Mayflower Council Annual Report

Date: February 22, 2019

To: Mayflower Council Scouting Family

From: Council Key 3

Subject: Annual Report

Over the past year, the Mayflower Council has experienced success as well as faced some challenges, as we continue to work toward a unified council, focused on delivering the highest quality Scouting program to every young person who wants to participate. We have made great strides in improving the program and delivering the promise of Scouting to our members. There have also been areas where we fell short of our objectives. We believe in the volunteers and staff of the Mayflower Council and, with everyone pulling together, we are confident that 2019 will be the best year ever for Scouting in Southeastern Massachusetts.

This message is intended to provide you with information on where we are doing well, and where we can use additional help. Attached is the 2018 Annual Report which clearly demonstrates the impact that Scouting is having in the 62 cities and towns that we serve. Providing over 136,000 hours of community service translates to nearly $1,500,000 of positive impact within our communities, if each hour is calculated at minimum wage. Camping opportunities, Rank advancements, and service hours are all highlighted on the attachment. Imagine the impact that we could have if we were to reach the membership objective in our Long-Range Plan of 15,000 youth members within 3 years.

Membership is one area where we have fallen short of our objectives. This is also an area where each one of us can have a positive impact! In order to grow by 8%, or roughly 900 youth members per year, each of our Packs, Troops, Crews, and Explorer Posts would need to grow by an average of 3 youth members. That sounds like a pretty small number. How many youth could you add in your unit? Five, eight, maybe even ten? Think of the lives changed and the positive impact that happens both to and through these new youth members. With the addition of Lions and Family Scouting in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA serving both boys and girls, and a renewed emphasis on Venturing and Exploring, we should be able to far exceed our membership objective of growing by 8%! What role will you play in expanding the reach of Scouting?

Although we had a small decline in our number of units in 2018, we have already organized and registered more units in 2019 than in all of 2018. One way you and your unit can help these new units get off to a great start is to reach out and make sure they have what they need to deliver the program. Invite them to join you at one of your campouts or other activities. Let’s make sure our new units and new members feel welcome and learn quickly to love the Scouting program the way we do!

The Investment in Character Campaign is another way you can help ensure that the Mayflower Council has the resources needed to deliver the promise of Scouting. The cost of providing quality facilities and support to our units is ever increasing and all council funding comes from local sources. Please consider making an investment in the local Scouting program through a unit presentation or online at: Donate Here. If you know of others who believe in the values of Scouting, please share this link with them as well so that they can consider making an investment in the character of thousands of local young people.

These are exciting times in Scouting! We have more opportunities than ever before, and we have the team that can expand this program in ways we can only imagine. Thank you for all you have done, and will do, to deliver the promise of Scouting to the youth that we serve!

The Mayflower Council, BSA publishes an annual report containing membership numbers, financial statements, and program updates. It is released each year during the Council Annual Meeting in late January.

Click on image to download

Venturing Leadership Nominations

The VOA is beginning to accept nominations for the Venturing Leadership Award.

Venturing Leadership Award

In order to recognize Venturers who have made exceptional contributions to Venturing and who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law.

Qualifications

Be registered and involved as a Venturer for at least one year.
Hold a leadership position or an office at the unit, district, council.
Show exceptional dedication and give outstanding leadership and service to Venturing and to Venturers

Guidelines

The nomination form linked below must be used for council Venturing Leadership Award consideration.
The nomination form must be submitted by April 15, 2019.
The nomination forms must be submitted to: Robert Lewis
Attach letters of recommendation from Venturers, Scouters, acquaintances, teachers, place of worship, etc
Youth nominations may be submitted for up to one year past the youth’s 21st birthday.

Nomination Form

Headwaters February Roundtable Handouts

If your Unit was not able to attend our February 7th Roundtable, do not worry. We are making all the event flyers, training newsletters and other information available!

Click here for PDF of all February Roundtable Handouts

Our February Roundtable featured:

Updates from our District Dinner – Scheduled for March 23rd – registration is open HERE NOW!
- Join us for a night of honoring the hard working volunteers that make Headwaters a successful District!
Updates from out Investment in Character Team
- Since our January Roundtable, the Mayflower Annual Fundraising Campaign has launched! Our Investment in Character Campaign for 2019 has been kicked off well! Headwaters has the goal to raise $25,000 by May 31st and we are already at $4,100. To help contribute a gift to the Headwaters goal, click HERE, to help us reach our goals in the communities in your town, contact us here: headwaters@mayflowerbsa.org
We had a great presentation from a representative from Eastern Mountain Sports about the cold weather activities and gear that your Scouts should use to have a fun, safe, and tech-savvy, rugged winter expedition! We hope everyone who attended learned something new!

