The Scouts BSA National Youth Council is a board of Scouting America youth who discuss and give feedback to the Scouting program as a whole. Violet H., the membership vice chief of Tsisqan Lodge, has recently been granted a position on the council.
She is one of the 38 members of the Scouts BSA National Youth Council. In order to get on the national council, it is required to go through an online application process. The application asks about your Scouting career, the visions you have for the future of Scouting, and what changes you would make to the program. This is a very unique position as it makes a direct impact on the Scouting program and what changes can be made for the coming years. The council was created in 2021, and it helps make Scouting America a truly youth-led program, from the troops up to the high-level visionary decisions. It is difficult to overstate how exciting it is to have an Arrowman from our own section having such a great influence on making Scouting better!
To further understand the responsibilities and process of this occasion, a short interview was conducted asking Violet about this special opportunity:
What made you interested in applying for the Scouts BSA National Youth Council?
I became interested in the national youth council when I heard about it from Kaleen Deatherage. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to have my voice be a part of the future of Scouting in order to make it a more inclusive place for Scouts around the country.
How many are on the board?
There are 38 youth on the board including me.
When and how do you meet?
We meet every second Sunday of the month on Zoom. Each meeting has an agenda, and we discuss a new topic every meeting. We go into little “breakout groups”, which gives each individual member a chance for their voice to be heard.
What do you do as a member of the council?
As a member of the council, my job is primarily to give my perspective on the topics that we discuss. I also need to be able to communicate effectively and take everyone else’s opinions into consideration.
Thank you Violet for being open to the interview, and I am sure you will do great things in your term!