Voyageur Council Venturer Advisor’s Forum

Meeting Minutes for November 4, 2008

Scout’s Headquarters - National Boardroom

Final

Name	Group	Name	Group
Adrian Hill	Nepean Rover Crew	Gil Lepine	4^th Orleans
Al McPhee	1^st Greely	Greg Brost	1^st Orleans
Allan Yates	1^st Merrickville	Joanne Mullen	Bells Corners
Alex Gazaleh	OPE Com and Crew	Joe Vautour	25^th Nepean
Andrew Paterson	DCC Program & Comm	John Dougherty	Odawa Area
Andrew Wiens	92^nd Ottawa	John Stalker	Carleton Place /Valley H.
Angus Palmer	1^st Carp	Laurence Tyler	Carleton Area
Bill Bowman	1^st Nepean	Leah Elwell	Rideau Area Rover Crew
Brent Craig	VRSC	Mark Milan	27^th Nepean
Brien Taylor	1^st Greenwood	Mike Jowett	Nepean Area
Bruce Morton	14^th Gloucester	Neal Rice	Nepean Area
Catherine Snedden	Carleton Area Rovers	Nigel Ward	1^st Kanata
Chris Tyler	1^st Manotick	Pat Megan	1^st Wakefield
Chuck Fraser	1^st Glen Cairn	Phil Edens	123^rd Ottawa.
Cyndy Courtland	Carleton Place	Ray Renton	1^st Dunrobin
Chris Prevost	3^rd Bells Corners	Sarah Szabo	Nepean Rover Crew
Chris Tyler	1^st Manotick	Sean Freill	Nepean Rover Crew
Dan Karwowski	1^st Glen Cairn	Sharon Ley	7^th Kanata
David Laramee	2^nd Russell	Stephen Smye	1^st Wakefield
Dean Smith	2^nd Orleans	Steve Allen	112^th Nepean
Doug MacKinnon	112^th Nepean	Stewart Ross	Nepean Area Recognition
Doug Proud	1^st Greenwood	Tamara Wilson	Nepean Rover Crew
Doug Zahody	3^rd Orleans	Tim Harbinson	137^th Ottawa
Ernie Koshman	Nepean Rover Crew	Tim Redpath	1^st Stittsville
Francesca Viney	Nepean Rover Crew	Wally Gale	14^th Gloucester

Opening Remarks:

Wally extended a warm welcome to all the new people at the meeting. Since the number of new advisors attending has grown, Wally gave a quick overview of VAF:

- It is an open meeting for all to attend as they wish.

- It is highly recommended for all Venturer Advisors who can make it within the Voyageur Council as the information is important to your companies, and interesting and useful for your programming.

- The people named on the agenda are the ones running the activities and the key contact points unless otherwise noted.

- The VAF Chair runs the VAF meetings but does not coordinate the events so if an Advisor wants to find out about an event, they need to talk to the coordinators. However if an Advisor or group of Advisors want to coordinate and run an event, they can make the proposal to the forum for participation and support.

Past Events:

Rovent (Neil Rice): The event was a success with the total number attended coming in at 346 or 7. This is an all time record. There were over 600 people in camp on Saturday as there were some cubs & beavers, and an Odawa Scout Camp, all outside of RoVent. The Rovent Committee met a week ago and went over what went well, not so well and suggested improvements. Among the items discussed:

- What went well:

o Parking worked well so it will be organized the same way next year.

o Siege: they tested three catapults at a time and this worked to speed things up as more groups were attending.

o Flour bombs made onsite with security measures was a success, there was no funny stuff in the bombs. They used plastic bags this year but since it went well, they will likely go back to paper next year.

o Closing and Scouts Own, worked well in front of the dining Hall as there was more space and no tents. Although it was considered too long especially with the draw so the committee will look to improve that next year.

o Having pathways through the campsites marked with tape was a good idea, that way people could walk in the middle of the night. Although there were some who tripped over the tape and pegs. So next year they will pull it up after all tents are settled or use some kind of marking on the grass (flour or paint?).

o Registration in the Teepee worked better than when it was at Clements as it was easy to find and everyone knew where to go.

o Party was shut down around 11 pm but there was nothing but praise for the dance from the camp as the speakers were oriented so they did not disturb other parties in the camp.

o ODAWA scouts had a great time and will be there next year with this event having the desired effect of youth retention.

o In the overall survey for favorite parts or camp, the Siege won but actually all aspects got a nod.

- What went not so well:

o Storyline and Quest: there were some problems understanding the Quest. The committee will try to make the Quest clearer next year and not so linear.

o Communication: the team needs to look at how to improve communication within the committee and out to groups. Groups did not always get what they expected in their packages and with their onsite registration, e.g. they did not know where they were supposed to be and when.

