Training Coordinator

[NJCubScouter]

Last night I attended a troop committee meeting, and the CC announced under new business that the troop has fallen behind in having its leaders fully trained and also in YP training, and has not had a training coordinator for awhile. We need a new training coordinator. Everybody took the figurative "one step back" except for me. (Actually the CC was giving me "that look" as he was talking about needing a new training coordinator, because I do not (rather, did not) yet have a specific responsibility, and I have thrown around some loose talk about training and how if the leaders needed a quick YP session I have the certification to do it (though this may be about to lapse), so I guess I talked myself into this.)

 

So now I am a troop training coordinator (not youth training, though one thing the CC talked about was getting together a session where you show the boys whatever video it is ("Time to Tell" is for Cubs I think) that Boy Scouts are supposed to watch and then go home and discuss it with their parents.) Now I have to actually do it, which starts with knowing exactly what to do. I have already asked for the troop's records on who has what training, which I know were recently updated to some degree, but I am sure they are incomplete because they were updated by asking people who happened to be present at one meeting. I have gone to the council's web site and downloaded their training schedules. In a very general sense I think it is my job to match people and their position-functions with specific training sessions that fit into their schedule, and make sure their registration forms are submitted, so all they have to do is go to the right place at the right date and time. Plus we think we have enough people who need YP and Risk Zone for the district to send someone, so I will arrange for someone to do that and a date acceptable to the other leaders. (Potentially I can do the YP myself, but I am wondering whether it would be better for someone with a few more knots to come in and do it, if you know what I mean.) I will learn about the opportunities for supplemental training and Wood Badge and give out the appropropriate flyers to the appropriate people.

 

The one thing I said I would not do is maintain the training records. That would not be good for anybody, and it was agreed that someone else will continue to do that. They all know of my time constraints for non-work activities and how buried I already am in paper(primarily from being on the school board) and will work with that. I figure that, not counting meetings that I would be going to anyway, I can do this job within, stop laughing, an hour a week.

 

So I do have a clue, but I am looking to this group for anything I am missing... any other ideas... any general words of wisdom... any misery-loves-company... that sort of thing. Just kidding about the misery, but you know what I mean.

[NJCubScouter]

This should have been in the previous post.

 

One other thing I realize I must do is to get my own training up to date. I took Cub Leader Basic when that existed, so I did not need New Leader Essentials, but now I do, and due to cancellations and conflicts I have not been able to get to it over the few months that I have wanted to. I think there is one in a few weeks, and I will be there. I have not been able to get a straight answer from the right people as to what else I need to be considered basic-trained as a Troop Committee Member, because all of the other Boy Scout-specific training sessions seem to be geared toward SM's, ASM's and outdoor skills. I asked about something I have heard of, Troop Committee Challenge, but I was told that is something that is done by someone with the committee as a whole. I spoke about that very briefly with the CC last night and he said to find out more and he will think about it. The result of all this is that when I replaced my Assistant Cubmaster patch with my Troop Committee patch, I removed the "Trained" patch and have not put it back on because I have not been able to figure out what I need to do to be able to wear it.

 

[saltheart]

You've pretty much set it all out for yourself already...

 

Learn what levels of training those registered adults in your troop already have. What positions do they serve in...

 

Learn and keep abreast of any and all training opportunities scheduled by both your District and Council, and any and all training that is published and provided by the BSA. Make those schedules available to all registered adults continuously, but don't try to be the training 'enforcer'...

 

If you're not keeping the records, make sure that things you know about the people you work with, (i.e; who is taking what training), are known by both you and the record keeper...

 

As 'coordinator' make the plans and schedules for those training opportunities that will be presented locally (just for your own folks). For all other training, simply present those folks who need it with the information and encourage them to follow up on it...

 

Don't set yourself up as a local trainer (in-house) unless you want to be saddled with that extra responsibility in an otherwise already busy schedule. Take advantage of the Council and District folks who will come and do it for you...

 

Good luck

[Bob White]

NJ,

A Time to tell is the youth protection video for 11-14 year-olds. A new tape was released abou 18-months ago for the older teens and Venturing scouts called Youth Protection: Personal Safety Awareness. Anyone can can present these videoes to the youth. There are a list of discussion questions near the back of the Scoutmasters Handook.

It is highly recommended that yo first notify all parents in writing that this topic will be covered at a specific meeting, and a video will be use. hen set up a preview night for parets only, where thay can preview the program prior to giving permission for their son to participate

 

Youth Protection Training for Adults must be presented by a trainer approved by the scout executive, since local laws and contact procedures must be shared, that are not in the syllabus.

