Absent Unit Commissioner?

[Lynda J]

Our Troop has a policy that if any adult wants to go camping with the troop they MUST be trained. They have to YPT as well as leader training.
Right now we have 5 of our adults that are trained. Since we have 16 boys I feel this is a pretty good %.

[ASM-142]

Our Troop has a policy that if any adult wants to go camping with the troop they MUST be trained. They have to YPT as well as leader training.
Right now we have 5 of our adults that are trained. Since we have 16 boys I feel this is a pretty good %.

I am sorry to say this but if a parent wants to go with the troop and is not trained you can not keep them from going.

[Lynda J]

Any parent that wants to take part in overnight activities must have YPT.
I have two parents that have major criminal records and they simply would not be allowed to go on ANY activity. Sorry don't want a drug dealer going anywhere with the troop.

[Mrw]

Not allowing a parent who is not trained and not allowing a parent with a bad criminal record are two completely different things!

[ASM-142]

Any parent that wants to take part in overnight activities must have YPT.

I do not know of any BSA rules that states that YPT is required.

I have two parents that have major criminal records and they simply would not be allowed to go on ANY activity. Sorry don't want a drug dealer going anywhere with the troop.

I would not like this type of person coming on a camping trip either. However, I would get a ruling in writing from district/council before I prohibit a parent from coming on a trip.

Do you allow these parents to attend COH's?

[riverwalk]

Last night's Roundtable found our new DCommissioner, asking the audience if they knew their UC. Of course some didn't.....and he told them that night, so now they can invite their phantom Commissioners, haha.

We have our "University" tomorrow, and I'm taking more commish classes.

[Ward]

I have been a Unit Commissioner for going on two years now and I spend almost 40hrs a mounth working with my units . They see me at less once a mounth at there meetings . I push training on all my packs and troops . I dont know about your concal but ours is short by over 30 Unit Commissioners I and one other person handle over 15 units that we see each mo . The packs and troops that I over see are growing and most of there parents are trained as scout leaders .
I had a new pack form this past fall and the Cub Master was scared the first time I meet her she had never seen how a pack meeting was run and she was going to have her first one the next week , Well I asked her if she needed help and she said yes, I pulled aside the Cub Roundtable staff and we helped her put on her first meeting . This pack has 18 tiger cubs and 12 wolfs .

So if your boy is about to get out of scouting please become a Unit Commissioner you are needed there, we need your knowaged to be past on to the new leaders .
Or offer your services to concal for other positions . They are needed
even if its just help at a round table .


By the way I'm not paid anything for being a Unit Commissioner plus it cost me about $40-60 in gas and paper and other supplys each mo .

I took the position of Unit Commissioner after I had a massive heart attack and stroke , and my Dr told me I could know longer camp with my youngest son's troop . By the Way I'm one of three Unit Commissioner that shows up to round table each mo out of 24 Unit Commissioner's .
The younger scout leaders now know they can ask the three of us any queastions that they have From funraising to were to campfor a weekend .

[chief36]

I am a Unit Commissioner in the Yucca Council in El Paso, TX. It is not a paid possition, like all commissioner positions, they are all volenteer post. Unit Commissioner is supposed to visit their units monthly, if they cannot make a physical visit, then they should call the Scoutmaster and go over the issues.

[fritz1255]

Didn't mean to start quite this much of a storm. For the record, our UC does not attend Roundtable, or at least I have never seen him there. Not sure how a Troop could not know who their UC is, since they need to get his signature on the Charter each year. What started this whole thing was that I had to get his signature on the first charter I did after I took over as Comittee Chair, and had to find out who he was from Council. Where I am on this is if it's a volunteer position (like it is), you have to make do with the help you are getting, or convince somebody else to take over. I mostly just go to the District Executive, who is paid to help us.

[scout_momx2]

I'm a UC for 3 units (including my own troop). We have a hard-driving DC who lives for Scouting. He insists that each of us personally visit each unit monthly. That's hard when you're active in your own troop!) Consequently, all of our ADCs have recently quit and only a handful of us UCs come to meetings, the others having dropped away....

My units don't like district or council "butting in" to their affairs, so I'm careful to visit only occasionally, preferring to send info via email.

I understand the need for UCs, but it's difficult and often unrewarding.

