Scouting, Volume 31, Number 5, May 1943 Page: 28
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The Commissioner Serves All Three
In the early years Scouting was a
program only for boys twelve
years of age and over. Today it is
a program for boys from nine years
of age on up to the time they be-
come voting citizens. The scope of
our Movement has greatly in-
creased as a result of the addition
of Cubbing and Senior Scouting
and this has added greatly to its
strength. Thus Scouting is a con-
tinuing program for every boy nine
years of age and above—a program
consisting of three phases, Cubbing,
Scouting and Senior Scouting. It is
one program through which all
leaders, no matter to which phase
they may be related, deal with the
same boy. And the Commissioner
—District or Neighborhood—is re-
lated to all three phases of the pro-
gram. It is important that he be
acquainted with them so that he
can be most effective in his service
to Packs, Troops, and Senior Units.
At first glance, this may seem to
be too difficult, but it should be
remembered that the District or
Neighborhood Commissioner isn't
expected to be a technical expert in
all three phases of Scouting. His
knowledge in the fundamentals
only, is the main objective, and in
special technical problems he will
seek the help of the Field Com-
missioners.
Six Fields of Service
The Commissioner — District or
Neighborhood—serves all Scouting
groups—Packs, Troops and Senior
Scout Units—in six general fields
of service. These are fields which
are important in all age levels and
this means that his service to Packs,
Troops, and Senior Units follows
the same general pattern. There are
many details of Commissioner ser-
vice that are common to all and
are included in these six fields as
follows:.
1. Policies and Practices
There are certain basic policies
for each phase of the Scouting Pro-
gram. Cubbing has its home-cen-
tered emphasis, Scouting its "out-
ing" emphasis, and Senior Scouting
its broader fields in the out-of-doors
and in vocational exploration.
Scouting has its Patrol System and
its weekly Troop meeting, while
Cubbing has its Den Plan with its
weekly Den meeting and monthly
Pack meeting.
THE COMMISSIONER'S JOB
* HE SERVES
CUB PACKS
SCOUT TROOPS
SENIOR SCOUT UNITS
* IN THESE FIELDS
POLICIES & PRACTICES
LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM
COOPERATION
MEMBERSHIP & REGISTRATION
RECORDS & FINANCE
* THROUGH
VISITS
PROGRAM HELPS
ENCOURAGING TRAINING
SOLVING PROBLEMS
BOOSTING MORALE
Then, there are certain basic poli-
cies of the Boy Scouts of America
which pertain to all three branches
of the Program. These established
practices deal with the use of the
Uniform, the wearing of badges,
rules and procedures governing
Troop financial operations, etc.
All such policies and practices are
matters which the Commissioner
can help to emphasize. They are
policies and practices that have
been tried and found true over the
years.
2. Leadership
Practically every problem to be
found in any Pack, Troop or Senior
Unit can be traced directly to a
personnel or leadership situation.
Every unit should have its full
leadership personnel. The Commis-
sioner can be of great help to the
sponsoring institution by suggest-
ing ways for getting the right per-
son for the right job and by helping
each leader to function effectively.
The Commissioner should remem-
ber that he is primarily a personnel
man and in this capacity should
make use of recommended person-
nel procedures in the recruiting,
selection and appraisal of leader-
ship.
3. Program
While the content of each of the
three program phases differs great-
ly, the same general points apply
to each. The Commissioner can help
by stressing the need for careful
advance planning, then following
through with the plan. If the activ-
ity is to be successful, the boys must
have a part in developing the plans
for their own Den, Patrol or Crew
activities. The Commissioner should
also stress the importance of plan-
ning a program which gives the
boys an opportunity for advance-
ment as well as activity.
4. Cooperation
Here is a field of service in which
no one is better qualified to serve
than the District or Neighborhood
Commissioner. He can build co-
operative relationships between the
Troop and the Pack, the Troop and
the Senior Unit. There are many
times when he can smooth over a
"situation" between a Troop and its
sponsor—yes, there are a thousand
and one ways where the Commis-
sioner can build a spirit of coopera-
tive effort.
5. Membership and
Registration
Registration procedures are the
same for all phases of Scouting so
the Commissioner can handle any
registration problems which arise
in Packs, Troops, and Senior Units.
Cubbing has its special membership
problems arising from the fact that
every Cub discontinues his Cub-
bing at a definite age, so that every
Pack has a turn-over of about one-
28 SCOUTING
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 31, Number 5, May 1943, periodical, May 1943; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313093/m1/30/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.