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Role of the Commissioners

The primarily objective of the Commissioners is to provide service to area Units.
They exist to help Units provide the best possible Scouting program.
Simply put, Commissioners are there to help Units succeed.

     The Boy Scouts of America ("BSA") was incorporated by Congress to provide a program for community organizations that offers effective character, citizenship, and personal fitness training for youth.  The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes.

     For administrative purposes, BSA charters "Councils" at the regional level to deliver the Scouting Program. The National Capital Area Council ("NCAC") covers Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  Councils are further sub-divided into "Districts." There are 6 Districts in Montgomery County, Maryland.  This area is served by the Black Hill District (including Poolesville, Germantown, Clarksburg, and Damascus), which is made up of 36 separate Units, and 1,411 Scouts (ages 7 - 18).  [ Note:  A "Unit" is the general name given to an individual group of registered scouts.  Depending upon the age and Scout Program of the particular group, a Unit can be either a Pack, Troop, Team, Venture, Post, Ship, or other Scouting group. ]

     Thousands of volunteer leaders, called "Scouters," both men and women, are involved in the Boy Scouting program.  They serve in a variety of jobs - everything from unit leaders to chairmen of troop committees, committee members, merit badge counselors, and chartered organization representatives.  Most of these Scouters work directly with the youth, or are responsible for presenting to them the Scout Program.

     To support Unit leaders in delivering the Scouting Program, the BSA has in place a special program called the Commissioner Service.  This program is made up of volunteer Scouters called "Commissioners."  Briefly stated, the Commissioner Service is a core of volunteers whose primary purpose is to provide service and support to Pack, Troop, Team, Venture, Post, Ship, and other Unit Scout Leaders.  Unlike other Scout Leaders, Commissioners do not work directly with the youth and are not generally responsible for delivering a particular Scouting Program.  Rather, the job of the Commissioners is to provide service and support to Unit Leaders, by providing them with extra resources to assure that the Unit Leaders are able to deliver the best possible Scouting Program.  Within every District, there is one District Commissioner, several Assistant District Commissioners, and many Unit Commissioners ("UC").

     The UC plays a very important role on the Unit Service Team by serving as a friend, counselor, and mentor to Unit Leaders while operating quietly in the background.  In addition, the UC acts as the Unit's direct point of contact on District and Council matters effecting the Unit.  Ideally, there should be one UC for each Unit; however, it is not uncommon for one UC to work with more than one Scouting Unit.

     The Unit Commissioner is a generalist whose passionate overriding mission in Scouting is to help units succeed.  The job of the Unit Commissioner is to:

1.   Maintain a close liaison with the chartered organizations and units they serve.

2.   Work to assure effective and active unit committees.

3.   Encourage unit personnel to participate in Roundtables.

4.   Establish good lines of communication between unit personnel and both Council and District leaders.

5.   Help select and recruit unit leaders.

6.   Be constantly alert to fulfilling his or her mission. The job of the Unit Commissioner is unit service!

7.   Cultivate and maintain the best possible ongoing relationship with the unit leader. This is probably the most important role of all!

8.   Attend a monthly Commissioner's meeting to brag about Unit(s) in their Service Area or to get some guidance from other commissioners.

     The only reason for having UC is to help units succeed.  The UC is there to serve the chartered organization and its unit.  UCs are successful in their mission when units continue to operate, units regularly accept new boys, and units effectively deliver the ideals of Scouting to their members.  The UC plays several important roles, including friend, representative, unit "doctor," teacher, and counselor. 

     The UC is a friend.  He or she is there to help the unit; lending a hand when needed or asked for help by the unit leaders.  The UC is an advocate of unit needs, and should especially be called upon in times of trouble or need.

     The UC is a representative.  The average unit leader is totally occupied in working with kids.  Some leaders have little if any contact with the Boy Scouts of America.  This is OK.  The UC is the Unit's representative and is there to act as the unit's point of contact in District and Council matters which effect the unit.

     The UC is a unit "doctor".  When problems arise, and problems may arise even in the best of units, the UC should be called upon to help where needed.

     The UC is a teacher.  He or she can help in the growth of the unit leaders by sharing his or her knowledge with them, or pointing them to available resources.

     The UC is a counselor.  He or she is there to help units solve their own problems.  They offer suggestions to leaders, they are not responsible for the unit's programs or activities.  (But they can help, if asked.)