[WVBeaver05]

I'm a UC for 3 units (including my own troop). We have a hard-driving DC who lives for Scouting. He insists that each of us personally visit each unit monthly.

My first exposure to Commissioner training was this Spring (I was really there for Roundtable Commissioner training, but got some other as well). What I heard was that the UC should be available to visit on a monthly basis -- if needed/requested by the Unit.

My units don't like district or council "butting in" to their affairs, so I'm careful to visit only occasionally, preferring to send info via email.

And this was the reason given for not just showing up!! You want to be of service to the Units, not annoy them. A very fine line!!

I understand the need for UCs, but it's difficult and often unrewarding.

I have seen the same thing. It is hard to recruit UC (actually all Commissioners). Probably, partly, because Unit leaders don't understand their role. If they aren't trained, they may never have heard of them. And, even if they are trained, the training materials are a bit light on describing their role.

For me - I commend you!! If you feel unappreciated, let me know, because I have seen how Commissioners are treated.

Keep up the good work!!
YiS

[wagionvigil]

My question would be, Why are you the UC for your own Unit? The UC needs to be someone that can look from the outside in. Just my opinion

[WVBeaver05]

My question would be, Why are you the UC for your own Unit? The UC needs to be someone that can look from the outside in. Just my opinion

Just a guess - too hard to recruit commissioners. A problem we have locally as well.

[scout_momx2]

I'm my own unit's UC because our DC begged me to take on 3 units (my Troop and our two feeder packs). It's really awkward! I'd strongly recommend to others that they not take on the UC position for their own units, or even for units in which they know members. Impartiality is impossible!

At last month's Roundtable, I told our DC that I was stepping down; that's when I learned that I'm the only UC left in my town because everyone else has quit. Then he asked me to become "acting" ADC for the area.

[riverwalk]

Yeah, it's not helpful to try and serve your own Unit. It's more helpful to your Unit if you perform a different District function, and therefore increase communication between Unit and District activities.

Also, if a UC is doing their job as prescribed, they aren't "buttin' in". A Unit that thinks this, is likely trying to do their own thing, IMHO. Districts usually only get involved (through the UC group) if the Unit is in trouble, as some are. Councils don't get into Unit business (in my experience) unless the Unit or a member is in serious violation of Policies.

As we've seen here and elsewhere, it's a nationwide problem of too few Commissioners. Any Scouters not doing something, and those no longer involved, should be considered for this Force.

[Lynda J]

Our District does not allow a UC to cover their own units. Just to hard.,
There are times when you may have to step on toes a little and it isn't good if you are having to handle difficult situtation within your own unit.

[wagionvigil]

Our council has a very high Unit Commissioner Ratio.
This year we were 5.9 this year 8.4
Thsese are positions for anyone wanting to be registered but not with a unit or alot of our commissioners are registered with units but take on the added responsibility to help other units.

[vpalango]

Strictly speaking, the Unit Commissioner training states that commissioners should hold that job exclusively, without another scouting Job.

I broke this rule, and volunteered for a while as a UC, and successfully burned myself out trying to juggle the UC job, and a job in a Unit (Pack CC at the time). The reality is, I don't think a unit scouter will really be truely effective as a UC, because to do it well, it really does require a big committment of time, and effort (both workload, and the stress/emotional effort) of dealing with all the issues a UC deals with.

Now I'm back to being a unit scouter, and happy with it, but I look at the commissioners staff in my district and see very few UCs. It's a hard problem, and made harder by the fact that the UCs "job" in part is to be the voice of council trying to push things like popcorn, recruiting, and paperwork (re-chartering and such). In that job, you also tended to get sucked into the vortex of achieving the quality district award (which could be a whole other thread/topic in and of itself )

So, echoing some other comments, I commend and encourage anyone taking on a UC job. It's one of the toughest ones in scouting. Just don't overcommit yourself, as you'll quickly be facing burnout, becuase a UC isn't needed when things are going well, and is needed when things are going badly.

YIS,

[scout_momx2]

Wise words. I don't know which job(s) to drop, though--ADC, Advancement chair, Webmaster, MB counselor, committee member, recruiting chair. I have all those jobs because other adults aren't stepping up! I haven't burned out yet, but.... Because my kids are still in a troop, I'd prefer to remain a unit leader. I might have to step down from district positions for a while.