What is the oldest leadership corps in Scouting? The oldest leadership role in Scouting is the Commissioner corps. “Gray Tabs” or I like to tell the story about the “duct tape tabs”. There is a National shortage of Unit Commissioners in America. This is the adult leader, outside of the unit connecting it with the District and Council. They help the Key Three of the unit be successful. Ideally, a Unit Commissioner is designed for up to 3 units. Unfortunately, most units don’t have one or don’t know who is assigned to their unit. In my District, we have 73 units and only 11 Unit Commissioners. That’s 6 or more per Unit Commissioner. On average Cub Scouting represents 2/3 of all Scouting units. A Cub Master or Pack Committee Chairman’s next step is not always into a Troop leadership position. Many of the skills that they have would serve better as a Unit Commissioner with the District that they are in.
Excuses…
1. I’m not an expert Scouter…
✔ Training is included and the job is not intended to be for only experts.
2. I want to be with my youth…
✔ ScouterStan was a Unit Commissioner and Assistant Scoutmaster while his son was a Scout in a Troop.
3. I’m already over-committed to scouts…
✔ You need to find a comfortable schedule. Units without a Unit Commissioner are more likely to fail and your schedule will have lots of free time then.
4. I don’t want to have multiple memberships…
✔ Your primary membership can be with a unit and District service is secondary at no additional charge.
⚠️ Important: Make your next step in Scouting count. Unit Commissioner service is incredibly necessary to the overall Scouting experience. Contact your District or Council Commissioner today for more information.
🔗LINKS:
🌐 BSA Commissioners: https://www.scouting.org/commissioners/
🎬 Burnout Prevention and ScouterStan’s Rule of Five: https://youtu.be/cJPfqkqMeg8
⚜️ Note: When ScouterStan looked at his handwritten notes it looked like Season 4 would start in June 2021. The first episode of Season 4 will post on January 5, 2021. This mistake was noticed after editing so a written date was put on the video. ScouterStan promises to work on his handwriting in the future.
