Welcome! This forum has a treasure trove of great info – Scouters helping Scouters! Just a heads up, though - all content, information, and opinions shared on this forum are those of the author, not the BSA.
Just to clarify (at the District level) all of them, not just the “people in their committees” (including Membership chairs, Training chairs, Advancement chairs, etc.), are registered as committee members (code 79). (But most usually, Committee “Members-at-large”, code 75).
The only exception to this is a single District Chair (code 61) and sometimes a couple of vice-chairs (code 62).
All of the “position manager” entries at the District level are “functional” positions only that are assigned to District Committee members-at-large (code 75).
Only the Unit level “position manager” can change “registered” positions at this time.
While true that all units have access to Scoutbook, the truth is not all units have embraced Scoutbook.
This report becomes a way for commissioners to help answer a units’ questions.
“Just another tool for the commissioner toolbox!”
There are actually a few other registered district and council positions, plus you have the added factor of unpaid positions like merit badge counselors. And the drag/and/drop UI would be unweild and confusing I think for the amount of merit badge counselors and often you’d want to multiple someone in those situations, they don’t switch from merit badge counselor to something else, they become something else along with merit badge counselor and may need to pay for that other position.
That’s true. Thankfully they have people smarter than me working on these issues. The MBC’s may have to be treated differently. However if all still holds true, the only selectable people for “functional” positions are paid (with CBC) positions. So you should be able to add them as a “registered” MBC. Maybe still requiring paper apps for some exclusive MBC’s, Yuk!
I also heard that there may be a piece added to Commissioner tools that will allow changing positions between commissioner positions. Although, I’m not clear on the actual benefit to this as all commissioners have access to most commissioner functions anyway.
I have confidence that they will work it out and I look forward to the next great tool announcement!
Your tool as a Comissioner is not to provide counselor info to a Unit Leader or Scout but to educate the Unit Leader on the benefits of using Scoutbook for their unit and, increasing use of a approved and recommend resource.
You should never be giving that info to a Scout; you should not be enabling Unit Leaders by disabling their responsibility to do the job they signed on to perform.
Who ever suggested giving this info to a Scout?
Our job as Commissioners is to help units provide the best program possible to their youth.
When a unit leader reaches out for help with a problem, we help facilitate that help in a timely fashion, by providing a solution to their problem. Using whatever tool we have available to us. After that, we then further assist them by “teaching them how to fish” so they can “feed themselves” in the future when that problem arises again. That’s the job I signed on to do. It’s called “Commissioner Style”.
“Job One” for all of us should be to give youth the best Scouting experience possible by assisting unit leaders any way we can. Not to stand as a “guardian at the gate” and force a youth to wait while we take all the needed time necessary to train a unit leader. Yes, we take the time to train them, but never forget what (or more correctly, who) “Job One” is.
Anyway… back on the topic at hand. This MBC report is a great tool for the toolbox. I applaud all those that have worked hard to give us these tools.
Not being guardian at the gate. Following the process. This is a discussion between the SM and the Scout, not the commissioner. I suggest you read about the process as it is clearly laid out in the guide to advancement.
Guide to Advancement provides that scouts are NOT to have access to that list and this is, to my reading, not the role of the commissioner.
They are to obtain the name(s) from the Scoutmaster or designee (e.g. Advancement Chair).
See, generally, 7.0.2.2 Web-Based Counselor Lists.
Council sites must consider the safety and privacy of their members and participants by obtaining the necessary permissions to release information about or images of any individual. Give attention to protecting counselor privacy. Limit access to those who have merit badge– related responsibilities, such as advancement committee members and chairs, or unit leaders and selected assistants.
See also 7.0.2.3 Unit Counselor Lists
Due to concerns about merit badge counselor privacy, and since Scouts should receive the names and contact information from the Scoutmaster, unit counselor lists should not be made available to Scouts.
My apoligies. I miss-typed and forgot that one pescy letter.
It should have been “for” a scout, not “or”.
Please forgive my error in spelling.
I could not agree with that statement more. As I stated " Our job as Commissioners is to help units provide the best program possible to their youth". Simply put; Help the leader to help the youth. If I have but one regret in serving this last decade as a commissioner is that we have little or no opportunity of working directly with the youth anymore.
I will pass on your “suggestion” as I believe my own input help to write the policy in the first place. Good reference material though.
Does anyone want to comment on the main topic! This seems to be growing quite unproductive.
Maybe, possibly suggesting other useful ways that this report may be utilized? Maybe something someone has not thought of?
As commissioner you should be enabling the unit Scouter’s access to Scoutbook, guiding them through the process of using the tool available to them, not giving them counselor info. That’s not your job and when you do that you’re not holding the others to an established standard.
Respectfully, this all assumes a situation where the SM/designated unit leader has ready network access. While generally common, that’s not universally the case. I know folks who, even in my suburban area, don’t have regular internet access. For some units, having a commish who can provide this information might be their best access point into the data. I’m not even sure how the unit I’m thinking of manages advancement submittal.
