Newsletter of the Central Region | Boy Scouts of America

May Newsletter 2016

In this Issue…

2016-17 Central Region

VOA....................…….....…. 1

This is Not Goodbye, Just

See You

Later.............................…....2

Pratik Vaidya: the 2016-17

National Venturing

President.......…....……...… 3

NAYLE…......………………..4

Venturing Blast...................5

Advisor’s Minute................6

Area Pages.........................7

President’s Corner............8

Follow us on

Instagram!

@CRVenturing

Check out

our website!

www.crventuring.org

2016-17 CRV Vice President of

Administration:

Cathie Seebauer

2016-17 CRV Vice President of

Program:

Emilio Cerda

2016-17 CRV Vice President of

Communication:

Ariana Herman

2016-2017

Central Region VOA

2016-17 CRV President:

Chris Mausshardt

This is Not Goodbye, Just See You Later

As our terms come to a close, it is hard to believe all that has been

accomplished when we look back. For administration, we were able

to retrieve significantly more CSVE forms, create a new council VOA

start-up tool (PIVOT), and re-evaluate many of our operating

procedures. We have had a wonderful year and I am truly grateful

for all of the help my team and I have had along away. A special

thanks goes to the phenomenal advisors we were able to work with.

With that being said, I only look forward to the future of Venturing

within the Central Region and I am sure all of next year’s officers will

do terrific jobs!

Your soon to be has-been,

Nate Steele, 2015-16 CRV Vice President of Administration

Many fantastic events and conferences took place during this term

year. To participate in some and listen to people speak with

excitement about the ones I missed brought me great joy. It is

incredible to see excellent programs in the region. As the term year

draws to a close, I look forward to seeing where the new officers take

the region over the next year and years after. I know there are some

great events in store including Venturing Blast at Philmont and

VenturingFest at the Summit this summer. Enjoy your summers,

Central Region Venturers and Advisors!

-Katie Bruton, 2015-16 CRV Vice President of Program

Katie Bruton

2015-2016 Central Region Venturing Vice President of Program

Words can’t fully convey the happiness and joy I feel as I look back on

this term. Hands down, some of my favorite memories from Venturing

have taken place in these past 12 months. From traveling to St. Louis

and meeting the amazing officers and advisors that make up our Area

VOAs, to traveling to Areas 3, 4, 6, and 7 and meeting the

AWESOME Venturers and advisors that make up our councils and

crews, this year has been great. I’m so excited to watch our Region

and the entire Venturing program grow, and I know Pratik will do a

phenomenal job as the next National Venturing President, as well as

Chris, the next Region Venturing President. Thank you to everyone

who has made this past year one of my favorites! Lead the Adventure

everywhere you go!

-Jenny Bullock, 2015-16 CRV Vice President of Communications

Pratik Vaidya: the 2016-17 National

Venturing President

We got the chance to interview Pratik Vaidya, the next National Venturing President, to find out more about him

and what he is looking forward to in his upcoming term.

Tell us a little about yourself, where are you from, what school do you go to?

I’ve lived all over the country, but I’ve spent most of my life in Washington State. I’m from Area 1 of the

Western Region. I g to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where I’m studying Biomedical

Engineering.

How did you get involved in Scouting?

I joined Scouting to explore outdoors and meet new friends! I first learned about Venturing when I was a

participant in Chief Seattle Council’s NYL. I loved the sound of it and joined my crew the next month. I

had been involved in Scouting as a Boy Scout for several years, but jumped at the opportunity be

involved in a program that allowed me to lead high adventure activities and explore lots of different

interests while making friends. I learned about the VOA when I attended the Western Region Conference

in Seattle, WA and Annaliese Parker, the Western Region Venturing President at the time, gave a

presentation on increasing your impact in Venturing. I loved the program when I joined, and can’t even

imagine looking back!

What are you most looking forward to in your upcoming term?

I’m looking forward to working with an amazing team of youth leaders across the country to continue

building and promoting the program we’ve all grown to love! I can’t wait to talk to Venturers across the

country, share all the wonderful opportunities that Venturing offers, and hear their ideas and

suggestions.

How has Venturing made an impact on you?

Venturing has given me the opportunity to learn about myself and the world around me. I’ve developed

all kinds of skills, had the opportunity to meet Scouts from all over the country and world, and has

transformed me into the person I am today!

What is your favorite activity you’ve done in Venturing?

