Things to Know & Understand to Effectively Coordinate a Youth Run Camporee
Br Scouterdoug
My Favorite Web sites
Challenge Trophy Camporee Website
This page is designed to alert the members of a Volunteer Committee of important THINGS TO KNOW. It includes some boring issues like meeting minute examples, but has a large section on Conflict Management. The conflict management section is based on 10 years experience working with Scouting adults (Professional and Volunteer). It really is just common sense, but is included on this page for your reference.
CONFLICT ALERT!
You may not be able to put together a youth run camporee without a few conflicts within the adult Volunteer Camporee Committee. There may be a conflict with the Scouting Professional as well. Sorry for being a little negative, but it is better to be prepared! So, the question is, what are you going to do about them when they occur? Follow the teamwork principles and have everyone else follow them as well. In any case, you need to be prepared and ready to handle all little conflicts before they get out of hand, then no one will ever notice they even existed. Wouldn't that be nice!
Scouterdoug’s Rules to Reduce Conflicts:
RULE #1: The leader must ensure items resolved are not revisited again and again. Members trying to change decisions made in the past is the work of a devil’s advocate that would rather fight than switch. This is counter productive. Have an Agenda for every meeting and stick to it.
RULE #2: Pick your battles well. In wood badge training, we teach the truth, “Does it really matter?” In many conflicts, the issues can be pretty silly. For example, if the item is between what an adult would want and what the youth would want, then the correct thing to do is to do what would benefit the youth.
RULE #3: Negotiate. To get something you may have to give something up. Win – win is the best way to go. One person cannot always win, however, or the committee will be in trouble. Control egos when necessary. At one Camporee, I appointed a volunteer as a liaison between the Volunteer Committee and the Council office. Their role was to lobby for items and / or follow up on previously agreed upon items through completion. This avoided confusion of who was the contact person and many conflicts were resolved quietly.
RULE #4: Do not mess with someone’s livelihood. Professionals may need to have a little cash surplus from the bottom line of the event to cover office expenses. They cannot hand in a balance sheet of red ink after all the bills are tallied. The Camporee committee is made up of volunteers who do not rely on a paycheck from Scouting. The Council normally has a remainder % number that they use. For example 10%. Allow a 5% contingency (I.E. target 15%) and spend the money fairly and wisely
So, what would you do if the Professional at the Council Office wants to use the Camporee as a Council Fundraiser and take a unnecessarily large % of the incoming funds? Yes I've been there also.... and egos may get in the way of a high quality Camporee. The volunteer may have to put the egos aside and negotiate a number both can live with. In one case, I meet with the Scout Executive to finalised the number.
RULE #5: Keep reminding everyone of the goal – A Youth Run Camporee. I.e. we are all in scouting for the youth.
RULE #6: Everything you do or think should have the youth’s interest in mind. Many conflicts I have been caught in were over competition for control of the leadership role, money and control of a partial or even the entire program. This will be quite obvious when the adults try to compete for the roles the youth should have at the Camporee. The program is not a showcase for adults to show how special they are. The program is for the boys. People need to be focused on the goal and "Control their Egos". Remind everyone that the goal is to coordinate a youth run camporee.
RULE #7: Try to understand where the other person is coming from. Take the time to listen fully and completely to the justification or reason. If you do not understand the other party’s position on a topic, how can you be understood?
RULE #8: Have the Volunteer Committee members take the Staff Training program. The volunteer committee members who take the course will become great allies at committee meeting. Part of the training is “Give Way” training that teaches adults to step aside and let the youth run the program.
RULE #9: Allow diversity in the program. Keep an open mind and do not wear blinders. Never assume everyone has the same tastes regarding program items. Offer a large choice of events to provide the boys options. You will see what I mean when you visit the Event Page of this web site.
RULE #10: You do not have to resolve everything at once. It may be wise to WAIT until your team has all the information before making decisions.
RULE #11: This probably should be rule #1, but now that you have read 10 of them, you will better understand rule 11. Pick you committee members well. Be wary of dominant personalities that may affect the other team members. Note that "skills and knowledge" is not the "be all and end all". The most important thing is that they want to help and are willing to do the work as needed.
RULE #12: Learn the rules of the game. Make everyone accountable for following the rules of the game. This includes professionals and volunteers. Not having rules to follow, or withheld rules or information, will result in conflict issues. I have been there and it can be ugly! Yes, follow the rules but be careful of individual interpretation as that leads to bending and breaking in the unspoken name of hidden agendas. The leader is the key to fair play.