 

Bob white(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Bob White]

As far as troop committee training goes you are correct. It consists of New Leader Essentials followed by Troop Committee Challenge, which is a three hour course designed to be done with the entire committee. The scoutmasters and ASms are not required to attend.

 

We have found that a good time to do this is alongside a troop lock-in or while the scouts are doing the Troop Leader Training Workshop.

 

It is an excellent course. I also recommend as the training coordinator that you attend Trainer Development/BSA 500.

[SM406]

The gathering of patrols for which I am SM recently did just what BW proposed. We had the district trainer for YP give a presentation to the Committee. The Committee then informed the parents that the troop was going to be covering this subject and the parents were invited in to preview the tapes. Most parents spoke favorably about being consulted first and being allowed to decide about the level of exposure of their sons. The entire event went smoothly. Having experienced first hand what BW posted above, I fully recommend the process.

 

SM406

 

[scoutldr]

One thing I would recommend is to contact your District Training Chair and make sure that the Council training records reflect reality. I was recently given a printout for my district and they have some 30-year Wood Badge SMs listed as "untrained". Had I not known these people, I would have looked like an idiot when I told them they needed basic training.

 

As Troop training coordinator, another thing you may want to do is encourage the adults to work toward their square knots (aka, "training awards"). I find that often, people have met the requirements, they just don't bother to submit the paperwork. It's nice to be able to recognize the adults at COH as well.

[NJCubScouter]

SM406 says:

 

The gathering of patrols for which I am SM...

 

Hee hee. Well, this is my thread, and I give you permission to say "my troop."

 

Thanks to all who have answered so far (especially to the person who I suspect is rolling his eyes right now, and thinking that No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.)

 

[Overtrained]

Hi NJ,

 

Congratulations! Couple of thoughts. BW was correct about what a troop committee members needs to be trained.

 

A SM/SA need New Leaders Essentials (if they took it as a Cub Leader, thats fine), SM/SA Leader Specific Training and Outdoor Leader Skills.

 

Youth Protection for adults is available on most council web sites. Encourage your leaders to do that on their time.

 

If a whole troop committee needs training, then it is best to see if the district will come and do that for you. If it is just a few scouters, then see if the district or council has one scheduled.

 

As to other jobs, it is always nice to track scouters for their Scouter Key and Scouter Training Knots. At least promote them and let the scouter keep track of it.

 

One touchy note - the Council Charter/membership system doesn't always match the Council Training records when it says someone is/isn't trained. Make sure to match your records with the council training records and not the membership roster.

 

YIS

Overtrained.

[NJCubScouter]

One touchy note - the Council Charter/membership system doesn't always match the Council Training records when it says someone is/isn't trained.

 

Actually, in my council, based on my experience in doing the charters for a Cub pack for two years, I strongly suspect that the council's training records are almost never correct. We had people listed as trained who weren't trained and people not listed as trained who were trained. We'd correct it each year and it would never be correct when it came back. I myself never had the "Y" in the training column next to my name, even though I was trained. The same was true for the ranks of the Cub Scouts as listed on the charter. In a pack of 50 boys we would have four boys who were Webelos and had earned all the ranks, be listed as Bobcat, and the rest had no rank at all. Almost every boy in our pack earned the age-appropriate rank, but the council didn't seem to acknowledge it. I sat there for each of two charters and hand-wrote every boy's rank on the charter, but when it came back, the ranks weren't there. We had submitted the advancement reports also, so I don't know how many different ways we were supposed to give council the same information.

 

To say nothing of the boys who were missing from the charter entirely even though their applications had been submitted, and we would try to fix it at recharter time, only to have the boy remain missing. In Cub Scouts this was mainly a concern if anything went wrong, but in Boy Scouts there are potential Eagle consequences as well. Last night I heard that there is a boy in the troop (who I knew from the pack) whose application was apparently lost by council, and though they had written his name on the charter when it was missing the first time, the CC has now learned that council considers the boy to have never been registered as a Boy Scout. A new app has been submitted... but the boy has been in the troop for more than 2 years, recently made First Class and probably has about 10 merit badges. He probably only needs a few more required merit badges plus time, service and leadership to make Life. But I wonder now if any of it counts. Fortunately the boy is only 13 so if everything did have to be re-signed off after his new app is finally processed, there is time to do it so he can progress toward Eagle. Since I think he had his First Class BOR at summer camp, and does not appear to have any position of responsibility, he actually has not "lost" any time at all. But this is not the way it's supposed to work.

 

Sorry for the digression. Council record-keeping is a hot button with me.