Popcorn Kick-off Meeting
Here Comes Popcorn! We Are Ready to Kick-Off the 2019 Trail’s End Popcorn Sale and We Want to See You!
This year Mayflower Council will be having four kick-offs for the popcorn sale. They will be on June 5 (Medfield), June 11 (Framingham area), June 17 (Marshfield) or June 20 (Abington), choose the one you like the best. For the convenience of our units we have them spread out in all areas of the council. Your unit should plan on bringing multiple representatives to learn all the information, and make it more fun.
You want to be there for this! Not just for the additional commission percentage (up to 5%!), but for the sheer knowledge. Trail’s End is bringing HUGE changes in technology this year that will increase Scout sales and make it much easier to track a whole unit’s sale.
The popcorn kick-off meetings will showcase the council plan for the year, the timeline, and the commission. Most importantly, they will show you how you can plan your unit’s sale to maximize your efforts. Our highlight this year is a Trail’s End smart phone app with which every unit can track all sales of all Scouts in the unit. There is a LOT more functionality built in too.
Are you a new unit in Mayflower Council? If so, welcome and we invite you to attend a kick-off meeting so we can show you how your unit can earn enough money in one fundraiser to support your Scouting adventures for the entire year!
Are you an established unit but just not earning enough to support your program financially? Join us and learn just how simple it can be to earn that extra money you need. We’ve got a way so simple, you don’t even need to touch the product to earn money for your unit.
Step 1: Pick the Date & Location that Works Best for You
Guarantee a great fall for your unit with fundraising success at one of our kick- offs. Meet your district popcorn kernel and get all your questions answered!
There are four dates and locations, choose the one that works best for your schedule.
Here is a sneak peek of some of the exciting changes:
Step 2: Create an Account and Commit to Funding Your Unit’s Adventures.
We recommend you create an account using your unit type, number and town. Example: Pack 123 Anytown. Click the button below to get started.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our exciting kick-offs.
If you have questions, we have answers. Email us at popcorn@mayflowerbsa.org
May 2019 Roundtable Flyers and Discussion
We are making all the event flyers, training newsletters and other information from our May 2nd Roundtable available!
Click here for PDF of all May Roundtable Handouts
Our May Roundtable featured:
A conversation about how Unit leaderships work with Scouts with disabilities.
Some of the resources we have to give are the following links:
Scouting.org Disabilities Awareness
Advancement for members with Special Needs
Scouting with Special Needs and Disabilities information Sheet
Questions, comments, or ideas for the District’s leadership?
Send an Email to: Headwaters@mayflowerbsa.org
Our next District Roundtable will be at Camp Resolute!
June 6th – check our calendar for the time and location: HERE
Come join us for an outdoor meeting of fellowship and grilling before we break for the summer. Get a chance to see Camp Resolute if you haven’t and talk with your District leadership, commissioners, committee teams and other Leaders! for a fun evening.
See you there!
May Roundtable
May Training Newsletter
Click on image to download
New Nobscot Trail Crew
Saturday, April 27 marked the launching of the new Nobscot Trail Crew.
On their first day, the founding Crew members spent time receiving outstanding training on Nobscot history, tools, trail management and first aid. Afterwards, they hiked to Tipling Rock practicing practical trail work along the way.
The Nobscot Trail Crew adult advisors, Chuck Hurwitz, Pat Maher and Stroker Rogovin are all Eagle Scouts, Vigil Honor Members and collectively have over 120 years of Nobscot experience. In addition Stroker is a long-time is a member of the AMC Board of Advisors. Trail Crew Members received t-shirts and will earn a Trail Crew patch, Certificate and free membership in the Nobscot Alumni Association. The next meeting will be announced. In the meantime, if you’re interested in joining this ongoing, elite crew contact Alumni Association President Larry Bearfield.
March 2019 Roundtable Recap
Thank you to those who were able to participate in the March Roundtable! The night created a plethora of ideas I’m happy to be able to share with the district.
For those unable to attend, the March Roundtable revisited the factors to consider for new scouts, parents, and leaders wanting to join your unit.
There was a request for an example annual activity permission form units could use. A big thank you to Troop 29 in East Bridgewater for allowing us to share their form!
For those seeking to survey their units for capability the following forms may serve as some use:
There were questions about what training is required for specific adult positions. The national website offers a resource to simplify the training requirements.
Thank you again to all that attended!
April 2019 Roundtable Recap
In April we went live, literally! For the first time the district made our roundtable meeting available online using Facebook Live. There are a few areas to improve on, but we appreciate all our virtual participants for attending and providing feedback.