- Other suggestions for next year:

o Banquet limitations due to size of Mess Hall: The camp could also offer a second banquet up at the teepee. Another suggestion was to look into renting large party tents and having an outdoor banquet to accommodate more people.

o Amplification would help when events are going on, especially during Siege time for those to follow what was going on.

o There was a parking concern around some vehicles blocking others as their owners parked and left them too fast. Having more people in the parking lot will help keep this under control and keep the lanes clear.

- Other Notes:

o Chair succession will be to Ben MacKinnon and Neil will mentor this position to ensure a smooth transition.

o OPE is booked for Rovent on the 3^rd weekend in October next year. So Marilyn has agreed that this will be the same weekend every year.

o There is a slide show of images thanks to Scouter Rod Wilson that are posted online. Neil has the links and will send them to Wally. Bill Bowman also has pictures posted on the VAF website under Reports.

Award Presentation:

Laurence Tyler and Andrew Paterson made a presentation of the Woodbadge II troop to Nigel Ward.

They also noted that 1^st Kanata took second place for the 2007 Amory Adventure Award based on their trip to the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay Ontario.

Upcoming Activities:

Food Drive (Brent Craig): The three shifts at the Food Bank are all staffed If anybody still wants to participate, they can still use help at the sorting station and assistance at some stores from senior youth, e.g. on Rideau Street. Contact Eugene Levine or Jessica at the coordinates on the VRSC website or at lcs.fooddrive@gmail.com.

Advanced Wilderness First Aid (Doug Proud): Doug is taking registration tonight for the event on November 15^th and 16^th. The event will be held in the east end area but please refer to the information on the on the VAF website. There is also a link to the location. This is the second session offered in the series. The upcoming First Responder needs these as a pre-requisite but Doug is not taking registration for that course yet.

Boat Pro Course (Mike Jowett) The event will be held Saturday December 13^th from 8 am to 4:30 pm. The course will be capped at approximately thirty participants, i.e. the size of this room (that VAF is held in). The course is available to Senior Scouts up to Advisors. Mike is also talking to Power Squadron about offering a session on getting a VHF license, and a session on weather predictions (although that is a 6 weeks course). Further information is on the VAF website.

Allan Yates of the Merrickville group has also talked to their Power Squadron to see about running a Boat Pro course in the winter as they were unable to make this one. It will be held over 3 meetings, 2 hrs a session for the same price as the December event.

VIEW (Francesca Viney): This session will be on November 15^th to 16^th. It is targeted to all the Venturers, preferably the ones on the Company Executive. The session content is on how to run an effective meeting, communication, and leadership. There were15 spots open at the VAF meeting. It is taking place at Mackie house in the Crystal Beach area. Participants will be sleeping over inside Mackie house. They are also bring their own cooking equipment.

Winter Adventure (Allan Yates): Allan has offered to be the administrative contact for this event this year. The information is out under Announcements on the VAF website and packages are at the back. There are three weekends this year: February 6^th to 8^th, February 13^th to 15^th, and February 20^th to 22^nd. If you are new to the Challenge event, note the registration strict and regimented as trips do get full fast. Prices and payment methods are also on the website.

At the VAF meeting, there was interest in a forth weekend being available. Allan asked that when people sign up and note their preferred weekend, to consider January 31^st as a viable weekend option and the event coordinators will divvy up the numbers from there. Registration opens on December 2^nd at 6 am to the end of December. Tour permit must be in 4 weeks in advance to the office (as they do go up to National as any issue needs time to be turned around and settled before the event). Groups therefore must know by the end of December anyway. Passport and other information on crossing the boarder is in the registration package on the website.

Allan did a quick table call and there is already significant interest e.g. about 10 groups, about 70+ people so register early. There are group limits if groups are sleeping in the hut but there is the option of sleeping outside where there is more flexibility on size. Although there is a limit of 15 people per hike, they can run multiple hikes.

LaserQuest Lockdown (Raymond Desjardins): The event will be held on December 6^th. There are currently 12 spots left (as of the VAF meeting) and payment is required by the November 15^th. Groups that come need outdoor activity forms signed by their Group Commissioner.

Reports:

VRSC, Lost Children (Brent Craig): The Candle-light Ceremony with the Vets was an impressive and solemn ceremony that did have about 50 youth attend, including Venturers, Scouts down to Beavers. It was well received. As soon as they get a date for next year, they will let us know.

