newly renovated office in Camp Samac, Oshawa. Their office is located near the north entrance to the camp off of Conlin Road. For the convenience of the majority of the membership in the Region, this will reduce costs of long distance phone calls, driving to meetings and operational overhead saved by using existing Scouting facilities underused in the past. Congratulations and welcome to your new home!

Chief Scouts Recipients Presented at District Council

As a follow-up to the Regional presentation ceremony held last November, those youth who received their Pathfinder Award attended the January Council meeting at St. Bernard's Catholic School. Congratulations for this most significant achievement! (A picture of the recipients is now available.)

World Jamboree Attracts Local Scouts and Venturers

We still don't know how many will apply but for sure Whitby will be well represented at the World Scout Jamboree in Thailand from December 28, 2002 to January 7, 2003. The youth (all aged 14-17 during the event) will travel just before Christmas to Bangkok, and condition themselves for the 10-day intensive event. The cost per participant is about $3,750 each, a portion contributed by District Council and the youth's Group. Scouter Brian Wick from 1st Whitby Venturers has applied as the troop leader.

First Aid Course to Run February 2nd

The deadline to register is January 20th for First Aid Training. The course is vital for all Leaders working with the youth and is necessary for taking youth on outings. Contact Trish Lewis () to sign up. An application form is available on the District website by going to www.whitbyscouts.org/forms.html. Qualified Leaders are eligible for re-imbursements of the cost. Please talk to your Group Committee about this.

Youth Forum Presents Their Ideas

Shortly before Christmas, about 18 youth from the District Youth Forum met at LaserQuest to share their ideas about Jamboree-on-the-Air Scout Camp, a proposal by the District to plan a Scout tour to England, and ideas about possibly hosting the next Canadian Jamboree in the Whitby area.

Updates to www.whitbyscouts.org

Check out our website for a great resource of manuals, council guidelines, and downloadable *.pdf forms you will use on a regular basis to conduct your programs. Since the paperwork can't be avoided, why not make it enjoyable by going on-line to get it. Just tell your kids you have homework to do. :) Remember, this is also a great resource for contacts and the calendar of events.

To submit updates to this newsletter, phone 905-720-6567 or fax 905-430-8716 or email .