April’s Roundtable meeting was broken up into four parts.
- Internet Safety – Bringing awareness to the Youth Protection Website as a treasure trove for adult leaders and parents.
- We reviewed the YPT website to ensure leaders understood the valuable resources on the site. Specifically, how to direct parents to YPT material to further understand the measures in place to protect our participants. This can be found on the Youth Protection Website under the header Key Resources or by going directly to the Parent’s Guide website.
- Cyber Chip – In this digital age, there is an inevitability youth will be subjected to various virtual circumstances. Cyber Chip helps to educate and inform; providing learning on how to deal with uncomfortable or challenging situations. The Boy Scouts of America are partnered with site NetSmartz to provide the Cyber Chip program. Leaders may find additional content on the site’s Trends & Topic‘s page; providing resources to initiate dialogue and educate others.
- YPT Safety Videos – There are 3 program specific videos to further educate and inform safety awareness. Each of these videos are available for purchase from the Boy Scouts of America or can be found online for free on sites such as YouTube.
- It Happened to Me (Cub Scouts) – The video creates open communication between a Cub Scout and their parent. The content of the training focuses on “Four Rules of Personal Safety” with each rule having a corresponding video scenario. Additional Cub Scout resources and the facilitator’s guide for this video can be found here.
- A Time to Tell (Scouts, BSA) – Shows several strategies used to attempt sexual molestation. The scenarios in the video are broken into two segments, (1) recognition (2) resist and report, with a discussion portion between the two segments and at the conclusion of the scenario. The aim of the video is to educate in the three R’s of Youth Protection: Recognize, Resist, Report. Additional Scouts, BSA resources and the facilitator’s guide for this video can be found here.
- Personal Safety Awareness Training (Venturing) – There are four video segments to the training: Suicide Prevention, Internet Safety, Sexual Harassment, and Date Rape. These are coming to age topics for maturing youth. The videos offer insight into the situation and allows discussion of the topics in a judgement free environment. Additional Venturing resources can be found here while the facilitator’s guide for this video can be found here.
Each of the above videos are a way to open dialogue with program participants. Comprehension of the identified rules, principles, and scenarios help better equip a participant to face or help others face these scenarios. Youth Protection is most successful when registered youth, adults, and parents understand how to keep others safe and recognize the tell tale signs for when something doesn’t seem right.
- QA Session – Our QA session focused heavily on utilizing Social Media. The Scouting Wire site offers a basic outline of the Boy Scouts of America’s social media guidelines.
- There was a specific question regarding Facebook Groups. Facebook groups have three levels of classification: Public, Closed, and Secret. The privacy settings for each of these group types can be found here. Under no circumstance should a group created to set to Secret. The Boy Scouts of America do not permit any secret practices or organizations. The designation of Secret would go against this policy. At minimum, groups need to be searchable by the public; Public and Closed groups are searchable by the public.
The final point of the night was an emphasis on a need for youth to feel comfortable coming forward when an incident/ violation of Youth Protection occurs. There was a phrase used when I would train the Suicide Prevention segment of the Personal Safety Awareness Training. “You are better to lose a friendship than lose a life.” The sentiment of this phrase applies regardless of the scenario/ situation. An individual willingly disclosed something personal and deeply inflicting to their well being. We have a duty to act and take the information seriously. If we create an environment where there are repercussions for an individual afflicted, the individuals who need our help the most won’t come forward. Make the point to your scouts, leaders, and parents that helping someone in need to ensure their safety is more important than any action the person took to be in their situation.
Paper Recycling Day
Tax season is now over and Sachem District is holding a Paper Recycling Day Fundraiser on May 4th.
A truck from New England Security Shredders will be at the Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon located at 355 Bay Rd, Sharon, MA 02067 from 12:00 noon until 4:00 PM.
A minimum donation of $10 per box is suggested (although remember it is a fundraiser for the council’s Investment in Character Campaign).
You will receive a voucher for $1.00 off the purchase of any ice cream or sundae with your donation.
Staffing Update
Mayflower Council is pleased to announce the addition of Davis Stockton to the Mayflower Council staff.
Davis will be serving as the Ranger for Camps Resolute and Nobscot.
Davis joins us from Twin Rivers Council in Albany, New York where he served as a Camp Ranger and most recently held staff positions with Westchester-Putnam Council in Hawthorne, New York
Davis will be a resident at Camp Resolute starting in mid-May.
Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Davis.