The District Commissioner Staff
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COMMISSIONER FIELDBOOK FOR UNIT SERVICE Changes in This Printing (As of February 2012) There have been some changes and additions made in this printing. Visit the commissioner website for resources: www.scouting.org/commissioners.aspx 33621 ISBN 978-0-8395-3621-5 ©2009 Boy Scouts of America 2012 Printing 1 A Guidebook for Unit Commissioners CONTENTS 01—Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................3 02—Commissioner Orientation ..........................................................................................................................................4 03—Orientation Projects .....................................................................................................................................................8 04—The Commissioner Concept ........................................................................................................................................10 05—The District Commissioner Staff .................................................................................................................................12 06—Providing Unit Service .................................................................................................................................................15 07—Your Commissioner Style .............................................................................................................................................25 08—Be a Lifesaving Commissioner .....................................................................................................................................27 09—How to Remove a Volunteer ........................................................................................................................................31 10—Counseling ...................................................................................................................................................................33 11—Youth Protection ..........................................................................................................................................................35 12—Unit Charter Renewal ..................................................................................................................................................38 13—Unit Internet Advancement .........................................................................................................................................49 14—Unit Commissioner Training .......................................................................................................................................50 15—Commissioner Awards .................................................................................................................................................54 16—Resources .....................................................................................................................................................................56 17—Self-Evaluation for Unit Commissioners ......................................................................................................................57 18—Unit Commissioner Worksheets ..................................................................................................................................59 19—Guidelines for Unit Action Planning Meeting .............................................................................................................65 20—Unit Self-Assessment Forms .........................................................................................................................................66 21—Using the Unit Visit Tracking System ..........................................................................................................................69 22—History of Commissioner Service: The First 100 Years ................................................................................................83 1—INTRODUCTION This is a book for unit commissioners and for those who coach and guide unit commissioners. Your Commissioner Fieldbook As a Commissioner . The purpose of this fieldbook is to provide a resource of As a commissioner, your role is different from that of practical, usable information, simply stated and readily adapt- other Scouters. The insignia you wear displays a wreath around able. The material herein reflects the experience of thousands of Scouting’s trefoil, representing your commission to serve char- commissioners from all parts of the country. Make good use of tered organizations in the operation of Cub Scout packs, Boy your fieldbook as you add to the BSA heritage of good service to Scout troops, Var sity Scout teams, and Venturing crews. The Scouting units. quality of Scouting depends upon the men and women who wear this wreath of service. The fieldbook is designed as a reference to fit into a stan- dard notebook. As you and your commissioner leaders or coach Following are companion publications for unit review the Commissioner Fieldbook, discuss any modifications of commissioners: staff methods that may be necessary to produce more effective • Unit Commissioner Program Notebook—available through the unit operations in your district. Write these out clearly and insert Magazines Department them in the proper section. The fieldbook allows your commis- sioner service to be flexible in method while remaining firm in • Commissioner Helps for Packs, Troops, and Crews— purpose and principle. available through the National Supply Group at scoutstuff.org 3 2—COMMISSIONER ORIENTATION On the next several pages, the important ideas that form The Chartered Organization’s Role the basis of commissioner service are illustrated. In a way, this orientation is a graphic table of contents for the fieldbook. Ask Chartered organizations have three principal responsibilities: your district commissioner or assistant district commissioner to go over each point with you. • Provide an adequate, safe meeting place. • Provide dedicated, capable adult leadership of good moral character. Purpose of Scouting • Adhere to the policies and guidelines of the Boy Scouts Scouting’s purpose for the youth of America is character of America. development, citizenship training, and mental and physical fit- ness. The mission of the BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them The Local Council’s Job the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. A council and its districts have four major functions: membership/relationships, finance, quality program, and unit Charter Concept service. The order in which the functions are listed is not meant to suggest the order of their importance, THETHTHE COUNCILCOUNUNCCIIL The Scouting program reaches youth through many com- but the natural interrelationship and How the Council Functions to Carry Out the Purpose of the BSA munity organizations. They include religious institutions; PTAs; flow of the functions. If one function service clubs; civic organizations; farm groups; fraternal organiza- suffers from lack of attention, all the tions; groups of citizens; schools; and business, industrial, trade, work of the council suffers. Unit service, and professional organizations. The Boy Scouts of America enters of course, is what commissioner service into a unique working association with a community organiza- is all about. How a council operates is tion that adopts the program and is chartered to operate its tradi- described in the booklet, The Council. tional Scouting units (packs, troops, teams, and crews). 4 Traditional Unit Organization Commissioner Service Unit organization begins with the chartered organization and There is only one council service to a unit that is constant— extends the program of Scouting to youth in Cub Scout packs, and that is the friendly personal help given by the unit commis- Boy Scout troops, Varsity Scout teams, and Venturing crews. sioner. This person must be available to offer advice, program suggestions, and to support unit leaders. This Commis sioner The chartered organization appoints a chartered organiza- Fieldbook explains how the commissioner does it. tion representative (COR) to coordinate all unit operations within it, represent the organization to the Scouting district, and serve as a voting member of the local council. The organization selects a unit committee which screens, selects, and supports unit leaders to work directly with youth. Districts To bring the Scouting program closer to each chartered orga- nization and its units, the local council divides itself into smaller areas called “districts.” Every district has its own commissioner staff and district committee. How a district operates is described in the manual, The District. Chartered Organization Chartered Organization Representative Pack Committee Troop Committee Crew Committee Cubmaster and Scoutmaster and Advisor and Assistants Assistants Associates Den Leaders Senior Patrol Leader President Den Chiefs Den Chiefs Patrol Leaders Officers Cub Scouts in Dens Boy Scouts in Patrols Venturers 5 District Committee Commissioner Contacts The district committee is composed of several operating There should be a meaningful contact between you and the committees that may be called upon to provide specialized adult personnel of each of your assigned units as often as neces- advancement or camping help for units, organize new units, sary (but at least