Advancement and Leadership Requirement

[John-in-KC 311]

Mr or Ms KC53

 

Welcome from a fellow member of the Heart of America Council.

 

First, TRAINING!!!! Since you are a new CC, take yourself through:

Fast Start

Youth Protection

New Leader Essentials

 

and the Troop Committee Challenge (Position Specific Training for the Committee) as fast as you can. In HOAC, many Districts offer the TC Challenge as part of the training package, though it's best brought in-house to a troop committee.

 

If you want, PM me, I will give you info on the North Star District Roundtable. We give all these trainings monthly through the program year.

 

As to the Scout in question, you have several options:

 

1) Do nothing. I do NOT recommend this one.

 

2) In your authority as CC, reject the BOR and convene a new one. When I was a CC, scheduling and sitting BORs belonged to the advancement coordinator. CHAIRING BORs I reserved to myself. That said, to help the Committee after my tenure, I'd give folks a chance to chair a board under my supervision.

 

3) Ask your District Advancement Committee chairman to step in and advise or intervene. Trust me, I know two of our Council's district advancement chairs: They won't hesitate to take the advancement for the young man out of your hands if he has been treated unfairly by a unit.

 

I personally recommend solution 2, with 3 being a backup.

 

Now, you as CC and the SM as program officer should be cross-talking regularly. I recommend doing this away from the meeting room. Advancement of boys, by name, should be part and parcel of this. You want to know the SM's thoughts as a conference approaches. If the boy requests a rank advancement BOR against SM desires, the SM most assuredly needs to talk with you in advance. He's the one who signs off on the SM conference. He's the one who usually evaluates Scout Spirit (does the young man uphold the Oath and Law, Motto and Slogan in his daily life away from the Troop?).

 

"There should be no surprises in Scout advancement." That's a piece of gut-check wisdom I've heard time and again, from my District advancement folks as well as from folks here.

 

Again, PM me and I will help find you resources within the great Heart of America Council.

 

YIS.