YM Leadership

Leadership positions are given to allow for skill development and growth of each young man, as well as providing opportunity for rank advancements for those pursuing their Eagle Scout awards. Church callings are listed in the organizational chart above and the respective Scouting/Young Men's leadership positions are listed in parenthesis. All positions in black are callings within their respective quorums. The grey positions are available to those not in a quorum presidency that wish to obtain a leadership position.

President

As the president, you are the primary contact and leader for the rest of the young men.  You were called by the bishop as the best person to lead and represent the rest of the young men assigned to your care.  Being president carries honor and privilege, but it also requires hard work, responsibility, communication and dedication.

You share the responsibilities of leading the young men with the other appointed officers, working together to develop a leadership team. When you delegate specific responsibilities to other officers and members, it is your responsibility, with the support of your Advisor(s), to encourage and follow up with them to ensure that their jobs have been carried out.  You provide leadership at all meetings and activities, and you conduct monthly officers' meetings in consultation with your Advisors. These leadership meetings should take place as often as necessary to maintain the plans that you have committed to but should happen no less than monthly to ensure things are progressing as planned.

Communication with your Advisors and officers is essential. You are the example.  You are the primary point of contact for what is taking place within your program and may be required to counsel individual's who have problems, questions, or concerns.  Listen to what they say, and help them find answers that are best for everyone.

Don't hesitate to ask your Advisor for advice and help.  That is the Advisor's responsibility — to be your counselor and coach.  It is likely that neither of you knows everything you need to know in order to do the things you are interested in, but together you can learn how to succeed. It is important that you work through, not around, your Advisor, so that you ensure everyone is on the same page. Two heads is always better than one.

You are one person who can really make the difference in how successful your program is.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the leader of the program.
• Implement the program in cooperation with officers and members.
• Work closely with Advisors and other adult leaders in a spirit of partnership.
• Represents the program and is available to report to the rest of the ward and committees.
• Assesses on an ongoing basis whether the responsibilities of the officers are being considered and carried out effectively.
• Encourages others to approach the program in a spirit of fun and enjoyment.

Administrative Vice President

First, you ensure that new members are made aware of your program and are invited to mutual.  You follow up with any members who seem to be losing interest.  Find out why, so that their needs can be addressed in officers' meetings and in the planning of program activities.

Second, you are responsible for recognizing members and making them feel a part of your program.  It is your responsibility to welcome anyone attending your activities. It is also your job to stage the installation ceremony admitting new members if such a ceremony is a tradition in your program. It is your responsibility to recognize the achievements of individuals and honor members who win scholarships, awards, or gain other achievements in, or out, of your program. You are also responsible for conducting opening and closing ceremonies to your meetings.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and follow the program code and bylaws.
• Assume the responsibilities of the President in his absence.
• Leads the welcoming effort for new members.
• Manages member recognition and advancement.
• Responsible for opening and closing ceremonies.
• Attends all program activities.

Program Vice President

Much of your program's success depends on the activities you plan. Managing the development of a good program is the core of your responsibility.  Your program should be one that meets the needs and interests of all members.  This is done by asking members what they want to, and being sure that meetings and activities are adequately evaluated after they take place.
It is your responsibility to maintain an activity file of programs, projects, and trips in which you could participate. Base this file of ideas for activities on responses you've collected from the Program Capability Inventory (PCI), Activity Interest Survey (AIS), and from past activity reports completed by the activity chairs.
You are also responsible for keeping an up-to-date schedule and being sure that all the members know what is happening. You maintain the program calendar and should coordinate it with school and community calendars to avoid scheduling conflicts. It might be useful to publish a calendar or newsletter on a regular basis to keep members informed.
You help the activity chairs plan and conduct successful activities by sharing ideas from the activity file, discussing possible activities, and coordinating their dates with the calendar. One of the adult Advisors is recruited to help you with program responsibilities. Meet as often as possible to share ideas, improve the activity file, support activity chairs, and review the interests of members.

Responsibilities

• Arrange the program planning process.
• Collect and maintain an activity file consisting of the program capability inventory (PCI), a list of member interests, suggestions for activities, program resources, and an annual activity schedule. 
• Determine the interests of the members on an ongoing basis using the activity interest surveys (AIS).
• Provide support for the chair and committee for each activity.
• Maintain an up-to-date calendar of meetings and activities.
  

Secretary

Effective communication is a key ingredient in any organization.  As the secretary, you are primarily responsible for the communication that needs to  be put into writing — correspondence, records, and minutes showing decisions, plans, and publicity.  It is up to you to ensure that everyone has the right information.

You keep minutes of officers meetings which include group decisions and actions taken by officer(s).  You record the names of those assigned to carry out activities including all dates, times, locations, and important details. You remind the president and the other officers of agreed-upon decisions that affect them.  Most people appreciate a friendly reminder. You supervise all program correspondence, calling the officers' attention to important items.

You help the program vice president publish a schedule or newsletter for members and keep them informed about meeting plans, activities, and last-minute changes.  You should organize a telephone network among members.

