ASM duties

[ozemu]

I have been looking through your Sm's Handbook (thanks for the swaps Bob and Mike) and I can't find a reference to duties for ASM's. To keep the adults interested it was suggested that we keep them doing useful jobs - making them feel needed and part of something good.

 

How do people do this? My ASM gets / volunteers for jobs ad hoc. Do Troops use permanent/annual/project-only duties (QM, games master, overnight camp leader etc)? What kind and how does it turn out?

 

Pls forgive if this info is in another text that you have.

[scomman]

The duties of the ASM in the troop I'm in are assigned as follows.

 

One is in charge of requirements and paperwork making sure permits are in. Permission has been sought for outings. Medical forms areup to date and the troop trailer gets inventoried.

 

Number two is in charge of transportation and outings making sure we have enough transport to camps and outings and also making sure that the vehicles do pass a BSA safety check.

 

Number three is a certified paramedic so he is charge of first aid for the troop by his choice. He is also our CPR instructor.

 

All of the above are also responsible for working with scouts on diffrent projects.

 

 

[ASM7]

Ozemu

I agree that the Scoutmaster Handbook is pretty vague on duties of the ASM. However in the Troop Committee Guidebook it states "Each assistant Scoutmaster is assigned specific program duties and reports to the Scoutmaster. They also provide the required two-deep leadership standards set by the BSA. An assistant Scoutmaster may be 18 years old, but at least one in each troop should be 21 or older, so he or she can serve in the Scoutmaster's absence."

The main jobs of the SA is to oversee operations in the New Scout Patrol, Venture Patrol or Regular Patrol. It also states that many troops assign an SA to be responsible for troop membership.

I also noticed the lower case "a" in assistant in the BSA literature. So I assume that the BSA sees the SA as a Scoutmaster. So, I wonder why the SA can't earn the Scoutmaster's Key. The book also says that many successful troops have three or more SAs.

Doug

[Bob White]

As ASM7 points out the Assistant Scoutmaster position is as a program assistant to the SM and to fill in for the scoutmaster during an absence. The roles that are described by scomman are administartive roles normally done by a troop committee position. (Not a criticism scomman, just an observation based on the contents of the Troop Committee Guidebook.)

 

I think the reason that the Scouters Key Training Award is reserved for SM and not assistants is the unique responsibilities of the SM. Assistants are normally assigned to oversee one piece of the picture where the SM is responsible for the entire thing. Also the Scoutmaster is charged with training junior leaders and knowing the needs and characteristics of each member of the troop, responsibilities not assigned to the assistants.

 

Bob White

[CubsRgr8]

My son's troop has an ASM for each new scout patrol. They have a six month plan of FCFY activities during troop meetings, monthly campouts and summer camp. The other ASMs assist the SM on an as-needed basis, with no formal assigned duties.

[rlculver415]

Our troop utilizes the ASMs similarly. The new scout patrols get assigned an ASM, and the Life Scouts have an ASM to help them work through the process for the Eagle project. The others have assignments as needed by the SM.

 

Our committee members handle the details for summer camp, popcorn sales, advancement, and other administrative items.

[scomman]

Not a problem Bob White most of our troop committee are also ASMs in our troop.They are registered as troop commitee and meet as such but also help out with the troop.

We have discovered this works well especially when time for BOR comes around. The members on the board know the youth and are able to have a better understanding of where the youth is on their path to Eagle.

 

[jbroganjr]

In our troop, we rotate ASM to lead the overnight/outdoor adventure. We are a busy troop and it would be too much for one person. An unstated, but observed policy is for us older ASM to guide the new ASM and stop them from being helicopters (hover around their kid).

Jobs for ASM - running fundraisers, in the capacity of coaching/guiding the boys to success. We try to do different fundraisers each year, in addition to the standards. We use these opportunities to get kids not in major troop leadership positions to lead these efforts in the hopes of getting them to lead, getting a taste of the job.

ASM go to RT, Assist/Co Run troop JLT, are used sparingly as instructors for advanced outdoor skill sessions.

Most of the time thought, we try to get the kids to do everything, otherwise our coffee gets cold, someone takes our seat and we miss out on another ASM story.

We also try to see who is the most creative or best chef on our outings and/or who uses what cooking method the best. There are no awards for this, no formal competition, just an unstated "rivalry" that makes us ASM bigger for the job, if not the pants ;-}

[KoreaScouter]

Very timely thread, since I have several new ASMs and now have the luxury of assigning specific duties/patrols rather than the "firefighting" I had to do previously.

 

I plan to have one monitor FCFY, one with the venturers, one with each experienced patrol. Also, I plan to give each of them the Troop "lead" on projects/events such as MB roundup, camporee planning, outings, etc., as time permits.

 

I agree with other posters that permits, equipment accountability, and other admin/support functions are best left to the committee, if you're fortunate enough to have that level of support. Our Advancement chair doesn't use me or any of our ASMs on BORs, although I have sat on them for SMs from other troops at district events...

[ozemu]

You lot are lucky. Our committee is for the Group (all sections 6-26 years old although most have only two sections Cubs and Scouts. A few have multiple Troops Packs etc) Therefore our committee does no paperwork for the Troop. It never occured to me to separate training from admin. We'll probably go scomman's way there.

 

How often do people change the ASM - Patrol combinations? Annually - biannually?