There’ve been so many! Last year, I had the opportunity to staff ILT (Interamerican Leadership Training)

at Campo Escuela San Jorge Muxbal in Guatemala. I was exposed to the different approaches Scouting

takes in each of the various countries and what they tend to focus on: adventure, service, mentorship,

bringing peace, etc. The simple things — from the way we eat, the clothes we wear and our interaction

with one another — differed so much. I was able to be a little vulnerable and share a piece of myself with

everyone else in an atmosphere where people were accepting and excited to learn about a different

perspective. Another one of my top experiences was my crew’s backpacking trip to the Olympic Coast in

Washington State. Everything from the morning breakfast, hikes on the beach, and splashing in the

ocean to leading ILSC and building campfires are impossible to forget.

And just for fun: If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be and why?

A monkey! I love how curious and mischievous they are!

We are excited to watch lead our program over this next term, and we know he will do a great job!

Haven't been to the Summit Bechtel

Reserve? This summer, you and your

fellow Venturers have the incredible

opportunity to have the time of your lives at

the Summit. Join Venturers from around the

nation for VenturingFest 2016. You won’t

want to miss out on this 6-day week of

canopy tours, climbing, rappelling,

bouldering, kayaking, water obstacle

courses, and so much more.

VenturingFest 2016 is the first national

gathering of Venturers at the Summit and is

the perfect way to end your summer! Mark

your calendars for July 31-August 5, 2016.

Check out more information here:

http://www.summitbsa.org/venturingfest/

-Katie Bruton, CRV Vice President of

Program

Attending NAYLE is one of the best ways for youth to expand their leadership abilities, use

the skills they learned at NYLT, and practice putting others first. Participants learn the best

ways to lead and work as a team during many exercises and discussions: challenge

events, wilderness first aid, search and rescue, geocaching, radio use, conservation

projects, and others.

Several courses are offered this summer at Northern Tier, Philmont Scout Ranch, and the

Summit Bechtel Reserve. Don't miss out on the incredible opportunity to explore the

wilderness and meet people from around the nation.

Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/BSANAYLE/

-Katie Bruton, CRV Vice President of Program

National Advanced

Youth Leadership Experience

Advisor’s Minute Hello Central Region! May is here! The weather is finally getting nicer, school-work is about done, and the summer is within grasp! In addition, we have a whole new group of officers that have been selected, and are getting ready to take the reins come June 1st. With that being said, I know I cannot express enough that we are extremely grateful for the service Brian, Nate, Jenny, and Katie provided, as well as all seven of our amazing Area Presidents. This truly has been another great year for the Central Region, and it certainly is because of the youth leadership we are lucky to have! It has been a pleasure to work with each of you over this past term. I know the world is a better place with each of you in it! While we still have some time on the clock for this term, I would like to talk about training. The old saying is that “Every youth deserves a trained leader.” Well, in Venturing, our youth ARE our leaders. So, for our purposes, let’s revise that to say, “Every youth deserves trained adult advisors.” Sound ok?

As you may or may not know, BSA recently rolled-out online training for Venturing. Now, this isn’t a replacement for the live training, but rather an alternative. We know that everyone has a pretty tough schedule, and this is a way for training to be completed within one’s personal time constraints. (Instead of not at all!) Thanks to our friend Ken Bower, the past WR Venturing Advisor, here are some steps to logging in and getting trained!

1. Using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer browsers, log-in to https://my.scouting.org 2. Click on the fluer-de-lis icon in the upper left and select, “My Dashboard.” 3. Here, you will find tabs for Youth Protection Training, as well as the Training Center. Click on the tab

for “Training Center.” (Don’t forget your YPT, but that was last month’s article!) 4. Click on the “Venturing and Varsity” tab. 5. Select the Leader Position-Specific Training for your position and click “Take Course.” This will take

you to a new page (ScoutingU). 6. Log- in (again) and select the "My learning" tab. This should display courses that have been assigned

to you (either by yourself, by someone else, or automatically by your position). 7. Select a block of courses to start; such as "Crew Committee - Before the First Meeting." 8. Several short segments will appear; pick one. 9. Launch the segment by clicking the little triangle icon on the right 10. When you complete a course, wait till it really stops, then close its window (there might be more than

one window to close). 11. Back in the ScoutingU web page, you'll probably need to back up a page (or two) to see that your

completion has been recorded. 12. Continue with the other sessions at your leisure until complete!

