Committe Member meetings plus.

[Nelson]

Guys I have a couple of questions:

1. Should our troop have committee members meeting? Is there a specific amount per year that is suggested. Our Chairman dislikes them and tries to stay away from having them. But I know the committe challenge taught us we should have them.

 

2. Our troop has not been very active in helping the scouts who have held some support positions such as librarian, Scrib, quartermaster, historian, etc. I suggested that we have parents choose a perticular position and act as a mentor to that scout at least to start off this next election in April. Then after the scout learns the position they can be the one who teaches the next scout and pass it on. I got alot of push back from our Chairman, scoutmaster,venture crew leader. stating the parents should not mentor the kids, this is a boy run troop. I wanted to see what you guys thought? Our parent on the committe liked the idea.

[orennoah]

In our Troop, the Committee has at least four meetings per year. After introductions, so that parents know who is on the Committee (and, more subtly, who is not), the Senior Patrol Leader addresses the Committee and explains how he's run the Troop since the last Committee Meeting and what he plans on doing for next three months. This gives the Committee a good chance to see the SPL in action and he gets to "show off" to the parents. It really enforces the boy-led aspect of our Troop.

 

After that, the SPL returns to the Scout meeting and the Committee discusses support issues, such as budget, and deals with any parental concerns about the Troop.

 

I think that it is important to have regularly scheduled Committee meetings, if nothing more than to let the parents and Scouts know that there is a Committee, what it does and who's on it.

 

As to Committee mentoring, I don't see that as a problem, as long as the mentor just mentors and doesn't direct.

 

- Oren

[EagleInKY]

Committee meetings, YES. Ours meets just about every month. It takes place while patrols are having patrol meetings. It's usually about an hour.

 

Typical agenda:

- Starts with the SPL reviewing the activities coming up over the next couple of months, and he takes questions regarding any details. (Personally, I'd like to get the committee less into this detail, but they are parents and it's hard for them to resist).

 

- Financial Statement from treasurer.

 

- Advancement status. In particular, we project when we'll be needing to schedule BORs.

 

- Other items (fund raisers, service projects, equipment needs, etc.)

 

- Any issues? (concerns re: troop, etc.)

 

We have about a dozen registered committee members. SM and ASMs are encouraged to be there. Any parent is invited to attend. We have a very high participation rate (probably 80% of families come).

[EagleInKY]

As for your second questions. This is primarily the job of the ASPL. He is responsible for making sure these guys have the tools they need to do their jobs. However, when appropriate, it's good to pair them up with their counterpart on the committee. For example, the scribe needs to work with the treasurer to turn in dues and the quartermaster needs to get equipment needs to the equipment coordinator. But you need to make sure that the adults do not try to take over the work for the kids.

 

I'll give you a good example. We've had challenges keeping dues and activity fees straight. As we've grown, it's grown into a bigger problem. The treasurer came up with an idea to use individual envelopes for each boy with the details of what they were paying for on the outside. She helped put it together and gave it over to the scribe to carry out. Now it's his responsibility, but he's learned something about staying organized in the process.

[Trevorum]

Regular committee meetings are needed. Effective teamwork requires communication and meetings are a forum for that.

 

I see nothing wrong with adults serving as mentors for these miscellaneous leadership positions if older, experienced boys are not available.

[FScouter]

There is no need for the SPL to attend troop committee meetings. If you are holding your committee meeting at the same time as the troop meeting, how can the SPL run the troop meeting if he has been pulled away for an adult meeting not designed for him? Committee meetings are not for boys. The Scoutmaster is the one that needs to be there to report on troop activities, plans, and needs. The SPL already has enough to do with the troop meetings and the Patrol Leaders Council meetings.

 

As you learned in the Troop Committee Challenge training, the scribe works with the committee treasurer, the quartermaster works with the committee equipment coordinator. You could call this mentoring. The other troop positions work with the ASPL, SPL, Scoutmaster and assistant Scoutmasters. There would be no point in assigning mentoring duties to parents.

 

Meetings are not needed if there is no work to do and nothing to report. In an active troop, there are plenty of things for the committee members to work on, and a monthly meeting doesnt seem too frequent. If your CC doesnt like meetings, maybe its because the committee members dont know what is expected of them and the meetings are not productive. Each meeting should include a work plan for the next 30 days; what needs to be done, and who will be responsible for getting it done. At the next meeting, brief reports are given by those that had tasks to complete.

 

The meeting is not the time to do the work, but rather a time to report on what was completed, what is still needed, and to plan the work for the next 30 days.

 

Refer to the Troop Committee Guidebook.

[anarchist]

Question#1

Troop committee meets every month, regularly scheduled for the week after Roundtable. We all donate a non scout night so there are absolutely no distrations and the SPL/SM/ASMs team can know they are not needed else where "right then"....

 

We hear reports from The Chair, Treasurer, Program - SPL or SM or ASM as appropriate for the topics needing a hearing, Our Round-table participants, Advancement coordinator, the outdoor coordinator, Training coordinator, equipment guy, etc...These meetings are on the troop calendar and every parent is welcome...

 

(though there is a rumor that if you attend too many you find yourself filling out the volunteer application).

 

SM and ASM arealways welcome but non-voting and we enjoy hearing from Scouts also...

 

We talk about progress in our fund raising , CO relations, boys advancement, leaders training opportunities, scout training oportunities, equipment needs, district info and future goals and plans updates...usually 1 hour....agenda emailed in advance to all parents and adult leaders...

Its not hard and it makes sure the Program guys; Scouts and Scoutmasters alike, are getting what they need from the committee and the CO...why are so many SMs and CCs afraid of Meetings????

Train the ASPL and TRAIN THE BOYS HOLDING THE PoRs...have a troop JLT session(s) let them know what they need to do and get out of there way...let the ASPL (and SPL) do their job...BUT..."Boy led" does not mean to say ... "here guys do the job" and then let them sink or swim. The SM must help teach and lead the SPL and his 'green bars' so they can learn to lead the others...