Know Your District

SHELTER ROCK DISTRICT

Know Your District

We teach our Scouts to be good leaders by being informed leaders ourselves.

Getting to Know Shelter Rock District

(A Guide to Shelter Rock District Volunteer Positions and Responsibilities)

This guide is designed to provide a brief overview of the structure of the volunteer leadership positions that ideally make up and support the operations of a Scouting district. It is intended to serve as a resource of information about the major functions of a district and the associated tasks assigned to the committees and volunteers that support these functions.

The bottom line is that any district is only as good as the volunteers that serve to support the “entire” range of functions and tasks that are needed to make the local scouting program a success. It is important to remember that the scouting movement is predominately a volunteer run program, supported by professional Scouters, but ultimately dependent on volunteers.

A good working knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of all district leadership positions is essential to a well-run district. Equally important is the recognition that a district depends on the contributions of its volunteers to fill these positions. Although a District Executive is a key player in this process, a district’s success is largely up to its volunteers and a properly staffed district runs itself.

The District Structure

The District “Key 3”

The three key positions of any district include the District Chairman, the District Commissioner, and the District Executive. As a team, these persons serve to direct and coordinate the activities of the district.

The District Chairman is the key volunteer that directs the activities of major committees that support the functions of each district as well as the activities of the District Commissioner and his or her staff.

The District Commissioner is largely responsible for direct support to the basic units that make up the district, including the conduct of roundtable meetings.

The District Executive is a paid professional Scouter that serves as a representative to the council, providing support and guidance to the district staff and its units. It is NOT the job of the District Executive to run the district. That function clearly rests with the volunteers that make up the district staff.