Northern Trail News: November 30, 2025

November 30, 2025

📌 Action Items

Adult Recognition - Recognize the hard working volunteer adult leaders in Northern Trail.
Recharter - Renew by December 19. Check out the unit and Key 3 links below.

📣 Recruitment & Promotion

Northern Trail Roundtable - Are you making it to your district roundtable meetings?
Post photos on the District and Council Facebook pages.
Share this newsletter – Forward to others in your unit. Sign up here.

🎓 Training & Leadership

Winter Session 5 and 6 NYLT - Dec 27–31, 2025 • Camp Wisdom
Winter Camp Adult training - Dec. 27–31, 2025 • Trevor Rees-Jones Scout Camp
S.A.F.E. Guarding Youth – Required for all adults.
Share Your Skills – Mentor new leaders; contact bramfranklin@gmail.com.

🍿 Fundraising & Volunteering

TBD

📰 Newsletter & Content

Have Content? – Send items for the newsletter to news@ntrail.org.

📅On the Calendar

District Calendar

📢 Northern Trail Roundtable - December 11 at FUMC, room 230 at 7:00pm.
🦅2025 Wisdom Winterfest - Camp Wisdom Saturday, December 6, 2025 8:30 am - 3:00 pm.
⛺2025 NYLT - Session 5 & 6 - Camp Wisdom December 26 - 31, 2025
❄2025 Winter Camp - Activity and merit badge sign up opened November 17 @10am. Trevor Rees-Jones Scout Camp December 27- 31, 2025. See down below for not only registration, but also adult classes being offered.
👉2026 Merit Badge Mania - Save the date for this great merit badge opportunity. Generally opens mid-December, Eagle required classes fill up fast, so be prepared.

Recharter Time

Council would like charter and memberships renewed by December 19.

The annual recharter process is a critical activity that must be completed for your unit to continue to operate. A charter is an agreement between your chartering organization, the Circle Ten Council and the National BSA organization. Every member of your unit both scout and adult must be properly accounted for with paid dues and any required training.

Check out these amazingly useful full-color action-packed guides!

Unit Renewal Guide for Unit Key 3 Member

Unit Procedure for Processing a Unit Renewal

Help Shape Scouting — Become a Unit Commissioner

Many of us have Scouts who have aged out but still want to contribute to the values and ethics Scouting instills in our youth. We are looking for two new commissioners for Northern Trail. If you have Scouting experience and want to help beyond your Pack, Troop, Crew, Ship, or Post, please consider becoming a unit commissioner.

If you have questions or would like to suggest someone for this role, please contact:

Bram Franklin
214-609-9089
BramFranklin@gmail.com

Northern Trail Roundtable Meeting

Come meet other Unit leaders, ask questions, network and learn from the topic of the month. We welcome all Adult volunteers. How do you know if you do not ask? Whether a new volunteer or lots of years in the saddle, it will be of value to you, to your unit and to our youth – it’s fun to network.

📍 Roundtable is the 2nd Thursday of every month.
First United Methodist Church Richardson, Rm. 230 @ 7:00 pm

Upcoming Roundtable Topics:

Date	Topic
December 11	Scouts- Helping units start OA elections. Family FOS-how to present to your unit Cub Scouts- pack cooking
January	Summer camp locations, ideas and help.
February	Summer activities, Venturing and AOL crossover.

It is Time to Recognize Adult Scouters

It is this time of year when we recognize our fellow scouters for the exemplary volunteer work that they do at the unit, district, and council levels. We remain thankful to them for their tireless service.

We have several awards to recognize these individuals, beginning at the unit level with the Your Extraordinary Service Award or the Y.E.S. Award. At the district level, we have two awards: the District Award of Merit and the Robert E. Little Award. Applications for these awards must be submitted no later than January 9. No applications will be accepted after this date.

At the Council level, we have the Silver Beaver Award. Applications for the Silver Beaver Award nomination is December 31st this year.

Self-nominations will not be accepted.

More information, including the submission details of these awards, is available here.

For any questions, please contact the Awards and Recognition Chair, Muhammad Ikram at mzi@gatech.edu.

Venturing Leadership Award- to recognize Venturers and Venturing Advisors who have made exceptional contributions to Venturing and who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law, councils, territories, and the Scouting America National Council.

Nomination form, qualifications, guidelines, and deadlines here

📚 Upcoming Training

S.A.F.E. guarding Youth

Take Course

Your unit can not recharter you if your S.A.F.E. guarding Youth(formerly YPT) is not current.

Unit leaders, check the status of the adults in your unit now online.

The new course reinforces a culture of active supervision, situational awareness, and safety. S.A.F.E. guarding Youth is 90 minutes the first time you take it, then only 15-minute annual refreshers.

National Youth Leadership Training

Winter Sessions 5 & 6 • Dec 27–31, 2025 • Camp Wisdom

About NYLT:
NYLT is a six-day advanced leadership course that helps Scouts develop confidence, communication, and teamwork through fun, hands-on challenges in a patrol setting.

Who Can Attend:
Scouts BSA youth who are 13+ and have completed 8th grade. Must have completed Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST).

What to Expect:
• Hands-on leadership games and simulations
• Patrol-based teamwork and problem solving
• Outdoor adventure and skill-building
• Mentorship from trained youth staff leaders

Contact:
Kevin Patterson – kevin.patterson@scouting.org
214-902-6712 🚀 Register Today

Get Prepared for the future! Wood Badge – Advanced Adult Leader Training

Wood Badge is Scouting’s top-level adult leadership course, open to all registered leaders who have completed their position-specific training. The course focuses on team building, communication, servant leadership, and delivering the best possible program to youth.

