Pioneer Valley Council, BSA

3rd Annual Area 1
Venture Quest
May 9 - May 11

Horace A Moses Scout Reservation

Printer friendly: Complete Packet | Crew Registration Form | Individual Registration
Class I Health Form | Smith & Wesson Waiver (youth) | Driving Directions

WHAT IS QUEST?

Quest is a weekend of learning, fellowship and fun for Venturing crews and youth and adults in your council with Venturing program responsibilities.

The purpose of the weekend is to share knowledge and ideas to make help keep your crew’s program vibrant and sustainable and to help enhance your council’s Venturing efforts through interaction with your peers from around the Area in formal training sessions and informal settings.

Training will be in separate tracks for youth and adults.

We will also conduct elections for the Area 1 Venturing president and cabinet. The Area cabinet assists the Area 1 Committee as a Venturing resource for the councils within Area 1. They will also be planning next year’s Quest. Cabinet members also assist the Northeast Region Venturing President, as he or she may request. Those interested in the president and cabinet positions should be prepared to speak about their abilities and their ideas for promoting Venturing.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The fee for the weekend is $40 if you will tenting, $50 for cabin accommodations. This will include cracker barrels on Friday and Saturday, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. It also includes a t-shirt for each participant.

HOW DO I REGISTER?

Use the appropriate registration form, either INDIVIDUAL or CREW. We will not be confirming registrations - your cancelled check is your receipt. A $25 deposit or payment in full should accompany your form. Please mail your registration no later than Friday, April 25, 2008. All participants must bring a completed Class 1 Personal Health and Medical History Form ( MED FORM). All crews must have a completed TOUR PERMIT.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

Crews staying in tents will need to provide their own tents. Your crew’s uniform will be appropriate for training sessions. Plan on appropriate clothing for the weather for other activities. Anyone who wants to try their hand at blacksmithing will need to bring long pants and closed-toed shoes (no sandals),

For any questions, please contact Jim Ganley at (978) 410-5043 or email jamesganley@comcast.net

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, May 9

Arrival and Check In 6 pm
Welcome and Introductions 8:30 pm
Icebreaker Cracker barrel 8:45 pm
Bring a display of your crew’s activities!
Lights Out 11 pm

Saturday, May 10

Breakfast 7:30-8:30 am
Training - Youth and Adult Tracks 8:45 - 11:45 am
Lunch Noon
Afternoon Activities: 1-4 pm
Planned activities include: COPE, climbing wall, rifle range, pistol range, blacksmith
shop, amateur radio, volleyball, basketball and ultimate.
Youth Forum and Elections for Area Cabinet 4-6 pm
Dinner 6 pm
Catholic Mass & Interfaith Service 7 pm
Evening social 8:00-11 pm
Lights Out 11 pm

Sunday, May 11

Breakfast 7:30-8:30 am
Closing/Departure 9:00 am

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
This year’s Quest will feature training opportunities for Crew officers and members alike, as well as sessions for adults involved in the Venturing program at all levels.

A team from the Northeast Region, BSA will be joining us for the weekend to conduct a course director seminar for Kodiak to facilitate councils offering more Kodiak training opportunities throughout the Northeast Region. Councils planning to conduct a Kodiak course should plan on sending a representative to this training.

Training sessions for youth and adults will explore a variety of topics including recruiting and retaining crew members and advisors, life beyond high adventure [the other Venturing interest areas], communications, leadership development methods and opportunities, meaningful service projects, fun fund raising, and making a difference in your council. Other skills oriented training sessions will also be offered.

SMITH & WESSON PISTOL RANGE
Smith & Wesson will host a pistol range at this year’s Quest. Participants will need to complete the attached release form. For participants under the age of 18, a parent or guardian MUST sign the form. Participants will need to attend a one-hour training session in the morning. The range will be open in the afternoon for those who meet these requirements.

