Chapter adult leadership

[kahits 10]

Having been just named to be the new chapter adviser for our long struggling OA chapter, I have some questions as it relates to adult leader/adviser positions. Our chapter is partially connected to a major urban area, but extends 70 miles into rural countryside. This has prevented the chapter from being successful with any of the new OA members coming to the intown chapter meetings due to the distance. I was involved in helping to start a subchapter, earlier this summer, in that area to try and encourage the previous (who dropped out) and current members to come to meetings again. Being an ordeal member as of last may, I can sense some apprehension from some of the other adult members, and am in need of some clarifications.

 

Can you give me an idea of the positions that can be created to recruit as many of the experienced (most of which are Vigil members) members in the district to help me by serving in an official capacty. I have several great candidates available as associate advisers, and with this sub chapter to recruit more members to come back, I will need some other positions. I heard of a Feathersmaster for regalia related responsibilities, but without the current training (the lodge notified my a few hours after the training had been completed) I need a better idea of how many official positions I can fill, to move on with work of rebuilding the chapter. So far the only flack I have been receiving is from female sdult members, but I have been in respectful standing with them, previously, but clearly I need to surround myself with committed, experienced adult members to help give this effort some short term credibilty. Obviously, my reservation upbringing is what contributed to this move to nominate me, and of course my son who wants to start a drumming and dance team, had no other choices the for me to take a lead role and get them doing more then performing just crossover and tapout ceremonies (they have never done ceremonies at the Lodge), or not be in OA, because going to one of the other chapters in the city was out of the question. It is going to be a hugh undertaking, because I have been made aware of how much the Lodge has controlled the chapter (but they never worked to make it better then it has been for a very long time) and with my ordeal membership, I will need all the help I can get in the short term. For now I would settle for the adult positions you have seen used at the chapter level, and what purpose they serve. I appreciate it.

[Dizzy ona cliff 11]

There are the standard positions for the lodge, which are listed in the guide for officers and advisors, and these could be applied to a large chapter with a youth and adult for each position.

If there is a need for a sub position, even if it is only a temporary duty, it would not hurt to create a position provided that you also have a youth position associated with each adult so it does not look like you are creating an adult run program. It is usually best to keep it simple and not create positions with overlapping duties or for which there is no need, but it would probably be good to have list the hierarchy of who reports to whom.

It sounds like as with many lodges/chapters distance communication is a problem, and so some have tried forming satellite meetings via telephone. Not great but sometime better than nothing.

In regard to the training that you missed, some of the most important advice that I received is that of keeping in mind our purpose and intent, being patient with the youth, and letting the chief drive the car.

 

[kahits 10]

Thanks, Dizzy... the positions I was thinking about were having 2-3 associate advisers, to help run the South sub-group and to kind of back me up, since I sense some unease with my appointment and brief OA ordeal membership, since May. Also, there are a few leaders who have a great deal of interest in helping with regalia, and I heard mention of a Feathersmaster position. That made me wonder if there were other, different, positions that could be considered to give these people a position that will aid this relatively regalialess chapter, so to speak?

[Dizzy ona cliff 11]

It would be good to recognise a person who not only has the skill and patience to deal with feathers and pass on those technical skills, but also some respect for the meaning behind the feathers.

Based on my own dealings with feathers I would take the title of "One who tries to work with feathers" rather than "feathermaster". Ditto with those who have skills with beadery and other work.

Would these positions fall under the jurisdiction of the vice chief of ceremonies, dance or both?

Jeff

[kahits 10]

Thanks, Diz..

This particular adult comes very experienced in Scouting and a learned historian of native culture, without having a native background. His wife was native and also an experienced scouter, before she died last fall. It''s been a long, several months for him, but he wants to help if he can. Although he can be a bit over confident in his dealings with youth, he has alot to share from his life experience, and I believe he can help a great deal, which is why I would like to give him an official position. The Vice chief of ceremonies sounds like a good, youth association with the chapter, but I''ll want to keep close tabs of the mentoring, as this new movement begins to take shape to outfit the chapter, to reinforce their ceremonies, as well as encourage dancing and drumming, as a result of their progress. I guess I''m not quite saying the skill and patience of this individual are at the same level, as they perhaps should be. Being originally from South Dakota (Dakota/Lakota), I would like to encourage as much adult scouter support as is being offered to this challenge, hence my looking for other positions for these learned, more experienced then I, OA adults, while maintaining control of the good works we are attempting to accomplish.

 

Just the idea of having a Vice chief of dance, and perhaps drumming, is something to aspire to. My son will be dancing at next weekends conclave, and I hope this will be a beginning of many more youth members by next spring. In the meantime, my DE is telling me I need to dress in regalia, so I have some leggings and breech cloth to make, by Friday, to go with the rest. The chapter has not performed ceremonies at the lodge for many, many years, but until their regalia gets to where it needs to be, we''ll be mostly a group of dressed leaders and one 13 year old, Sioux OA brave, leading the charge to bring visibility back to the chapter. Thanks,

[John-in-KC 311]

Have you considered:

 

- Ongoing virtual meetings, using a social utility such as facebook? Our young men know and accept these things far better than we. It allows your Chapter Chief constant communication with his TRs and the Arrowmen "out there."

 

- Unit visits, where the Chapter leaders come and visit the Arrowmen of 1 or more units, bringing program opportunities with them? Yes, it means travel for the young Chief and his program chairman, but face to face can be a good thing.

 

- Special interest activities, some of which may be "out there," but have enough FUN and CHALLENGE in them the youth want to leave town.

 

Truth be told, the business meeting of a chapter meeting can be pretty boring. The more you can jazz it up, the more enthused the young men will be.

[Dizzy ona cliff 11]

Kahits,

It sounds like you have a good handle on the organization needed for the chapter, but developing the youth to be self-motivated and responsible will still take time and patience. Since most youth that I have known are lacking the brain development to be organized and self-motivated, I constantly fight the urge to take over and do the job myself. For example, I have been waiting for about four weeks for articles to dribble in for the newsletter.

In regard to ceremony, it does take a consistent turnover of leadership to maintain the sense of tradition and skill. I wish that I could send my son to you since he is a great leader of ceremony, and he has been itching to get out of town and find a studio out west where he can make pottery.

Jeff