2026 Courses:

WoodBadge 148 at Camp Wisdom: February 6-8, 2026 and February 21-22, 2026
Wood Badge 149 - Philmont Scout Ranch: August 2-8, 2026
Wood Badge 150 - Trevor Rees-Jones Scout Camp: October 23-25, 2026 and November 7-8, 2026

Participants attend two full weekends and complete a set of “ticket” projects that support their unit or district. Space is limited and courses fill quickly.

Learn more or register at: circleten.org/WoodBadge

Online Training

A huge amount of training is available online, including position training and Youth Protection. Access your account at my.scouting.org. If you don’t have an account, it’s easy to set one up. You can view your training records and complete a full training program.

Questions? Contact: NT.Training@att.net

Upcoming District and Council Events

❄️ Winter Camp 2025 – Dec. 27–31
Merit badges, shooting sports, games, and five days of cold-weather(maybe, it is Texas after all) camping at Trevor Rees-Jones!

Activities / Merit Badge sign up opened on November 17, do not wait to sign up, classes fill up fast.

Registration CLOSES December 21, 2025 at 11:00 p.m.

Think Winter Camp is just for the youth? Well think again! There are plenty of great opportunities for you while you are at Winter Camp!

We are offering:

IOLS- to learn and practice essential outdoor skills needed to safely and effectively lead a troop.
CPR- save a life.
First Aid
Wilderness First Aid- save a life in remote places.
NRA BIT and RSO courses- NRA Basic Instructor Training(first step to become a NRA certified instructor for shooting sports)and Range Safety Officer(the certified individual responsible for the safe supervision of rifle and shooting gun activities)

Think It, Build It, Sell It – Merit Badge Day

Scouts can earn Entrepreneurship, Inventing, and Salesmanship at this special Merit Badge event in Richardson. Each badge has its own counselor, with hands-on learning and guidance to complete requirements.

Event Details

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026 – 1:00–5:00 PM
Inventing second session (required): Saturday, March 28, 2026 – 1:00–5:00 PM
Check-in opens: 12:45 PM both days
Location: First United Methodist Church Richardson, Mays Hall (Rooms 227 & 230)
Cost: $5 – includes patch & snacks
Each class is limited to 40 Scouts

Merit Badge Counselors

Entrepreneurship: Guy Bradley – Civil Engineer (no pre-work)
Inventing: John Schneider – Administrative Patent Judge (counselor will contact registrants for pre-work)
Salesmanship: Rebecca Bradley – Physical Therapist (pre-work required for completing in class; email counselor for details)

Be prepared for the future — even though this event is early 2026, spots are limited and often fill quickly. Early registration ensures a place in the badge session you want.

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/2rasss5s
Venmo Payment: @Rebecca-Bradley-42 (confirmation sent once payment is received)

Arapaho Chapter News

It’s time to choose an election date for your unit for eligible Scouts— contact us at kschwope@hotmail.comwho will share your data with our Vice Chief of Inductions.
Arrowmen, join us for the Annual Lodge Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Astoria venue for an Italian feast, awards, celebration of officers and Vigil candidates and a fun Game Room too! Register here— first 125 get an awesome Early Bird Patch

The Order of the Arrow is an honor camper service organization. Each district has a chapter and members are chosen by their peers.

Contact arapaho@miki.org with questions.

It's not too late to renew your OA membership go to: miki.org/event-registration/ and pay your dues.

Other Important Information

Scouting Public Safety Day – March 7, 2026

Join Scouts from across Richardson for a FREE full-day event focused on safety, service, and skill-building! The City of Richardson will host Scouting Public Safety Dayon Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM at the Fire Training Center, 1621 E. Lookout Dr.

Merit Badges Offered:

Crime Prevention
Emergency Preparedness
Fingerprinting
Fire Safety
First Aid
Safety
Search & Rescue

Use QR code to the right to sign up.

For more information, contact Ryan Steele at 972-744-0904 or ryan.steele@cor.gov.

Merit Badge Counselor Positions

To apply for a MBC position, please send the merit badge form along with a multiple application and a copy of your ypt/sy to Josh.Ohmstede@scouting.org. MBC is a council position and the applications are handled by the council.

Cub Scout Camping

Cub Scout Camping is fun and only allowed at approved camps. Make your reservations in advance for your whole pack to enjoy the outdoors. Click on Circle Ten Camps for information on the 4 Circle 10 camps and all the other approved Cub Scout Camping locations at the bottom of the page for your Cub Scout Pack to have an adventure.

Commissioners

Northern Trail has an active commissioner staff with deep scouting knowledge. Get to know your commissioner. Your commissioner can help you and your unit resolve problems and pass along some ideas to make your program even better. Our District Commissioner is Bram Franklin, who may be reached at: bramfranklin@gmail.com.

If you are having trouble reaching your commissioner, contact Bram and he will assist you.

Looking for a way to give back to scouting? New unit leaders need mentors who can help them navigate the trail. As you know it can be a little overwhelming. Training is available! Contact our district commissioner Bram Franklin bramfranklin@gmail.com for more information.

Website and Newsletter

Our newsletter and website reach a very large audience in Northern Trail. If there is something scouting related which needs to be on the website or the newsletter, please do not keep it to yourself, let us know. news@ntrail.org

If we need to fix a broken link or have incorrect information, please take a moment, and let us know. news@ntrail.org

Do not keep the newsletter to yourself! Everyone in your unit should be receiving the newsletter and be aware of the website. sign up is easy, just send them to: Newsletter sign up . Do not forget to sign up on Circle Ten to receive updates from the council.

Looking for something in a recent newsletter? Several years of past newsletters may be found here.