| Scout Commissioner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Commissioner badge of Scouts BSA | |||
| Created | 1907 | ||
In the Scout Movement, a commissioner is the volunteer whose role it is to deliver a Scout association's programs and support Scouting's units, usually within a particular geographic area. Commissioners are the volunteers who work with Scout Executives. In some Scout associations, the term Executive Commissioner is used to refer to a paid staff member
The commissioner role appeared early in the Scouting movement. Individual troops were organized by existing community organizations, and those organizations took the primary responsibility for implementing the Scouting program. To ensure consistency between different troops, the Scouting movement relied on two concepts: leader training and the commissioner staff. Scouting's founder, Baden-Powell, developed and promoted numerous leader training programs, starting in 1910 and leading to a course in 1919 that is now known as Wood Badge. The commissioner staff provided an ongoing, independent check on the troops themselves.
National commissioners such as Valdemārs Klētnieks (1905 –1968), for example, introduced Wood Badge training in Latvia to the Latvian Scout Organization in the 1930s and developed the handbook for Latvian Scouts. [1] After the Soviet Union occupied that Baltic country and crushed Scouting in 1940, he eventually revived the Latvian Scouts in exile at a displaced persons camp in Germany following the end of World War II. [2]
In the Barbados, national commissioner Trevor Jones led the Barbados Boy Scouts Association in coping with the significant impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic on the Caribbean island nation's scouting programs in 2020. He explained to The Barbados Advocate that online virtual meetings and training courses were provided during the lockdowns. [3] Similarly, Sarfaraz Qamar Dar, the Chief Commissioner of the Boy Scout Association of Pakistan, emphasized the role played by Scouts during the pandemic while continuing to promote community services. In March 2020, he welcomed the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, to the Scouts' "Clean and Green Camporee," which had as its emphasis the campaign against deforestation to achieve the goal of sustainable development. [4]
A commissioner's full title is derived from their level within the organization:
Sometimes commissioners have responsibility for a specific topic, such as Commissioner for Camping, District Roundtable Commissioner, or Deputy Commissioner for Wolf Cubs. Some commissioners also have assistants, such as the Assistant District Commissioner. The Unit (or Neighborhood) Commissioner is intended to be the primary contact between the Scout organization and the unit leadership. This is accomplished by the unit commissioner periodically visiting the unit and serving as the link with the District and Council. [5] In a 1960 study by the University of Michigan measuring various aspects of Scouting in the U.S., approximately two-thirds of Scoutmasters surveyed had an awareness of their local commissioner, with the commissioners' function perceived to be mostly assistance with program planning, troop visitation, and district liaison. A lesser percentage responded, "participation on troop committee", "work with the boys", and general help, as functions performed by the commissioner for their unit. [5]
Commissioner Service is the group within the Boy Scouts of America that provides direct service to each Scouting unit (pack, troop, team, crew or ship). Commissioners are experienced Scouters who help chartered organizations and unit leaders to achieve the aims of Scouting by using the methods of Scouting. They help to ensure that each unit has strong leadership and they encourage training, promote the use of the unit committee and encourage a relationship with the chartering organization.
The Commissioner position is the oldest in Scouting and is the origin of the professional Scouter positions. [6] From its inception, the commissioner has been a volunteer expected to work with and encourage Scoutmasters, along with a council's paid Scout Executive. [7]
The first national commissioner was Daniel Carter Beard, who served in that role for thirty-one years, between 1910–1941. [8] The current National Commissioner since 2020 is W. Scott Sorrels. He succeeded Ellie Morrison, the first female national commissioner. [9] Other previous national commissioners include George J. Fisher between 1943–1960 and Earl G. Graves Sr., the first African-American to serve as national commissioner (1990–1995). [10] [11] [12]
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 762,000 youth participants. The BSA was founded in 1910, and since then, about 110 million Americans have participated in BSA programs. BSA is part of the international Scout Movement and became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
A Scout is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section. Scouts are organized into troops averaging 20–30 Scouts under the guidance of one or more Scout Leaders or Scoutmasters. Troops subdivide into patrols of about 6–8 Scouts and engage in outdoor and special interest activities. Troops may affiliate with local, national, and international organizations. Some national Scouting associations have special interest programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, outdoor high adventure, Scouting bands, and rider Scouts.
Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims and Methods of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.
The Singapore Scout Association ("SSA") was founded in 1910, just two years after the Scout Movement was launched by Robert Baden-Powell in Great Britain. This makes it the oldest established youth movement in Singapore.
Air Scouts are a part of the Scout movement with a particular emphasis on an aviation themed programme and/or flying-based activities. Air Scouts follow the same basic programme as other Scouts, but they devote certain amounts of time focused on their air activities.
The Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) is the national Scouting and Guiding association of India. The national headquarters of BSG is recognised by the Government of India.
The Bangladesh Scouts is the national Scouting organization of Bangladesh. Now The Chief Scout of Bangladesh is MD Shahabuddin. Scouting was founded in 1914 in East Bengal, now Bangladesh, as part of the British Indian branch of The Scout Association, and continued as part of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association until the country's divided sections split in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Following its independence, in 1972, the Bangladesh Boy Scout Association was officially formed as successor of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association. Bangladesh became an independent member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1974. The organization changed its name to "Bangladesh Scouts" in 1978. The organization has 1,474,460 members as of 2015.