The November 11^th service at the Cenotaph downtown will start with meeting at the Canada Post Office on Sparks Street and Elgin at 9-9:30 am. Youth will be escorted in across the lines and have responsibilities for handing out poppies and programs. During the ceremony, the youth will stand at the Cenotaph. Full dress uniform is expected including any medals earned. The more the merrier. Contact Eugene Levine in advance if possible so he has an idea of how many people he will be looking for.

Senior Section Youth Committee (SSYC): Neil Rice is now the Council Youth Commissioner and questions on the direction of this Committee will be deferred to Neil.

Joint Council Activities: Last month’s event was successful, The Haunted Walk with 20 or so people attending. November’s event is curling at the Nepean Sportsplex. It will be from 7-9pm on 14^th of Nov (Friday). Cost is $4. The event will be held in the curling complex, on sheets 1 and 2. Advance registration is required but payment is at the door. Registration Contact is with Scott Skentelbery at 271-1577, or 668-2030.

For the Winter Camp, the JC is currently looking at the Feb 6^th to 8^th weekend. However that needs to be firmed up with more information to come. <<Update: now Feb 13-15>>

Training and Development:

Woodbadge I (Alex Gazaleh): The session was successful with 29 participants. All participants got their woggles. Some still needed module 1 so they did that quickly on Friday night. Alex noted they are now looking to run another session during the winter.

Woodbadge II (Stewart Ross): Stewart presented an overview of the Woodbadge II course currently being organized. All information is under Announcements on the VAF website. However key points are that the registration deadline is November 14^th through the Eastern Ontario Administrative Office. Course fee is $150. Contacts are: Course leader, Stewart Ross: stewross@magma.ca or 613-820-6351 or Course Administrator, Mark Milan: markmilan@rogers.com or 613-825-6847. Course dates are over three weekends: Weekend 1 November 28-29 at Camp Opemikon, Weekend 2 January 2009 at the Kingston Military Base (details to follow) and Weekend 3 May 8-10 at Whispering Pines. This is the only WBII until next summer for during Family Week. It is confirmed that a participant can take both Company and Rover WB II, although recognition will be one woggle and one tie tack.

Other Business:

SPOT Discussion (John Stalker): John: used this SPOT GPS when canoeing down the Missinaibi River for 14 people for 12 days. It uses 2 satellite systems to take the GPS signal and connect through satellite phone to send out messages. It is currently on sale for $149 this week at Canadian Tire, regular price $169. The signal subscription is $100/yr. There is also a $7 Search and Rescue insurance (e.g. helicopters). It runs on 4 double a cells and lasts for a year. It can be used for emergency rescue or for regular communication to specific email addresses for people listed on a central website, e.g. once a day to let them know where your group is in the wilderness. In an emergency, the call goes to a centralized world wide rescue unit who contacts the relevant local rescue units. It is good in most places in the world with some exceptions such as the upper tip of Alaska, Southern half of Africa, etc.

It is simple and effective to use and is available for rent from John for a small fee if you like. You can change messages on the website at any time to be send out as part of the regular communications.

Rover Moots (Wally Gale) All Rovers and Venturers are invited to the Midland Mid Winter Mini Moot in Midland (off Georgian bay) scheduled for the end of January on the weekend of the 31^st. The Midland Rovers came out to RoVent and extended the invitation via Wally and would be happy to see us join them. Rovers and Ventures of all ages are invited. Contact is Tess Le Coils at 705-527-5511 or tess_a_lee_bailey@yahoo.com. Cost is $20 before January 22^nd or $22 after January 22^nd with more details on the VAF website. Accommodations are indoors and meals are provided. Bill will post the rest of the information on the VAF website if anyone is interested.

Note there will be a World Rover Moot held in Quebec (province) in 2010, details to follow.

Next meetings:

The December meeting plan is to have the Carleton Place Venturers present their trip down the Missinaibi River for their Amory Adventure Award entry.

In January, Wally has booked Karen Gormley to talk about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. She is the rep for the Ottawa area and will take to JC first and then to the VAF.

Note the Scout Shop will NOT be open for the December meeting as interest in VAF is not currently high enough to hold the store open into the evening.

Next Meeting: Tuesday December 2nd 2008 at 7:30 pm

The Chair for the Venturer Advisor Forum is Wally Gale at vafchair@rogers.com. Please contact Wally for any notices to distribute or ideas on future topics.

The VAF is currently looking for a meeting secretary position so if anyone is interested, please contact Wally Gale at the above address. This position is a great way to get to know the Venturer community, events and your peer advisors, so please come out and volunteer if you can. Current issues or corrections on the minutes can be sent to Catherine Snedden at csnedden@forethoughtsystems.com.

Also view current and previous copies of the minutes and other VAF notices at http://web.ncf.ca/ad554/ or contact Bill Bowman at wbowman@ncf.ca to get information posted to this website.