Troop Committee Chair

[Blaze 10]

I'm the committee chair for a new troop that is forming. Although I have 2 years' experience as a Pack's committee chair, I am new to the Troop committee chair position. Any tips anyone can offer will be appreciated!

[Eamonn 61]

Give your District Training Chair a call and see about having the Troop Committee Training done ASAP.

Pick up a copy of the : Troop Committee Guidebook. Scoutmaster Handbook and the Scout Handbook. Read them all.

Grab a hold of

AV-048 The Barbecue: Working With the Troop Committee Video

AV-048VG The Barbecue: Working With the Troop Committee Viewer Guide . Watch the video and then share it with your committee members.

Read :Selecting Quality Leaders. This works if you follow each and every step in order you will find it in your Scout Shop or on line at:

http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=cm

You need to establish a good relationship with the COR and the Unit Commissioner.

You and the Scoutmaster are very much a team, the more you know about what his job is the better for the troop. People may look at him as being the Captain of the ship, but coming in and out of port the Ships Pilot is the guy steering the ship. You are the pilot.

Most pack committees don't do much stuff with the boys, this is different in the troop. The Committee does a lot more. If you don't have a uniform now would be a good time to buy one. Don't be afraid to look in on the troop at the troop meetings or when they are at camp. If the COR isn't as active as you would like don't give up on him, invite him to everything, send him reports about how the troop is doing copy the Executive Officer.

Be selective about who you invite to become committee members, remember this is a management committee not a parents meeting. You are meeting to keep the troop moving ahead, dead weight will only slow you down. Most meetings will have you asking people to do things, you need to hold the people you ask accountable for getting the job done. Don't wait until the next meeting to find out that they haven't done it, give them a call and ask them how it is coming along?

Use the rechartering next year to see how the troop leadership is coming along. If someone isn't working out, then is a good time to let them go. Remember the troop is there to serve the Scouts not the leaders.

Take the time to reward the leaders thank yous are very important. A CC who stops in at summer camp with a cake for everyone will make a lot of friends.

Eamonn.

[anarchist 10]

Eamonn speaks wisely...

Few add ons, in our troop the committee helps out on most of the camps. We support the adults, run the adult kitchen in many instances and even assist in running some of the troop activities. (In our troop, each activity has an adult 'point of contact'{PoC}... for other leaders and parents to get info on that event...Poc can be a CM and he helps scouts 'hog-tie' other adults for transport and support. Just keep in mind that the CC (and other CM's)do not RUN THE PROGRAM. That is SPL and SM's job. Committee supports activities! We act as 'helper' ASM's sometimes but you must be mindful of not stepping on 'programs' toes. They lead... we follow on activities.

 

We look at our job (the committee) as that of helping the scouts "make it happen".

Our SPL lays out his annual program and we look for ways to help him succeed. It is not the CC's position to 'redo' or even change the schedule of troop activities. If the Committee does see a problem...you note the issue and let the SPL and SM deal with it. This sometimes is very hard for an adult to do. Remember also that the CC does not own the troop it is not his "business"! It is not his "property". If it belongs to anyone... it belongs to the boys and by extention to the SPL (it 'his' troop).Perhaps, the first thing I would suggest to a new CC (and his committee) is; just as the doctors all pledge, we need to agree..."First...do no harm"!

 

While we encourage all parents to become committee members I can see where in some instances it can prove to be a problem.

 

However I whole-heartedly agree with the instruction 'not to wait to see' if assigned committee tasks are being done by your committee members...follow with many phone calls and emails at least until you are comfortable that "its getting done", otherwise, trying to accomplish things with monthly meetings can take the whole year to get even the simplist thing done.

 

A final note, as in all volunteer organizations and as we teach the scouts in JLT...don't be a "boss", lead by example, build consensus and try not to 'dictate'! While the Charter Organization is usually on your side for taking a tough job...a bunch of angry SM's, ASM's, and parents can really make for a "bad day"! Be cautious and fair, be careful and mindful of others feelings. Most of all, always remember we adult leaders do this for the troop, not just for our particular sons, but for the troop as a continuing enterprise, a community asset, an organization we all want to continue long into the future!

good luck,

anarchist