Re: Advisor training
Jim Miller Jr. (jmillerjr@lsfcu.org)
Mon, 27 Jan 1997 15:39:23
Hudson Liberty Council is currently undergoing a major change in the way
we do this. I've been involved with the Explorer Division here for about 11
years - as a youth member, EOA President, Council Committee Member,
EOA Advisor, and most recently as Council Exploring Training Chairman.
In all of my time in Exploring, we have used the Exploring Division (Exploring
as its own District) model for delivering the program. Our Council Executive
Board has decided that we can no longer justify having an entire District
which consists of 17 units, so Exploring is now being moved back into the
traditional Districts. In fact, tonight I have to attend a meeting about just
how we are going to accomplish this transition. I've been asked to
represent the District where my Troop is.
As a National Exploring Instructor, let me start with what the BSA lists as
recommendations in the literature. The Council/District Exploring Operations
Guide(BSA #33630) is the most essential piece of BSA literature for
anyone involved in the Exploring program above the Post/Ship level.
Basically, each Council can determine which of these two options work
best for their particular situation. There is also the option of using a hybrid
of the two. I know of at least one Council that uses both. In an Exploring
Division, the Explorer Units are an exact parallel to a traditional BSA
District. The Council Exploring Committee is also the Exploring District
Committee, and the Chairman or Vice president for Exploring functions
just like a District Chairman.
If the Exploring program is to be delivered by the Districts, there is still a
recommendation to operate a Council Exploring Committee under either
a Council Vice President or Chairman. In my opinion, the primary reason
for this is that the Explorer Officers' Association is always meant to be
a Councilwide program. The EOA Chair, as well as the respective
District Vice Chairman for Exploring should still be members of a
Council level committee.
Again, in my opinion, an active EOA is the most important committee
their is in the Exploring Program. Not only does it provide good
interaction between members of different units, but it provides an
opportunity to demonstrate leadership at a greater level of responsibility
than even the largest Post/Ship can provide. The EOA should be the
only committee running Explorer-only program events above the Unit
level, and these events should be youth run. If anyone is familiar with
the operation of an Order of the Arrow Lodge Executive Committee,
the two run with a lot of similarity. This means that even if you are in a
traditional District, there should still be Councilwide, Explorer-specific
programs being run.
Of course, if your Post/Ship is in a District, you should participate in
District activities - camporees, et al. There is nothing which keeps
your Unit from participating in these if you are in an Exploring Division.
You just need to let that District know that you are interested. You may
even want to ask the District in which your unit is geographically
located to register one of your adult leaders as a District Member
at-large of Associate Member at-large so you are on their mailing
list and invited to District Committee Meetings.
Since I've never worked with actually delivering the program through
a District, I look forward to other people's opinions on this method.
|Jim Miller, Jr. <jmillerjr@lsfcu.org> Systems Administrator|
|Liberty Savings Federal Credit Union Jersey City, New Jersey USA|
|Eagle Scout - '88 Vigil - '94 Meechgalhukquot-"Redheaded One"|
|ASM-Troop 305 MC-Post 348 Hudson Liberty Council, BSA|
| http://www.stefford.com/jim/ |
| 
