Navigators and Adventurers LEADER GUIDE PREMIER DIGITAL EDITION ® Belton, South Carolina NAVIGATORS AND ADVENTURERS LEADER GUIDE Published by Youth Adventure Program, Incorporated, dba Worthy Trailman Press 10612 Augusta Road Belton, SC 29627 www.TrailLifeUSA.com This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechani- cal, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 2017 by Youth Adventure Program, Incorporated All rights reserved. International Standard Book Number: ISBN#978-0-9912316-2-1 While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. First Published Edition-Digital Version Printed in the United States of America. Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 2 FORWARD Managing this project has been both an honor and a challenge. An honor because I was privileged to work with a team of people who provided the knowledge that flows from these pages. People like John Burkitt, Laura Burton, Dr. Kip Haggerty, Richard Mathews, and count- less others who influenced them directly or indirectly. There are fin s pedigree is long and untraceable; back to tried- and-true methods that will continue to evolve into better and better practices. observe folks much more knowledgeable than I deal with the subtleties of leading leaders, the art of balancing inspiration with the square-setting of responsibility, the delicate and legal workings of adventure in light of safety, and the critical work of our mission that must be preserved in a preponderance of necessary words about policy. The challenge is in how much is missing from this guide. Not just the bulleted how- are more easily referenced by a Google search, but the why part of our vision and mission. If I were to add a chapter, I would tell you stories of lives being changed. Of young men who found their strength in community; of single moms who cried out to God to send help for their sons; of brave, selfless, godly men who expended energy and time and money pouring their lives into boys who craved their time and attention; of the brotherhood developing between men who longed for and found their band in the work of mentoring boys together; of dads who, with weak or non-existent examples of fatherhood found guidance in the examples of the men around them. hearts of the men and women-----like you-----who rise to the cause to aid a generation in desperate need of godly leadership. Thank you for leading these boys. What you do matters. Your resolve, your heart, and your commitment continually remind me that Trailmen are the best men I know. Walk Worthy. Mark Hancock, CEO Trail Life USA Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 3 FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF People worry about many things, such as the environment, national security, and the Somebody should do something about these kids! But few do what you have done, show- ing complaining and started campaigning. This book was written to help you help others. You hold a very important job and no doubt you want to do it well. Training takes you from mere good intentions to the place you want to be----- confident, capable, and committed. Experience is an important avenue of growth, but training helps you to interpret your experiences in the context of a larger community and to get the most out of them. As you live the Trail Life, you will notice we are about more than youth development. It is impossible for you to associate yourself with this program without the enthusiasm and Trail Life, because it is a life- style that you can live to the hilt whether it rains or shines, whether the path is smooth or l the boys you helped shape in the image of Christ. Yours along the Trail, John H. Burkitt Editor-in-Chief Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 4 MY CONTACTS FOR LEVELS OF TROOP SUPPORT Knowledgeable Leaders in my Troop or nearby: Name Phone Email Name Phone Email Name Phone Email Other Area Team Specialists: Specialty Name Email Phone Specialty Name Email Phone My Point Man: Name Phone Email My Regional Team Leader: Name Phone Email Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Proper credit for the structure and flow of the Navigators and Adventurers programs goes to the many volunteers from the Program Teams that worked with dedication to develop the Trail Life USA program. Editor-in-Chief: John H. Burkitt National Director of Program and Compliance: Laura Burton Advancement Specialist: Dr. Kip Haggerty Youth Protection: Richard Mathews, Esq. Project Editor: Mark Hancock Design and Layout: Anna Jelstrom Special thanks to David A. Servin, who volunteered tirelessly with dozens of volunteers to coordinate many of the early foundational principles behind certain and early elements of the Trail Life program. Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 6 WALK WORTHY! Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 7 Contents A FIRM FOUNDATION _______________________________________________________ 11 Chapter 1 - GUIDING PRINCIPLES ____________________________________________ 13 Chapter 2 - ORGANIZATION ________________________________________________ 22 Troop Level Leadership ________________________________________________________ 22 Area Level Leadership _________________________________________________________ 25 Regional Level Leadership ______________________________________________________ 27 National Level Leadership ______________________________________________________ 28 Levels Of Troop Support _______________________________________________________ 28 Role of the Family _____________________________________________________________ 29 Relationship with the American Heritage Girls _____________________________________ 29 Fundraising __________________________________________________________________ 30 Branding and Licensing _________________________________________________________ 31 Commercialism _______________________________________________________________ 32 Chapter 3 - THE TROOP MEETING ___________________________________________ 33 The Order Behind the Chaos ____________________________________________________ 33 Maintaining Mission Focus ______________________________________________________ 35 Addressing Inappropriate Member Behavior _______________________________________ 35 Uniforms ____________________________________________________________________ 38 Chapter 4 - THE NAVIGATORS PROGRAM _____________________________________ 42 Characteristics of Navigator-Age Boys ___________________________________________ 42 Navigators Rank Advancement __________________________________________________ 45 Navigators Patrol Structure ____________________________________________________ 47 The Meeting Schedule _________________________________________________________ 50 Chapter 5 - THE NAVIGATORS TRAILMASTER _________________________________ 51 Chapter 6 - THE NAVIGATORS TRAIL GUIDE ___________________________________ 55 Chapter 7 - THE ADVENTURERS PROGRAM ___________________________________ 60 Characteristics of Adventurer-Age Boys __________________________________________ 60 How The Adventurers Program Works _____________________________________________ 61 The Meeting Schedule _________________________________________________________ 62 ___________________________________________________ 62 Trail Life USA | Navigators and Adventurers Leader Guide, Revised 2017 | 30061 | 2017 0805 | 8 Youth Leaders _______________________________________________________________ 63 Chapter 8 - THE ADVENTURERS ADVISOR ____________________________________ 66 Chapter 9 - THE ADVENTURERS TRAIL GUIDE _________________________________ 71 Chapter 10 - THE TROOP COMMITTEE ________________________________________ 76 Why a Troop Committee?_______________________________________________________ 76 Meetings ____________________________________________________________________ 79 Chapter 11 - YOUTH PROTECTION ____________________________________________ 82 Child Safety and Youth Protection Policies ________________________________________ 82 Youth On Youth Sexual Abuse Awareness ________________________________________ 85 Additional Policies To Prevent Youth On Youth Abuse ______________________________ 87 Incident Reporting ____________________________________________________________ 88 Chapter 12 - FACILITY REQUIREMENTS _______________________________________ 90 Chapter 13 - TROOP EQUIPMENT ____________________________________________ 94 Chapter 14 - USING THE OUTDOORS _________________________________________ 98 Importance of the Outdoors ____________________________________________________ 98 Types of Outings ______________________________________________________________ 99 The Summer Adventure _______________________________________________________ 104 Chapter 15 - LEADERSHIP SKILLS ___________________________________________ 106 The Path of Leadership _______________________________________________________