Junior Assistant Scoutmaster Job Description

[troop251scout 10]

Hello all,

 

I need some help with this one. I was an SPL who ran everything. Did everyones job for them. I did all the campouts, youth training, ceremony's, meetings, parties, etc. and now that i am JASM i feel like i have no active leadership role. Its kind of just a place my scoutmaster throws you when you have no where else to go.

 

I was wondering what do you other scoutmasters have your jasm do to keep him busy and if you have a set job description.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated as i have a meeting with my scoutmaster to discuss my role as JASM.

 

Thanks,

 

251scout

[rkfrance 11]

The job description for JASM is in the SM Handbook, the SPL Handbook, and the PL Handbook. Our Troop has a JASM but he is active in school and less active in the Troop now, as his big focus was on Eagle, which he got last summer.

[hotdesk 10]

troop251scout there is a similar thread on this forum from last year. Go up to the Menu and click "Search Forums" then when it ask you for information type in Junior Assistant Scoutmaster in the topic and expand the dates until you find the information

[Theyoungeagle 10]

I am a JASM in my troop. My troop has a large amount of younger Scouts and we have a lot of troop guides to work with them. I was appointed to oversee the Troop Guides, train them and organize them. If your troop has more than one Troop Guide you may want to consider this as a possibility for you. It, for the most part, isn't as involved as being SPL but I feel it keeps me active in my troop. I would recommend you also talk to your Scoutmaster and see what he/she thinks you should do.

[EagleInKY 14]

We don't have any boys old enough yet to fill this position, but I do have a pretty good understanding of it. I see it as a transition period between youth and adult-hood. I remember when I was a JASM I was treated more-or-less like any other adult leader. Nowadays, we have to continue to treat you as a youth when it comes to YPT issues (we can't share a tent with you, for example).

 

But we can still treat you as an adult in other ways - eating with adults, setting your tent up with the "adult patrol", coming to SM meetings, etc. We can also give you responsibilities similar to adults. I know of some troops that do just what theyoungeagle said, which in effect is making them the "NSP ASM".

 

I would suggest talking to your SM and ask what adult tasks you could possibly take on. With your background, I'm sure you could add value a lot of ways. The biggest caution/concern would be to make sure you don't overstep your boundaries and do the SPL's job.

 

Best of luck!

[hops_scout 9]

That's the problem I'm running into frequently-- not taking over for the SPL. One example of this was a couple weeks ago we had a planning meeting for the next calendar year and such. The meeting started out where we were running with it together basically, but it pretty much ended up that I was running the show with his help instead of the other way around.

 

Right now it has really gotten hard for me to get too excited to go to meetings because the SPL is one who enjoys having fun and the older boys basically do as they please-- it's not true Scouts anymore and it makes me mad sometimes because I have to sit there and watch it. Last meeting I ended up working on merit badge paperwork while they screwed around. The SM was conducting conferences and we had BoR's going on as well so the older boys were in charge.

 

I am working with the newer boys right now as well as the Troop Guide who has been assigned to them. He knows what he is doing badgework wise, but he is one of those that isn't very outgoing. An Eagle Scout but (and it hurts to say it) not one that I would consider a true Eagle Scout. But that isn't up to me.