Scout units and councils have been using some form of tour-planning document—a local or national tour permit, or a tour plan—since the 1960s. On May 10, 2012, the newest version took effect and replaces all previous iterations.

The new tour and activity plan<http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/TourPlanFAQ.aspx> is simply a planning tool to help leaders be prepared for a safe and fun adventure. It can help you ensure trained leadership is in place, equipment is available, and there is safe and appropriate transportation to and from an event.

Please use the online version of the plan whenever possible. It is a unit-level tool when you sign into www.myscouting.org<http://www.myscouting.org/> A tour and activity plan FAQ page can be found at: http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/HealthandSafety/TourPlanFAQ.aspx

Please review all of the information on the page and the hyperlinks. A video showing you how to submit a tour and activity plan is on the FAQ page as well.

Please note in the FAQ when a tour and activity plan is needed. This tool is meant to support you in delivering a well planned and safe activity for your scouts...not just another form to fill out. At this time the council has no plans to require a tour and activity plan above and beyond what National requires as stated in the FAQ.

If you use the online version, you no longer have to collect signatures or council approval. Complete the plan and certify that any missing requirements will be completed before the trip begins. When you submit the plan online, an email will be sent to your council, chartered organization, committee chair, and your designated emergency contact.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. Please forward this email on to other leaders in your Unit that may have responsibilities in submitting a tour and activity plan. Thank you for your leadership and dedication to Scouting!

Summer Camp kicks off on June 10 at Cam Seminole.  Part of preparing for summer camp is filling out a program request form, to make sure each Scout at camp has the programs and classes he'd like to have. The program request form can be found in the RESOURCES section of theis website, on the left side of this page.

Registering early for summer camp activities is especially important for older Scouts, as many of the merit badge classes can seat a limited number of Scouts.

Another important part of preparing for summer camp making sure each participant (Scout and Scouter) has a current medical form to submit when he arrives for camp.  One cannot participate in camp without a complete, current medical form.  The medical exam must be completed by a licensed health practitioner.  Scouts who take part in the May 19 Camp Work Day will have the opportunity to get a free physical exam during that day, which satisfied the medical form requirement for summer camp.

Every now and then you'll notice a small, embroidered strip above a Scout's right pocket.  The strip designates the Scout as someone who can act as an interpreter for a foreign language, so the strip will usually mhave a language on it, such as "Spanish", or "Arabic".

Morse Code, created by Samuel F. B. Morse (at left) around 1836, opened new vistas by making the new telegraph technology practical for long-distance communications.

Thanks to a new action by the BSA, Scouts and Scouters who are fluent in Morse Code will now have their own interpreter's strip for their uniform.

You can read about the new strip, and the requirements for wearing it, at this link.

The 2013 National Jamboree is a lot closer than you might realize.  Youth applications for this historic event are being taken right now, and we hope to have the contingent filled soon.

Applying for a National Jamboree slot is easy. Just look to the left, in the RESOURCES section.  Fill out the online pdf form, print it, and send it to the council office with your deposit of $120.  That's all there is to it.  Easy!

Once your youth application has been submitted to the council office, along with the $120 deposit (no application will be considered without the deposit), your end is done.  In December, the council will select 36 Scout participants from the pile of applications.  The council has developed a selection process which will be used.  Preference will be given to Scouts for whom this is their only opportunity to attend a National Jamboree as a youth, and to Scout who have not been to jamboree before.  This will help ensure that the greatest number of Scouts in our council will have a National Jamboree experience as a youth.

Scouts who are selected to be part of the contingent will make 12 monthly payments of $100 to the council office, beginning in January, 2012.   By the time January, 2013 rolls around, jamboree will be paid for, and all a Scout will have to do then is prepare, and wait for the bus to roll out toward The Summit.

The total cost of the 2013 National Jamboree trip, including the deposit, for one participant, is $1,320.