EXPLORING GUIDEBOOK For Post and Club Leaders—Youth and Adult 800-100 ©2017 Learning for Life 2017 Printing CONTENTS WELCOME TO EXPLORING CHAPTER FOUR: AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS What Is Exploring? ........................................................4 Career Achievement Award ........................................59 Posts vs. Clubs ..............................................................6 Congressional Award ................................................. 60 Mission, Vision, and History of Exploring ................. 7 Journey to Excellence ............................................... 60 As You Begin This Guidebook .....................................9 Leadership Award Program ....................................... 60 Quick Start .....................................................................9 Lifesaving Award ......................................................... 61 Meritorious Action Award .......................................... 61 CHAPTER ONE: UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE AS AN Learning for Life Foundation Society Award ............. 61 ADULT LEADER President’s Volunteer Service Award .........................62 Introduction ..................................................................11 Law Enforcement Exploring Special Recognition Awards .........................................................................62 Unit Committee Position Descriptions ...................... 12 Proficiency Awards for Law Enforcement 11 Exploring Leadership Skills for Unit Leaders .........22 and Fire Exploring Programs ......................................62 How to Teach a Skill ...................................................24 William H. Spurgeon Award .......................................65 How Your Local Council Supports You ....................25 CHAPTER FIVE: Managing the Brand ..................................................26 YOUTH PROTECTION AND SAFETY STANDARDS CHAPTER TWO: Youth Protection Introduction ....................................67 DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF YOUTH Reporting Procedures .................................................67 LEADERS Training ........................................................................68 Reflection: Why Do We Reflect? ...............................28 Safety First Guidelines ................................................68 Leadership Reflection .................................................30 CHAPTER SIX: Advisor/Sponsor Reflection ........................................31 FOR THE YOUTH LEADER Facilitating Reflective Checkups .................................31 Welcome to Exploring! ............................................... 72 CHAPTER THREE: Personal Safety Awareness ....................................... 74 GETTING YOUR PROGRAM UP Youth Section One: A Youth Leader’s Role AND RUNNING and Responsibilities .................................................... 81 Youth Section Two: Your Role in the The Four Phases of Starting an First Three Months......................................................88 Exploring Program ...................................................... 33 Youth Section Three: Becoming Phase 1: Research .......................................................36 and Being a Leader .....................................................93 Phase 2: Leadership .................................................... 37 Youth Section Four: Planning Your Post’s or Club’s Program ............................................98 Phase 3: Program ....................................................... 40 Youth Section Five: How-To Guide ...........................101 Phase 4: Participation .................................................44 Youth Section Six: Leadership Checkup ...................119 Transitioning Your Program to Youth Leaders ...........49 Youth Section Seven: Funding Your Annual Program ...................................53 Exploring Officers Association................................. 120 Registering and Renewing Your Appendix ..................................................................... 121 Unit Each Year .............................................................54 Glossary ......................................................................157 Index ........................................................................ 158 EXPLORING GUIDEBOOK 3 WELCOME TO EXPLORING As Advisors and as youth learning to become leaders, in character development, and help youth formulate you are about to embark on a journey together. That positive personal values. They prepare youth to make journey is building your own Explorer post or club. A ethical decisions that will help them achieve their full post is a group of at least five 14- to 20-year-old young potential. There are two program methods: curriculum- adults, male and female, interested in a specific career based programs and worksite-based programs. field. A club is similarly made up of at least five youth members in sixth through eighth grades. As you begin, Adults involved in Learning for Life are selected by you both will probably be aware of the differences in the organization in which they work (i.e., schools, local your roles. However, by the end of this journey—if your businesses, community organizations, etc.). Race, Explorer post or club has come to fruition—you will see religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, more and more similarities and come to realize that economic status, and citizenship are not criteria for you are mutual explorers. Together you will discover participation in Learning for Life. things about yourselves and the world around you that Learning for Life features grade-specific, theme- have the potential not only to change you, but also to oriented lesson plans to be used in the classroom to change that world. Sometimes, we get so used to a enhance and support the core curriculum for preK– program being called by a certain name, like Exploring, high school. Lessons are designed to be conducted that we forget the spirit of the program’s existence. As by the classroom teacher in conjunction with the Advisors and youth leaders, your responsibility is to core curriculum. bring the Exploring spirit to life. To be sure, many things go into advising an Explorer post or club and Lessons are designed to reinforce academic, social, being a youth leader of a post or club, but all those ethical, and character development skills in various things should serve the spirit of Exploring. areas, such as critical and creative thinking, conflict resolution, decision making, interpersonal Exploring involves discovery—not just seeing new things relationships, practical life skills, self-esteem, writing with your eyes, but gaining insights into yourself and the and language arts, citizenship, and personal fitness. people around you. Explorers inquire, wonder, imagine, dream, and risk. They learn to respect and appreciate Learning for Life makes academic learning fun and what it takes to be willing to discover, and what it takes relevant to real-life situations in age-appropriate and to commit to a journey into the unknown. Explorers take grade-specific material. As a result, the positive on the challenge of change—within themselves, and character traits and skills learned through participation within those around them. in Learning for Life not only make students more confident and capable but also give them an invaluable WHAT IS EXPLORING? understanding of how things work in the real world. Exploring is Learning for Life’s career education program for young men and women in sixth grade Since 1998, Learning for Life has partnered with through 20 years old. Adults are selected by the thousands of businesses and organizations to bring participating organization for involvement in the “real-world” career experiences to young men and program. Color, race, religion, gender, sexual women through its Exploring programs. Our programs orientation, ethnic background, economic status, provide an ideal, interactive link between the academic and citizenship are not criteria for participation. environment and the real world. Learning for Life is a national, nonprofit Exploring’s purpose is to provide experiences to help 501(c)(3) organization. young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Explorers are ready to The Learning for Life Corporation offers many programs investigate the meaning of interdependence in their designed to support schools and community-based personal relationships and communities. organizations in their efforts to prepare youth to successfully handle the complexities of contemporary Exploring is based on a unique and dynamic society and to enhance their self-confidence, motivation, relationship between youth and the organizations in and self-esteem. The programs focus on character their communities. Local community organizations education and career education. Learning for Life initiate an Explorer post by matching their people and programs help youth develop social and life skills, assist program resources to the interests of young people in 4 EXPLORING GUIDEBOOK CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER the community. The result is a program of activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow, and develop. Exploring units can specialize in a variety of careers and are based on five areas of emphasis: career opportunities, leadership experience, life skills, CHAPTER citizenship, and character education. TWO Community organizations support their posts or clubs in three major ways: • By compiling a