COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS AND GUIDELINES WILL BE FOLLOWED FOR THIS EVENT.

NESA Advancement Day will be held at Camp Vandeventer, Waterloo, IL

In this time of unprecedented illness, we ask for your cooperation and understanding as we do our best to provide a face-to-face experience for your Scouts while maintaining the utmost safety for the health and well-being of EVERYONE in attendance. With this said, PLEASE be PATIENT of the processes that have been put in place to ensure this safety and health.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THE FOLLOWING IS FOR SAFETY REASONS ONLY AND NOT INTENDED OR DESIGNED TO BE PUNITIVE IN ANY WAY! 

First and foremost, NO WALK-INS will be allowed at this event!! We are restricted to 100 people in camp and there will be NO crossing over for facilities or vending machines, etc. The classes offered will be located around camp with extra spacing around. We will NOT be able to allow anyone who is not registered to attend. We apologize for this inconvenience but not for the health and safety of those attending.

There will be (10) All-day classes to choose from: Archery, Camping/Hiking; Emergency Preparedness; Environmental Science; Exploration; Orienteering; Pioneering; Search and Rescue; Signs, Signals & Codes; & Sustainability.

Five of the All-Day classes will start at 8:30am and the other five will start at 9:30am. Ending times for the classes will be staggered throughout the afternoon as the classes do not all take the same amount of time to complete. Look at the merit badge for stop times in the Class Schedule. Please DO NOT arrive at the camp more than 30 minutes before your class start time and have your ride there promptly at the assigned time for pickup. NOTE: ALL classes regardless of timing will take a 1/2-hour lunch.

Some of the other restrictions that will be in effect are: 

 - Temperature checks will be made at the gate prior to entry into the camp. If your temperature is above 100*F, please do not come to camp.

 - You will need to fill out the Heath Questionnaire PRIOR to arriving at camp and have it ready to present to the Health Officer posted at the gate. These will be sent to the registered participants the week of the event on Wednesday. 

 - Each Scout will be required to have with them and wear, anytime they are within 6 ft. of another person, a COVID-19 worthy mask. Masks will need to be worn properly and correctly. Over the nose and under the chin. Face shields are also acceptable if they are full-face.

- Parents WILL NOT be able to stay at camp during this event. The ONLY exception to this will be a special needs Scout and notification in advance of this situation. If you have a youth that meet this criterion, please contact southernillnesa@gmail.com.

 - There will be not gathering of ANY kind during the day. This includes an opening ceremony and lunch times. Upon entry into the camp, we will have signs to guide you to your merit badge and that is where you will stay until the end of the day. Again, you will not be allowed to leave your merit badge area due to the Tracking and Tracing guidelines as set forth by the CDC and the Council Safety Committee.

 - There will be NO access to drinking water from water coolers or spigots. You NEED to bring enough water to get through the day. It is highly recommended that each person brings, no less than, 1-gallon of water with them.

 - There will NOT be a Trading Post or any other way to get food available. You NEED to bring any food and or snacks to get you through the day.

 - Each Scout will be assigned a color band as they arrive. That color will correspond to a bathroom color. For COVID tracking and tracing, that will be the only restroom you will be allowed to use during the day barring an emergency. Again, not our idea, but a mandate of the Health Department and our Safety Committee.

Blue cards ARE NOT needed and will NOT be accepted for this event. They may be printed from your original online registration beginning the Friday after the NESA day event. PLEASE allow the office staff those few days to enter all the information before you contact them asking for the blue cards.

What to Bring
Scouts should bring a merit badge pamphlet, worksheet(s), notebook, pen/ pencil, and any other supplies required for each merit badge session. Special items will be listed as required in the catalog for each merit badge.

Because of the COVID Social Distancing Guidelines, seating is limited in many of the program areas, an easily transportable chair is highly recommended.
 
Why Does NESA Charge a Fee?
The Southern Illinois Chapter of the Greater St. Louis Area Council NESA Committee provides funds for college scholarships, the annual Eagle Recognition Banquet, and other activities benefiting Scouting.  All proceeds from activities such as the Advancement Day go right back into providing for these programs and college scholarships.

Merit Badge Sessions
Scouts may choose from Merit Badges that are offered in the course catalog. Attendance of the Merit Badge class DOES NOT guarantee completion of the Merit Badge even if all the pre-requisites have been completed prior to the event!! Sometimes counselors wish to talk about pre-requisites prior to assigning them for completion.

NESA Advancement Day is an opportunity for the Scout to meet with a counselor to review the Merit Badge material and demonstrate their skill and knowledge in that area to the counselor.

Sessions include instruction, group discussion, demonstration, and evaluation.  The Scout should be prepared to actively participate and discuss the material covered in the Merit Badge Pamphlet. This is best accomplished by reading the merit badge pamphlet and completing the prerequisite work as listed in the Class Catalog for the merit badge you are seeking.

If a Scout has completed some of the merit badge requirements, they should bring proof with them.

Can I Help With Advancement Day?
Unfortunately, at this time we have to limit our staff to 15 persons. However, if you would like to join our committee or assist at future events, please feel free to send an email to southernillnesa@gmail.com and we will contact you with times and locations for our meetings and events.

Personal note: For those of you who know me, this is not my idea of a NESA Advancement Day. I always want to 'go big or go home'! Unfortunately, given the choice to have a face-to-face event under the guidelines vs. having no event, I side with the thought that our youth NEED personal interaction and helping 100 Scouts at a time is better than helping none. THANK YOU for making the personal decision to join or not join us as this is a strictly personal decision. If you are one of the unfortunate people that wants to attend but registration fills, look forward to one of our other offerings to be held Sept 19th at Camp Warren Levis or Oct. 10th at Camp Vandeventer. Registration for these events will be going live in a few weeks (after this event and the learning that happen). We do apologize for the restrictions that have been placed on this, and many other events, but we will, in true Scouting fashion, do our best to make this experience the best it can for the time we are in!!

Please pray… for an end to this pandemic and every illness, for those who are affected by disease, sickness, poverty, prejudice, inequality, and ill, and for an end to all the turmoil in our communities, country and world today, for this and all things, we pray…!!

Yours in Humble Service,

Terry A. Grime, Co-Chair, Advancement Days