Rush Creek Cadet Council has a volunteer team to Develop Counselor Education (DCE).  This team plans workshops at monthly counselor meetings in order to help counselors expand their knowledge of the Cadets ministry, and be more effective counselors.  Please look over the 2025/2026 workshop schedule, and select some workshops to attend.

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** No Head Counselor Meeting **

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Thursday, Sep 11, Fairway CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

​This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• ICC Prep for First Time Counselors: If you have never been to Cadet International Camporee, and have any interest in going to Kamp Longview in July, 2026, come to this workshop  Don VanDerKlok and Paul De Windt will inform you of everything you need to know to prepare for your first camporee as counselors or junior counselors.

• GVRC Council Events Overview: Chuckwagon, Snow Derby, Cadet-A-Rama, Camporee - what are they?  Dan Dennis and Doug DeWent will explain these council events, so you are better prepared to attend them, and bring a whole new level of fun and challenge to the cadets in your club at them.

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Thursday, Oct 9, Rosewood Reformed, 7pm

• Map Reading and Hiking Merit Badges: Jim VanderWeide handles the paperwork part, Dan Dennis handles a "Compass Game" in the gym.

• Counselor Certification: New counselors belong at "Counselor Certification," Scott Oudbier and Paul De Windt.  Come for an open-ended conversation about what a counselor needs to know to be effective in this ministry.If you have questions about cadets, council activities, or the Cadet Corps, this is an opportunity for you!  Before this workshop, an open book course must be taken whose purpose is to make a new counselor familiar with all aspects of cadeting in general, and the counselor manual in particular.  The DCE team will take finished workbooks or the new interactive PowerPoint version and give a counselor stripe and name tag at a later meeting, free of charge.

• Jr Counselor Certification: Do you have Cadets that are being called by God to become an effective leader? Only a few Christians are given that calling and this workshop is for those Cadets listening to that call. In this workshop the Cadets will learn what leadership is and what skills, qualities, and attitudes a Christian leader should have. They will acquire from Tom Caryl and Craig Bruins the certification needed to allow them to lead younger Cadets to become more Christ-like in all areas of life.

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Regional Training Conference

Saturday, November 8

GVRC Campground - Website and Registration

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Thursday, Nov 6, Faith Community CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

​This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Bird Watching Merit badge: Steve Hamburg lecture on merit badge, Greg Kooiker liaisonl​​

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Thursday, Dec 11, Baldwin St, 7pm

• International Camporee Ready-Set-Go: You are planning to attend Kamp Longview in July, 2026, now what?  Paul De Windt will walk you through a checklist of items you must consider to ensure you are completely ready to hit the ground running on Wednesday, July 15.  From gear list recommendations and tips, to shelter building prep, to effectively communicating with your co counselor and cadre cadets, this workshop will provide the critical details from counselors who have "been there, done that."

• Leatherworking Merit Badge: Craig Bruins to lead.

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Thursday, Jan 15, Bauer CRC, 7pm

• Creating Vision. Setting and Evaluating Goals: Bruce Meyer is a DCE from Illiana Council, and invites both counselors and head counselors to this workshop.  He will ask a series of questions of the group, and these questions will get you thinking along specific lines about being intentional about your cadet ministry.  Each time Bruce runs this workshop, it is very interesting to see where all the group's answers lead.  Come, and learn from everybody else, or contribute your own wisdom and experience.

• ICC Counselor Orientation: ** This session will be held in a Grand Valley church **

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​​​​Thursday, Feb 12, 2nd Byron CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Dealing with Cadets on "the Spectrum": Scott Oudbier is the liaison for this workshop by Tim Paauw and Scott Schermer.​

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Thursday, Mar 12, Zutphen CRC, 7pm

• Weeds and Wildflowers Merit Badge: Jim VanderWeide.

• Metal Stamping Merit Badge: Tom Caryl and Scott Oudbier.

• ICC Counselor Orientation: Paul De Windt will lead counselors and junior counselors through this "phase I" of getting certified for Kamp Longview.  Grand Valley counselors and JCs are invited if they cannot make the January session.

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Thursday, Apr 10, Hanley CRC, 6:15 Dinner, 7pm Meeting

This is a combined counselor meeting with Grand Valley Council

• Annual DCE Roundtable: Do you have some great ideas for workshops to bring to Counselor meetings for next year? Do you have any suggestions for improvements to our workshops and meetings? Please bring those to this meeting and share them with the rest of us. All ideas and Counselors are welcomed by the DCE teams of GV and RC Councils.

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