International Committee

 HAM CRAM - Amateur Radio Licence Prep-Course
 
Today’s Ham Radio is everything from 5 watt handheld units to 500 watt base stations to computer based digital internet gateways.
Hey, there’s an App for that!!!
 
Here is your chance to earn your FCC radio license for the ‘Technician Class.’   Once you pass the test (not all that hard) you can wear the ‘Amateur Radio Operator’ strip. This is for all Scouts (Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity, Venturing Scouts), Scouters, & family members.

 
 
JOURNEY FANS!   Special Bonus!!   George Tickner, founding member of the bank Journey will be one of our celebrity instructors! 
 
                                WHEN:              8AM-3PM SAT May 11th, 25th & June 8th
                                                              (You must attend all three days)
 
                                WHERE:           LDS Church Martinez
                                                              940 Palisade Drive
                                                              Martinez
 
                               COST:                 Only $15 (FREE if you bring your own lunch)

                               DOWNLOAD FLYER
 
                               To Register – email Gil Patton at Gilford.patton@gmail.com
 
                               More information...

 Victor Laguna - name Chief Scout Executive of Nicaragua

Victor Laguna,who was an International Camp Staffer at Camp Wolfeboro in 2004, and has stated with MDSC Scout families as part of his scouting activities, was recently named the Chief Scout Executive of the Scout Association of Nicaragua.  

Victor learned of Scouting when about age 15 and was so impressed that he, in his small northern Nicaragua community of La Trinidad, before he was 18 had organized
           a Cub pack of two dens
           a troop of 6 patrols
           a Rover unit of 15 Rover Scouts
and in nearby Rio Blanco, San Isidro, Esteli and Ocotal, he helped organize Scout groups as well!  Victor has camped with MDSC Scouts and Scouters at Central American Camporees in El Salvador, Panama, Mexico and Nicaragua. 

Victor graduated from University in Nicaragua in 2005 with a degree, cum laude, in Environment Protection Engineering and then was with the Jesuit order for several years and received a License in Humanities and Philosophy in 2011.

We congratulate our good friend, and are proud of his MDSC connection and training!

MDSC is seeking to raise $2,500 through our 2012-2013 World Friendship Fund campaign to help support his efforts to re-establish scouting in Nicaragua.  
  
More information... 

Messengers of Peace Program

Program Overview
Launched in September 2011, Messengers of Peace is a global initiative designed to inspire millions of young men and women in more than 220 countries and territories to work toward peace. Using state-of-the-art social media, the initiative lets Scouts from around the world share what they’ve done and inspire fellow Scouts to undertake similar efforts in their own communities. The initiative is inspired by the World Scout Committee, administered by the World Scout Bureau, and driven by youth volunteers worldwide.

Defining Peace

In terms of the MOP initiative, peace encompasses three dimensions:

1. The personal dimension: harmony, justice, and equality

2. The community dimension: peace as opposed to hostility or violent conflict

3. Relationships between humankind and its environment: security, social and economic welfare, and relationship with the environment

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a project that has had a significant impact on the community in any one of the three dimensions above can qualify as a Messenger of Peace.

Submitting Projects

Submitting MOP-related projects is easy for BSA units. All they need to do is check the Messengers of Peace box when entering a service project through the Journey to Excellence website (www.scouting.org/Awards/JourneyToExcellence). Doing so will add the project to the map on the Messengers of Peace website (http://scoutmessengers.com) and will generate a unit certificate.

Recognition Item

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a qualifying project is eligible to wear a Messengers of Peace ring patch around the World Crest on his or her uniform. To purchase these ring patches, a unit representative should take the unit certificate to the local Scout shop or council service center.

Jamboree on the Air/Jamboree on the Internet K2BSA6 - JOTA/JOTI 2012
 
 K2BSA/6 - 2013 JOTA/JOTI
Mt Diablo Silverado Council's JOTA event has again been given the Call-Sign - K2BSA/6 - recognizing the event as one of the Official BSA JOTA sites.   The Jamboree On The Air/Jamboree On The Internet (JOTA/JOTI) is an annual event in which Scouts all over the world speak to each other by means of amateur radio contacts or the Internet. Scouting experiences are exchanged and ideas are shared.  Modern communication technology offers Scouts the exciting opportunity to make friends in other countries without even leaving the state.
 
Activities:

• Participating in Jamboree On The Air via Amateur Radio
• Participating in Jamboree On The Internet
• Morse code game
• Cub Scouts: Computers Beltloop
• Boy Scouts: Radio Merit Badge Workshop or Computer Merit Badge Workshop
• and much more.

When:    October 19, 2013 (9:00 AM-3:00 PM)
Where:   Camp Herms, 1100 James Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530

Registration for this event will be available this Summer.  
 
More information...

BSA Interpreter Strip 
What languages do you speak?  Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Scouters can earn the BSA Interpreter Strip for each language they speak!

The requirements are:

1. Carry on a five-minute conversation in the language.
2. Translate a two-minute speech or address.
3. Write a letter in the language (does not apply to sign languages).
4. Translate 200 words from the written word.

COUNSELORS WANTED - Are you fluent in a foreign language?  The MDSC International Committee is promoting the BSA Interpreter Strip and maintains a database of counselors. 

If you are interested in becoming an Interpreter Strip Counselor, please email Richard Burton at rbdu@msn.com.

To volunteer to be a counselor or to learn more on earning the award, please download the Interpreter Strip Flyer below.