Re: Constitution and Bylaws/New Member packets
Amick Robert (amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU)
Mon, 13 Jan 1997 12:39:01 -0700
The use of bylaws for units as an instrument for operation and governance
is appropriate since it gives the unit committee and leaders a set of
operational guidelines which cannot be provided in the detail
that they need to be by the standard BSA guidelines. Hence they are
complementary rather than in opposition or redundant.
We provide parents of new members
with a new member packet of information and an orientation
meeting as well, so they understand who the players are; who has what
authority, and who to contact for various questions. We don't expect that
new parents will necessarily read the bylaws, but they do have them if
they choose to do so and wish to use them as a reference. Many have
expressed appreciation that we have them and provide them upon joining.
We provide more of an executive summary of unit operations, rules/regs,
organizational structure, and membership roster/roles responsibilities
overview in the packet, and explain it in detail at the organizational
meeting. This seems to work best, since new folks then associate names
with faces, and understand better how the unit works. We try to do
periodic parents orientation meetings to discuss unit events and to get
parents involved since many of them do not join the unit committees or
leaders staff. This seems to have been a good compromise. We currently
have about 80 Scouts and 40 Explorers in our troop and post respectively.
Bob Amick, Explorer Advisor, High Adventure Explorer Post 72, Boulder, CO
On Mon, 13 Jan 1997, Robert Hushing-Kline wrote:
> (snip)
> And I have a comment regarding the use of Unit by-laws and constitutions.
> It has been used in the past in our district, but it was found to be
> confusing to parents, insinuating that there was another set of rules other
> than those put out by Boy Scouts. Jeff L. Glaze had a great idea in
> putting together a New Member Packet; it isn't confusing in that the Rules
> and Regs of Scouts is still clearly what the troop operates under, but it
> is encapsulated for parents in a good format.
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