Questions, comments, or ideas for the District’s leadership?

Send an Email to: Headwaters@mayflowerbsa.org

Our next District Roundtable will be:

March 7th at 7:00 pm

at Milford High School Cafeteria (again)

31 W Fountain St
Milford, MA 01757

See you there!

Important: Online Youth Protection Update

Information about online Youth Protection Training:

At the end of February, the online Youth Protection Course will be replaced with an updated version. Help spread the word to all leaders that any courses in progress (completions of some but not all of the required four modules) will be lost when the course is updated. For example, if a leader had completed one, two, or three of the four modules, but had not completed all four, their completed modules will be erased and they will have to start over again to complete all four required modules. You must have completed all four modules successfully by February 28th, as the new Learning Plan will be launched March 1, 2019 .

If you have started-but not completed-the current Y01 (YPT-2) Youth Protection Training:

You must complete the training before March 1, 2019, or any progress you have made will not transfer, due to the new learning plan. Otherwise, you may simply start over with the new training plan on March 1, 2019.

If you HAVE already completed the current Y01 (YPT-2) Youth Protection Training:

You WILL NOT be affected. You DO NOT have to retake the training when the March 1, 2019 course is released.

This update will include new policies and procedures implemented since the course was first released in February 2018, however our Youth Protection and Health and Safety policies, guidelines and procedures are continually being updated and revised. The on-line version of the Guide to Safe Scouting is the single most up to date source of our commitment to Safe Scouting.

Youth Protection certifications will continue to be valid for a two year period.

When the course update is complete, four new VOLUNTARY modules will be added and will be available under the “VOLUNTARY programs.” These include:

1. Physical Abuse
2. Neglect
3. Emotional Abuse
4. Witnessing Violence

These new, VOLUNTARY modules will provide leaders with knowledge about other forms of abuse.

COME JOIN THE NEW NOBSCOT TRAIL CREW

Sponsored by the Nobscot Alumni Association

April 27, 9:00AM at Nobscot Scout Reservation, Nobscot Road, Framingham/Sudbury

Open to older Scouts, Venturers and Order of the Arrow Members

Learn about trail building, trial maintenance, proper tools use, team building, time management – all while having fun Etahn alongside other Scouts and Venturers. You’ll learn the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) techniques of trails how-to — the AMC literally wrote the book! And the Order of the Arrow Conservation techniques will also be employed.

You’ll have monthly workdays alongside Nobscot Alumni Association members Patrick Maher, Chuck Hurwitz and Stroker Rogovin – all long-time Eagle Scouts, OA Vigil Members and premier outdoorsmen. Additionally, Stroker is a long-time Leader with the AMC.

What’s in it for you? You’ll gain tremendous outdoor skills working alongside others while giving back to Nobscot. You’ll also earn your official Nobscot Trail Crew t-shirt and Trail Crew Patch and a free membership in the Nobscot Alumni Association! Work with the Trail Crew may also earn you your high school service hours. See you on April 27! Lunch will be provided.

Questions? Contact Larry Bearfield, President Nobscot Alumni Association.

Guide to Safe Scouting Has Been Updated

All participants in official Scouting activities should become familiar with the Guide to Safe Scouting. The Guide to Safe Scouting is an overview of Scouting policies and procedures gleaned from a variety of sources. For some items, the policy statements are complete. Unit leaders are expected to review the additional reference material cited prior to conducting such activities.

The Guide to Safe Scouting has been updated for 2019. Download or view the latest version by clicking here

UPDATES TO THE GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING:

Updated language throughout to reference “Scouts BSA” rather than “Boy Scouts.”
Youth Protection and Adult Leadership Clarified language in the Adult Supervision and Accommodations sections.
Camping Updated information about Webelos overnight camping. Corrected publication number for Pack Overnight.
Campout Site Appraisal Form and provided URL to access form.
Sports and Activities Clarified Sea Scout participation in Climbing and Rappelling section.
Animal and Insect Hazards Replaced entire chapter.
Incident Reporting Provided URL for incident reporting.
Appendix Replaced Event Safety Checklist.

For more information about Scouting Safety click here.

Charter & Membership Processing Update

As many of you are already aware, membership registration has fallen behind due to an unexpected and prolonged situation leaving the Council Service Center short handed for several months. A solution through Registration Shared Services with the National Council is now in place and we are working feverishly with their help to get all membership entered. Because of the backlog, your District Executive might ask you for something that has already been submitted. Please understand it is our intention to get through the stack of papers without asking you for something twice but we may fail in this attempt. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused for all of our Scouts and units and look forward to the day we serve you with efficiency.

All future registrations can be emailed to: membership@mayflowerbsa.org.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.