DIRECTIONS TO HORACE MOSES SCOUT RESERVATION

The camp address for those who wish to look up their own directions is:
310 Birch Hill Rd., Russell, MA 01071
The phone number at the camp for emergency use is 413-568-0211
From the Mass Pike (Interstate 90)
Take Exit 3 Westfield, after the tolls take a right and head towards downtown Westfield.
From Westfield's downtown, take RT 20 WEST to RT 23 Blandford / Otis.
Follow RT 23 to General Knox Road (immediately after BASE CAMP CONVENIENCE STORE),
taking a left onto General Knox Rd.
Follow General Knox Rd over crest, and then look for Birch Hill Rd on the right. (If you reach
the lake you've gone too far!)
Turn right onto Birch Hill Rd and follow this into the reservation.

ELIGIBILITY, NOMINATION & SELECTION OF AREA YOUTH CABINET
A. All area officers and appointees must meet the following eligibility requirements:

1. A registered member, in good standing, of the Venturing program in a council within Area One.

2. Younger than 21 during his or her entire term of office.

3. Each nominee must present a letter from their Scout Executive authorizing them to run for an Area office.

B. Nominations for area officers may be made by the designated crew youth representative, when nominations are declared open at any meeting of the Area One VOA or Annual Area Quest Business meeting. Nominations shall require no second. Nominations for each office shall be closed only once - just before balloting for that office.

C. A business meeting shall be held at the Quest to elect area officers. The newly elected officers shall take office at the end of the Quest; and their terms shall expire at the end of the next annual Quest. The following election procedures shall be used:

1. After the nominations for a given office are declared closed, the designated Crew youth representative, shall poll his or her delegates who are younger than 21 to determine how they will cast their votes. Such a poll shall be taken before each ballot.

2. Each crew may cast up to 10 votes. If a crew has less than ten members present, the number of votes shall equal the number of crew members present.

3. A nominee must receive a majority (one vote more than fifty percent) of the votes cast on a given ballot to be elected (abstentions do not count as votes cast). Where a majority is not achieved, the nominee(s) receiving the least number of votes is (are) dropped and another ballot is taken. This procedure continues until one nominee achieves a majority and is declared elected, or until two ballots in succession result in tie votes and the balloting is declared deadlocked.

4. When balloting is declared deadlocked, the youth conducting the election (Note: This is the area president or other youth member as appointed by the area adviser) will announce to the voting delegates that one more ballot will be taken to break the tie and, if another tie results, he or she shall cast sufficient votes for the nominee of his or her choice to achieve a majority and declare him or her elected.

D. The area president may make appointments to special positions with the approval of the Area Venturing Officers Association. Such appointments shall have no vote in the AVOA.

E. Vacancies in unexpired terms of area officers shall be filled by majority vote (as defined above) of the AVOA (one vote per crew voting). Elected officers and the immediate past area president shall not vote. Deadlocks, as defined above, will be decided by the youth conducting the election, after one additional tie. Replacement area officers must meet the same eligibility and approval requirements defined in paragraph A, above.

F. The elected area officers are as follows: Area President, Area Vice-President, and Area Secretary. They must meet the requirements as stated in paragraph a.

G. Process for election:

1. After nominations are closed the candidates may make a speech no longer than 3 minutes to the assembled Area Quest youth.
2. For Area President the candidate will be taken away from earshot, and the assembled Quest will come up with three questions to ask the candidates.
3. The Area President candidates will be brought back and asked the questions.
4. For all elections, candidates will be brought out of ear shot and voting will take place as described in paragraph C1-4.
5. Numbers of votes received will be known only to the advisors and the youth conducting the election.
6. Candidates will be brought back and the winners will be announced.
7. Officer-Elects will be given gold loops immediately after their election by the youth running the election or their predecessor.
8. Election process continues until all positions are filled

For any questions, please contact Jim Ganley at (978) 410-5043 or email jamesganley@comcast.net

© 2008 Pioneer Valley Council, BSA