November 2024 newsletter.
For parents, Scouters, and professionals of Alameda Area District.
Scouting for Food
A shout out and thanks to all the units, Scouts, Scouters, and volunteers who helped make this a great event.
DISTRICT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Training Report
- Overall only 46.15% of district Scouters are trained for their positions.
- If a Scouter’s record is incorrect, please contact your Unit Commissioner, or the District Training Chair to have it corrected.
Membership Renewal
- If Scouters have issues with multiple membership ID’s contact the District Director, Mari Obledo, before contacting the Council Registrar.
Friends of Scouting
- Alameda Area District has collected over $74,000 with a goal of $113, about 65%
Popcorn
- Alameda Area District has sold $152,000 of a $175,000 goal, about 87%
- Many units are still selling.
- Some units have funded their summer camp entirely through popcorn sales.
Training
- October SMS and IOLS were a success. 17 SMS and 30 IOLS participants
- Goal is to again hold these training in Sep/Oct of 2025
- Cub Scout Cubmaster and Den Leader training will have sessions for both of these courses in November, and again in December. The same material will be presented in both sessions for each course..
- Currently our unit committee members have a very low trained percentage. L.E.A.D will have committee training.
Special Needs
- Need more active members, currently operating as part of the council special needs committee but would like to have a more active district presence.
Contact Linda Owczarz
Advancement Day
- May 10th on the USS Hornet.
- They are seeking committee members to help with logistics and recruiting amazing merit badge counselors to come out and teach our Scouts.
Contact Suzanne Martin.
Girls in Scouts BSA Picnic.
- This year’s district event at Lake Chabot was a success. Alisa Finch is planning next year’s event, contact her to help or get more information.
California Mandated Reporter Training (AB-506)
- Regulations have changed yet again.
If Scouters have taken the training in 2023 or later, then they do not need to retake it until the course content changes.
RECRUITING
Our council has a patch program for recruiters.
- If a scout recruits 3 youth to join, they can earn a special silver patch.
- 5 youth recruited earns a gold patch.
- Submit a request for the patch on Black Pug (link forthcoming)
Our council also has a limited number of gifts for brand new Scout Youth.
- A SF Giants camp with a special GGAC patch embedded.
- Contact Mari Obledo, the District Director, for more information.
CUB SCOUTING – SHOOTING SPORTS DAYS
Saturday, April 5 – Camp Herms
- The last Shooting Sports day had 80+ participants, but we had many last-minute cancellations. These also included wait list registrations which prevented those wanting to attend from registering.
- The next fall event will be in conjunction with Family Camp at Rancho Los Mochos.
Details to be announced in the future.
CUB SCOUTING – BALOO TRAINING
PERALTA CUP – PINEWOOD DERBY
Saturday, February 22, 2025.
Impound opens at 8:30 a.m.
Race commences at 10 a.m.
KaiserAir, Inc. – Oakland Jet Center
8735 Earhart Rd. Oakland CA, 94621
January 22 and 23, 2025.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Montera Middle School woodshop classroom
5555 Ascot Dr, Oakland, CA 94611
SCOUTS BSA – WINTER CAMP AWARENESS
Saturday, January 11 2025, USS Hornet
This council wide event is put on by experienced
members of the Order of the Arrow and is a great
way for new Scouts to Be Prepared for cold weather camping.
Details to be announced in the future .
SCOUTS BSA – KLONDIKE DERBY
SCOUTS BSA – CAMPOREES
DISTRICT RECOGNITION GATHERING
District Meetings
Roundtable
Cub Scout and Scouts BSA roundtables are a time to share ideas and information on making the unit programs excel in serving the youth of the units. They are also a time to get advise from experienced Scouters on being a leader or committee member.
Roundtables will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month starting in September, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Joaquin Miller Community Center 3594 Sanborn Dr, Oakland, CA 94602
All Unit Leaders and Committee Chairs are encouraged to attend, but it is open to anyone interested.
NOTE: There will be no roundtable gathering in December.
Add these events to your calendar
District Operations Committee (DOC)
The DOC meets to coordinate the many activities, teams, and events of the district which allow us to provide program opportunities and aid to the units and to the various Scouting programs.
The DOC meetings will alternate between the first Wednesday and first Thursday of each month to accommodate those volunteers and committee chairs who have existing commitments.
The DOC will meet on the first Thursday of the month for
odd months: (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov)
The DOC will meet on the first Wednesday of the month for
even months: (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec)
DOC meetings will be at the:
Alameda Program Office,
714 Everett Street, Alameda, CA 94501.
The District Commissioner’s meeting will be held prior to the DOC meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the same location. Interested Scouters are encouraged contact our District Chair who is always looking for volunteers to aid in the various District Committees.
Add these events to your calendar
Training
Trained Leaders
Overall only 46.15% of district Scouters are trained for their positions
We encourage you to take advantage of the training opportunities described below. Most training can also be done online.
- The Position Specific Requirements can be found here.
- The training courses are here:
- Cub Scouting online training
- Scouts BSA online training
- Venturing online training
- Sea Scouting online training
- Exploring online training
You are encouraged to set a goal of doing the initial “Before the First Meeting” online courses, for your position, within the next 30 days. The total time commitment should be 20-70 minutes depending on your position.
Training Status Dashboard
You can check the training status of your unit using our Training Status dashboard.
If a Scouter’s record is incorrect, please contact your Unit Commissioner, or the District Training Chair to have it corrected.
Resources
- The Special Needs Committee of GGAC page.
Recruiting
Social Media
The Golden Gate Area Council can help promote your community recruiting event. They can target ads on Meta platforms (Facebook, etc.) to your local area. For more information contact the District Webmaster.
BeAScout
BeAScout is the primary way for interested parents to find a local unit, and contact you. Please check your entry for accuracy and completeness. We will be contacting Unit Leaders and Committee Chairs to work with you to ensure your entry will help recruit new members.
Our BeAScout dashboard can help you identify missing elements from you BeAScout pin.
Unit Websites
If your unit does not have a website, please contact the District Webmaster, as we can host a simple webpage to give your prospective recruits information about your unit. Checkout the samples to see what we can do for you. Currently we are posting only a limited number of images, of small size, for each unit.
District Information
Social Media
- Our District Website. where you can find information on upcoming events, training, and activities.
- Our District Facebook page. for discussions about district activities, and to get ideas and help from experienced volunteers and professionals.