William Hillcourt, known within the Scouting movement as "Green Bar Bill", was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) organization from 1927 to 1992. Hillcourt was a prolific writer and teacher in the areas of woodcraft, troop and patrol structure, and training; his written works include three editions of the BSA's official Boy Scout Handbook, with over 12.6 million copies printed, other Scouting-related books and numerous magazine articles. Hillcourt developed and promoted the American adaptation of the Wood Badge adult Scout leader training program.
A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.
Scouts BSA is the flagship membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for boys and girls between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, and mental and personal fitness. Scouts are expected to develop personal religious values, learn the principles of American heritage and government, and acquire skills to become successful adults.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.
Ventura County Council of the Boy Scouts of America was officially chartered as Council 57 on June 23, 1921, after a series of meetings that followed a proposal put forward at a County Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 28, 1921, in the Masonic Hall. Mr. C. H. Whipple, then of Moorpark and later Oxnard, became the president; and Col. J.L. Howland became commissioner. Harvey R. Cheesman, an assistant scout executive in the Los Angeles Council, became the first Scout Executive, assuming his duties on July 11.
The Great Smoky Mountain Council is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America in Tennessee, with headquarters in Knoxville. It serves 21 East Tennessee counties that span two time zones. Camp Buck Toms is a summer camp owned and operated by the Great Smoky Mountain Council. The camp is located outside Rockwood, Tennessee, on the shores of Watts Bar Lake.
Leadership training in the Boy Scouts of America includes training on how to administer the Scouting program, outdoor skills training for adults and youth, and leadership development courses for adults and youth. Some of these courses like Youth Protection Training are mandatory. Most of the courses are offered by the local council, while a few are hosted at the national level, currently at Philmont Training Center in New Mexico. They are available to members of all of the Boy Scout programs, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Explorer Posts, and Venturing Crews.
The West Point Camporee is an annual invitational camping event sponsored by the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. It attracts Scout units, from over a dozen states, along the east coast of the United States; from over 75 different Scout councils. It's one of the largest annual Scouting events held in the country. The event consists of a weekend campout on the Academy property with static and active displays, competitions, demonstrations, and a trading post. Attendees report that it's exclusively run by the Cadets.
The Scouter's Training Award is an adult recognition of the Boy Scouts of America. This award is available across several different program areas and can be earned more than once.
The Scouter's Key Award is an adult recognition of the Boy Scouts of America. This award is available across several different program areas and can be earned more than once.
International Boy Scouts, Troop 1, Japan's first Boy Scout troop, was founded in 1911, with Clarence Griffin as Scoutmaster. Despite its early multinational character the troop's original registration was with the London headquarters of The Boy Scouts Association as "British Scouts in Foreign Countries". This initial charter was due to there being no international Boy Scout office and the "nationality requirement" that was in effect at the time. In 1918, the troop's character changed considerably when the new Scoutmaster, Bro. Joseph Janning, received approval from Lord Baden-Powell to officially reorganized the troop as a mixed-nationality, or "international", troop. B-P subsequently brought the Troop's situation before the 3rd World Scout Conference where the newly formed Boy Scouts International Bureau received approval to directly register Troop 1 and, in the future, other such "international" groups. The troop was then directly registered by the Boy Scouts International Bureau and was issued the Boy Scout movement's first "mixed nationality" charter, dated October 30, 1925, signed by Baden-Powell as Chief Scout and Hubert S. Martin as Director of the new International Bureau. Within a few years the nationality requirement was abolished and, even though the Bureau maintained the direct registration of Troop 1 and other groups already registered, new groups were requested to join the national organization of the country in which they were located and no new groups were chartered. Over the years the directly chartered groups one-by-one and for varied reasons slowly disbanded and by 1955 only Troop 1 remained. The troop has been continuously active, including war years, since its first meeting held in Yokohama, Japan on October 16, 1911, and currently consists of coed sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Senior Scouts, and Veteran Scouts.
Valdemārs Klētnieks, also known as Voldemārs Klētnieks and Valdis Klētnieks, was a Latvian writer and national Scout Commissioner for Latvia before World War II. When the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1940, the Latvian Scout Organization was banned. Klētnieks eventually fled Latvia for a displaced persons camp in Germany, where he remained for five years following the end of World War II. In 1950, he settled with his wife and children as refugees in the United States, where he continued to write books in the Latvian language and joined the Boy Scouts of America national staff.
In the Boy Scouts of America, a Scout leader refers to the trained leaders of a Scout unit. Adult leaders are generally referred to as "Scouters," and the youth leaders are referred to by their position within a unit. In all Scouting units above the Cub Scout pack and units serving adolescent Scouts, leadership of the unit comprises both adult leaders (Scouters) and youth leaders (Scouts). This is a key part of the Aims and Methods of Scouting. In order to learn leadership, the youth must actually serve in leadership roles.