Examples of rules are,
Teamwork Principles
Council Rules
District Rules
Purchasing Policy
Camp Property Rules
Camporee Rules and Guidelines
County Health Guidelines for Events
BSA, Scouts Canada, W.F.I.S., Girl Scouts, Misc. Polices & Procedures
And many, many, more!
CONFLICT SUMMARY:
Conflict is a necessary part of life. It can benefit the team when it teaches negotiation skills, opens lines of communication, built team togetherness, releases stress and frustration, etc.
Conflict is negative when it reduces trust / morale, damages relationships, wastes energy and resources, affects the program for the youth, does not meet the goal, etc. Ironically some people may use conflict to gain control of their aganda. That is what aggressive people do. They keep pushing until they get their way. That is why point number 11 above is so important. Pick the right people!
I could tell some great stories of conflicts handled in the past, but those are my stories. I like most people, learned the hard way and would have benefited with guidance as described in this section. I have have regrets that are lost in time. I hope I'm much wiser today! You also will learn from your own experiences and mistakes. Are you ready? If not, then the Leader must be prepared to "skillfully negotiate" issues, because they are coming! Note that skillful negotiation answer may simply be to appoint a person as a mediator to handle such issues. Choose wisely! You can delegate this role, but as the leader, you are responsible for the outcome.
I hope I have provided you with some insight to conflict management.
TRAINING:
It is suggested that the leader provide some teamwork training material at the beginning of each Volunteer Committee meeting.
The training I provided included Team Work Principles handout, Leadership Keys, Team Destroyal Behaviors, etc. The Team Destroyal Behaviors sheet was an interesting handout because some of the committee members were doing negative things that they did not realize was counter productive. It changed the way they participated. The information was handed out at the beginning of each meeting to set the tone for the meeting. I.e. team building.
Refer to the training page of this site for material examples.
POLITICS:
Do not fret about politics. You will come across some very passionate people with agendas geared towards their scouting district or agenda. Some adults will look you square in the eyes and tell you they will never support an event run by another district. That is their choice and you must respect that. Bottom line: You can be part of the greatest Camporee ever, but some troops simply will not attend because it is not in their district. Yes, the kids loose out. There is nothing you can do about it so do not fret about it!
SUBGROUPS – Teams within the overall team.
Examples: Parking, First Aid, Quartermaster, Treasurer, Program, etc.
Within the Program subgroup, there may be several smaller subgroups depending on size and complexity of the program. For example, High Adventure, Team Work Events, Crafts, etc.
This will be discussed in detail in the Resources Section of this web site.
Note that the subgroup may have different roles to complete, but they are still tied to the over GOAL. All decisions and shared resources must be for the good of the entire team (Camporee), not just the subgroup.
ENTHUSIASM VS FEAR OF FAILURE
I have encountered adults who just cannot believe we actually run a Youth Run Camporee program. I have also discussed in great detail the program we offer for the kids - 300 plus events. The number seems mind boggling, but when well organized and build properly, slowly and consistently over time, it is quite logical and easy to do. People who only want to argue with the program you have put together, or plan to put together, will never support it. It is not personal. They just believe in something different. There is nothing wrong with that.
I have also found that some people can be bored because the youth are doing everything at the camporee. People can be enthusiastic about scouting, but maybe not this program. If they will not support the Camporee, then they are wasting their time and yours. Do not sweat it and move on.
P.O.’s (Purchase Orders)
Always use the Council’s Non Profit Tax Exempt Number. This will result in not paying any taxes on items purchased.
Before you run out and spend your money expecting to get a refund from Scouting, ensure you know the rules that apply for such items. For example, at one Camporee we were told that if we spend any money on items not approved by the Professional, that we would not get a refund and it would be considered as a donation to scouting. For this one Camporee, everything needed pre approval. We followed the rules and had no issues getting our money back.
At another Camporee program, the professional in charge trusted us to spend the money as it was budgeted. We received a refund based on the receipts handed in. Again, we had no issues receiving the funds.
Check to see if your council gives cash advance checks. Ours did at one time but then discontinued the practice. At a large Camporee, I held a $500 P.O. I was then given a $700 P.O. for the next set of items to be purchased, but since I was already out $500 and waiting 4 weeks for the refund, I did not want to spend any more funds.
It is therefore recommended that all items be purchased through the Council office. The only negative issue is that everything will be last minute. You will have to follow up with them until the item is completed. Should you need the supplies early to do some work with materials, etc. this may not work in this case.
Do your research and be prepared!
OTHER PAGES AT THIS SITE ARE…..
Email: scouterdoug@hotmail.com
