BSA Central FLorida Council SCUBA Venture Crew 7...

[The Chairman]

Will hold it's inaugural meeting Tuesday, December 18th at the Boy Scout Council office at 7:00pm. This will be an organizational meeting and I suspect that the turnout may be heavy. We have had over 250 responses to an informal questionnaire given to high school Students in the Wekiwa District (only 2 High Schools, mind you). I aim to offer reduced or free diving instruction to these high school aged kids, some great activities as well as a great way for them to learn leadership and character!

Venture Scouts is coed and open to all from 14 to 20. If you are 21 and over and want to help out, I could sure use you as well!!! I will be in definite need of instructors and divemasters as well as recreational divers. I will need adults (not necessarily divers) to fill these positions as well... Committee Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and 3 Associate Advisors. Please E-Mail me (pjm@NetDr.cc) and plan to attend the meeting if you can and are willing to help. BTW, as soon as I am certified to teach, I will be giving free instruction to the kids and also advanced instruction to the adults helping out. A win/win situation if you will.

Oh yeah, I will be the Crew's first Advisor. Any questions???

 

[DennisW]

NetDoc,

It is nice to see you are involved in Scouting. I am the Chartered Organization Representative for Troop 374 here in Melbourne, FL, and there is a SCUBA Venture Crew here in Melbourne, Crew 820. I am unusual in that as a CR I am very active with my Troop. But, I was one of the founding adult leaders and I have served nearly every position including Scoutmaster. My son is grown and gone from Scouting, but I am still there. My wife didn't know what she had started when she said I had to be his Den leader back in cub scouts.

 

[scubanole]

Netdoc,

I wish I cluld help, I am involved with scouts in Whigham, GA., and would be more than happy to help if I lived in your area. Good luck.

 

[martinjc]

Great idea NetDoc! I wish I was in your are to help! I headed up my hometown Fire Department's Explorer troop for 6 years. It was so much fun - I really enjoyed helping the kids learn and grow - many of them joined the Fire Dept when they turned 18.

 

[The Chairman]

Feel free to come and spend some vacation time with us... and for those who are already assisting Scouts... come and join us for some fun this Summer. Camp La-No-Che is just around the corner, and I am SURE that we could plan all sorts of activities for you to do...

And Dennis, we should do a multi/Crew outing when we get going! Your established Crew could help my new crew considerably!!!

 

[Divesherpa]

Hey NetDoc,
I wish I had the time off the help. I'm an instructor in the Gainesville area. Drop me a line if I could be of assistance in the future.
jdrumph@yahoo.com

 

[The Chairman]

Divesherpa,

If you are ever down this way, look us up! I am sure we will be doing Ginnie at some time, and probably Devil's Den and all of the rest! I will keep things posted here as to how things are going and just where we will be going!

 

[The Chairman]

We now have 9 kids and 7 parents signed up. The crew elected its first set of officers and plans were made to start with water safety at next meeting and with our first pool session on snorkeling on January 28th! We are making plans to help with the Wekiva River Clean-up in March, and should be getting the kids into their SCUBA classes by Feb as well. Membership is still open, and we could still use more adult divers to help us out!

 

[Gary]

I am in the start up stages of a Scuba Venture crew in Auburn,New York. We've had great response from our surveys with small success with turn out. Any suggestions? Also, good luck,maybe we can host dive trips. Gary

 

[The Chairman]

We have doubled since the last time I posted about the Crew, and are up to 19 (we added two more last night). This past Saturday was the first pool session (snorkeling) and 12 actually showed. We had an AWESOME time, with the kids really getting into it. We did the old NAUI standards (225 free, 10 min float, and 50 ft uw swim), and then tacked on the BSA requirements for their snorkeling badge. They did all that and then some!!! We had them put on their masks full of water and breathe with their heads fully out of the water (always a fun thing to watch). We did it a second time and this time finally told them to exhale through their noses... a third time and this time they pushed up on their masks and exhaled. We threw soft weights in the bottom and practiced dive and retreivals. For those with clearing problems, we did this shallow until they ALL finally got it. I was quite proud of them.

I used the internet and our Council e-mail list judiciously to get the first few results. We had over 200 positive surveys that I let my crew call and they got a few more out of that. We will be showing up in the high schools with our gear in the Fall, and all the current members have been encouraged to ask their friends. I am concerned about the lack of parental participation... they just don't understand how difficult this will be without their help! One of the obstacles is actually the kids who try and disuade their parents from helping out... they want their independance! But I am sure we will overcome that obstacle as well. I am asking and will continue to ask those here on the board to come and help us out. After last night, I am expecting every American to do what I have been doing most of my life VOLUNTEER to help others!!! Bush only asked for 4,000 hours... I think I am working on at least my third lifetime's worth by now! Give of your time till it FEELS GOOD!!! (sorry I digressed, stepping off of soapbox now).

Best of luck to you... and BTW, I start my instructor's course this Friday!