Effective communication is an important leadership skill.  You have the challenge and the opportunity to use this skill for your program.  An adult member of the parents' committee may be assigned to assist you.  If you become overwhelmed by the publicity and communications needs of your program, don't hesitate to enlist the help of other members.  Sharing your responsibility with others is a quality of a good leader.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the communications officer and, in that position, manages all communications and publicity for the program.
• Maintains membership and attendance records.
• Handles correspondence and minutes.
• Coordinates publicity through local media, newsletters, and the telephone network.

Treasurer

As treasurer, you are responsible for keeping accurate records of the income and expenditures of your funds.  Your officers expect an exact accounting of all the money taken in or paid out in order to plan effectively. You collect, deposit, and account for all money coming from fund-raising projects, or other sources.  You make regular reports in meetings of the status of your budget.

Work with the Adviser assigned to you and the Ward Clerk to help you set up a budget by estimating income and expenses based on the activity calendar.  Review this budget with other officers, your Advisor, and the chair(s) for each activity. You see to it that all expenditures are approved in officer meetings and the Advisor(s) before approving.  An adviser from the parents' committee may be assigned to assist you in setting up bookkeeping procedures, bank accounts, and money-handling methods.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the financial officer and, in that position, maintains financial records and monitors the young men's budget.
• Collects and disburses funds. 
• Communicates with the officers and members on a regular basis to keep them informed about the finances.
  

Quartermaster

The Quartermaster is responsible for the supplies and equipment used during program execution. You keep an inventory of, and maintain, equipment in good working order.  When equipment is lent to a member, the Quartermaster monitors the safe return of that which was loaned. The Quartermaster generates a list of equipment and supplies needed for future acquisition.

Responsibilities

• Gathering the community gear and equipment required for activities.
• Maintaining the community gear.
• Ensuring that all community gear is returned in good working order and stored for future use.
• Purchase of food, equipment, etc as it pertains to activities. (Must be approved by the Officers and adult Leadership)

Guide

The Guide serves as an individual mentor for new members, assisting in their understanding of the program and structure, as well as participation in activities.

Responsibilities

• Meets with new members just prior to entering the program
• Welcome and mentor new members as they transition.
• Explain the codes and bylaws to new members.
• Introduce new members to the officers and explain each officers function.

Historian

The Historian collects and preserves memorabilia, press releases, photos, and other data of historical significance. The historian maintains information about activities and members for use in developing future activities.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a record of past activities for use in developing future activities.
• Collaborate with Activity Chairs to document lessons learned for reference in future activities.
• Assists the President in compiling reports for the parents committee with memorabilia, photos etc.
• Assist the secretary with media resources for upcoming events.
• Assists the President with their annual report.

Activity Chair(s)

The activity chair for an activity is appointed by the Second Counselor/Program Vice President and is responsible for:

• planning,
• promoting, and
• staging the activity

For relatively simple activities, the activity chair alone may be sufficient to carry out these three responsibilities.  However, some activities are more complicated.  For these, the activity chair recruits a committee and, depending upon the activity, receives help from the Advisor(s), parent committee, and consultants.

For example, if the activity is a bowling night, the activity chair probably can organize, promote, and run it alone.  However, if the activity is a water skiing party, then the activity chair might need other members and adults to help with things such as equipment and transportation. Use the Program Capability Inventory (PCI, maintained by the Program Vice President) to find adults who could serve as consultants, obtain equipment, provide instruction, and supervise safety procedures.

When the activity chair works with an appointed committee to plan an activity, the chair and the committee should go though the seven planning steps together.  It is the responsibility of the chair to be sure that the activity plan is filled out and filed with the Program Vice President.

Activity Planning Process

The planning process consists of seven steps:

1. Determine the desired outcomes of the activity. 
1. In this step, consider the purpose of the activity and the goals you would like to achieve.  You need to visualize what the members should gain as a result of engaging in this activity. 
2. Identify needed resources for the activity. 
1. Identifying a needed resource involves answering questions such as: 
2. What expertise, facilities, and materials are needed?
3. Who can we get to help?
4. What is available at the location?
5. Where can we get the necessary equipment?
6. The Program Capability Inventory (PCI, maintained by the Program Vice President) should be used in answering these questions.
3. Consider alternatives in case of unforeseen circumstances. 
1. This step involves considering the possibilities for different things that might affect the activity.  
2. What if it rains?
3. What if the activity doesn't work as planned?
4. Does it depend on a certain number of people participating?
4. Make all the decisions involved with this activity. 
1. Determine specifically who will be in charge of the activity.
2. Which other people will have specific responsibilities for the activity?
3. Who will teach the skills, organize the contest, serve as officials, and so on?
4. How will the activity be organized? 
5. Decide where and when the activity will be held.  All these decisions should be recorded.
5. Develop a plan for how to share this activity with others. 
1. In this step, discuss and decide how to inform the members about the activity.
2. Consider whether a promotion effort is desirable to encourage all members to participate.
6. Carry out your plan for this activity. 
1. The activity chair and activity committee are responsible for leading the activity.  They carry out the decisions made and the responsibilities committed to; using the previous five steps as their guide.
7. Evaluate the completed activity. 
1. After the activity, the leaders need to reflect on it and discover: 
1. Did the members like the activity?
1. Were the desired outcomes (step 1) achieved?
1. What would you do differently the next time?
2. Document these lessons learned and outcomes with the Historian.