Re: Adult Volunteers (long)
Michael Smith (msmith@EMST-DC.PLANSYS.COM)
Mon, 27 Feb 1995 09:29:50 EST
>The Cub Scout Pack Committee has all its members moving on to Boy Scouts.
Claudia, I don't have anything new to offer to solve the present situation,
but I can offer a valuable suggestiong that has worked tremendously for us,
that will prevent this situation from happening again.
We have found that most parents are "scared" to jump into what they see as a
major role...they don't feel qualified; think it will take too much time,
etc. Our pack has set up a mentor program for our leaders and it really
solves this problem.
For all of our major positions (Chairman, activities, awards, treasurer,
Cubmaster, Den Leaders, etc.), we always find an "assistant" who is only
their to help out the person in the position. We do everything in our power
to make this assistant a parent of a Wolf or Bear scout. Thus, without
feeling the pressure (real or not) of the position, this assistant learns the
ropes of the position by hanging on the coat tails of the leader. In almost
every case, when the leader "moves on", the assistant jumps right in as the
next leader, completely confident and well qualified for the position. We
immediately find that person their own assistant (again from the Wolf or Bear
ranks). Without this type of mentor program, you will occasionally run into
the situation of large groups of leaders "moving on" with nobody to take
their place. With the mentor program, you get continuous, well trained
leadership. It has worked for us for many years. I am the Committee
Chairman, and I was "suckered in" by just being an assistant to the Chairman
when my son was a Wolf...and I am so glad I was suckered in. It has been a
tremendous experience and one that I may have missed if I was just asked out
of the blue to perform.
Oh yea, some people have expressed concern that such a program inhibits new
ideas....not so. Everyone in our pack brings their own flavor and ideas to
the positions when they transition from assistant to leader. They are in a
rare position of having seen the mechanics of the position as the current
leader executes it, and then keep the good, modify the inefficient, and bring
in new ideas. The program works great.
Hope this helps in the future.
YiS
Michael Smith
Committee Chairman, Pack 160, Herndon, Va.
msmith@plansys.com
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