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. But, help us promote this to your Councils and Crews of an alternative way to make sure all adult advisors, associate advisors, and committee members are trained for our youth! Thanks for all you do,

Kris Zahrobsky

Area 1

Upcoming Events:

May 20-22, 2016, Powder Horn- Bay Lakes & Samoset

Council, White Lake & Rhinelander, WI

May 20-22, 2016, Venturing Spring Shindig, Camp

Stearns, MN

President: Rachel Cruse

Advisor: Helen Lockwood

Area 2

Upcoming Events:

May 13-15, 2016, Venturing Dutch Oven Cook Off, Shelby

Township, MI

May 13-15, 2016, Highland Games Scout-O-Rama,

Monroe, MI

President: Jacob Hardy

Adivsor: Jeff Geralds

Area 3

Upcoming Events:

May 20-22, 2016, Central Region Rendezvous, Salem,

MO

June 26- July 2, 2016, Kodiak Current River II, Salem,

MO

President: Chris Mausshardt

Advisor: Bob Vogt

Area 4

Upcoming Events:

June 12-17, 2016, National Youth Leadership Training,

Lisbon, OH

President: Michael Gunther

Advisor: Duane Zobrist

Area 5

Upcoming Events:

July 31-August 5, 2016, Adventure Quest 2016, Beaver Lake, AR

President: Russell Seibert

Advisor: Julie Dalton

Area 6

Upcoming Events: June 29-July 9, 2016, SeaBase Scuba Adventure, Seabase, Florida

President: Amber Richter

Advisor: Anne Zimmer

Area 7

Upcoming Events:

June 10-12, 2016, Powder Horn- NEIC, Trevor, WI

June 12-17, 2016, NYLT-PTAC, Elgin, IL

President: Kaia Ball

Advisor: Rachel Zahrobsky

VenturingFest 2016:

The Next National Venturing Event at the Summit!

July 31 – August 5, 2016

Events to Look Forward to…

For more information on these events and to find more, go to

http://www.crventuring.org/Activities/Events_Listing/.

President’s Corner Central Region Venturing President:

Brian Parro

president@crventuring.org

Central Region Venturing Advisor:

Kris Zahrobsky

venturing-chair@crventuring.org

Central Region Vice President of

Communications:

Jennifer Bullock

vp-communications@crventuring.org

Central Region Venturing Associate Advisor

for Communications:

Deb Keyes

communications-coordinator@crventuring.org

Venturing is a Scouting program for male

and female youth ages 13-21 that lets

youth experience new activities, build

leadership skills, earn awards, make new

friends, and of course have fun.

The Central Region is one of the four

regions of the Boy Scouts of America. This

region includes the states of: Minnesota,

Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota,

Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois,

Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and West

Virginia.

About our Organization…

Dear Central Region,

Thank you so very much for

allowing me to serve you these

past 11 months. The opportunities

I’ve had, the friendships I’ve made,

and the memories we created will

stay with me for the rest of my life.

As I begin to reflect on my term as

the Central Region Venturing

President, I am more confident now

then ever before that the Boy

Scouts of America is the best youth

development organization in the

world, and America needs scouting

now more than ever.

What truly makes Venturing great is the people, and I would like

to take a minute to thank a couple of individuals who have had a

profound impact on my Venturing journey. First, I would like to

thank my home unit’s leadership, Mr. Brian Kuntz and Mrs. Cindy

Garcia. Further, I’d like to thank the Area 7 VOA and Katlin

Adams for igniting the start of my journey, as well as Emily

Mausshardt and Kris Zahrobsky for always being great friends

and mentors. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents and family

for always supporting me, through thick and thin throughout my

time in this program. I would not be here today without the

support of all of these individuals

And, before I forget, I would like to thank my right and left hands

this term, Nate Steele and Jenny Bullock. I could write a novel

about my appreciation for all you have done. You both are the

true sparks that make the magic happen.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Chris Mausshardt on being

selected as the 2016-2017 Central Region Venturing President.

You’ve read a lot about Chris in this newsletter, but I wanted to

encourage everyone to personally welcome Chris to the Central

Region. His service to Area 3 has been great; I cannot wait to

see all he will do for our region and I hope I have the privilege of

being a part of it.

I am forever grateful to each of you, and wish you the best in all

that you do in life.

Forever yours in service to Venturing,

Brian M Parro 2015-2016 Central Region Venturing President