Venturing, Exploring, Sea Scouts Volunteers

Adult volunteers underpin the success of our programs. Discover the benefits of sharing common experiences alongside teens, learning new skills, and having fun while supporting our youth.

Whether you are male or female, working directly with Scouts, or helping out behind the scenes, volunteering with Scouting can be as rewarding to adults as it is meaningful to the kids.

At the unit level, typical volunteer opportunities (with approximate time commitments) include:

Ongoing

The Advisor is the key male or female adult leader and is responsible for training the youth unit officers, helping them plan a program of activities, coaching them in their leadership responsibilities, and obtaining adult help and resources as needed through the unit committee. The Advisor is supported by an Associate Advisor who serves as a backup leader and provides assistance for the program administration of the unit.

The Associate Advisor supports the Advisor in carrying out their responsibilities and fills in for the Advisor, if needed.

Events or Activities

Assist with a unit event or weekend outing, whether that is providing transportation, guiding youth members through an event planning process or participating alongside youth. Contact the Crew Advisor or Skipper to learn more about the types of outings that each crew organizes and specific ways that you can help.

Promotes and advises Venturers/Explorers and Sea Scouts on available awards. Responsible for keeping unit advancement records. Submits all advancement data to Council. Prepares advancement materials for Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scouts advancement ceremonies. (5 hours annually)

Piedmont Community Service Crew teen members plan and run this community event, but need adults to help guide them through the process.

Piedmont Community Service Crew (PCSC) annually plans and executes a major home renovation project, in collaboration with Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO), for low-income elderly homeowners. PCSC teen leaders lead the project under the guidance of adult mentors called “House Captain(s)”. PCSC seeks adults with skills to share and a willingness to show novice crew members how to make home repairs.

Administration

Liaison between the chartering organization and the unit. Attends unit committee meetings. (1 hour per committee meeting, meeting frequency varies between monthly to quarterly)

Every fall, the chair works with the Committee Chair, the Commissioner, the Advisor, and unit Treasurer to verify membership of the unit and submit the completed information to the Council in a timely manner. Requires attendance at one Council meeting. (6 hours per year)

Each unit’s Business Manager. Works with Advisor & crew committee to insure that all activities run smoothly. Helps fill unit committee positions. (3 hours per month)

The Committee adult members provide oversight to the long term success and sustainability of the Crew/Unit, ensuring that the Crew Advisor or Skipper receives adequate support to maintain a vibrant program and sound membership.

Solicits input on unit honoree for this annual Council-wide event. Coordinates parent attendance to honor unit honoree. Helps with event set-up. (2-5 hours in March – April)

Council event in fall. Attends one Council meeting. Organizes other parents for phone-a-thon follow-up for annual Council fundraiser. (6 hours per year)

Responsible for unit funds. Pays monthly bills to the Council for advancement & registration. Collects and deposits funds from registration and unit activities. Bills unit members for dues. (8 hours per year)

Coordinates unit participation in the Council fundraising event in November/December. Coordinates with youth leadership to ensure required staffing of adults and youth for shifts at Council Tree Lot. (4-6 hours late Fall)

Quick Links

“We are new to Northern California and volunteering with the Piedmont Community Service Crew (PCSC) created a welcome opportunity for me to meet other PHS parents and student volunteers. The best part has been watching the kids take ownership of projects from beginning to end. Venturing develops both leadership skills and organizational skills, which kids need to be able to complete large-scale, ongoing projects. I am impressed!”

– Sandra Parker
PCSC volunteer

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