Volunteers
New Volunteer Onboarding
Step-By-Step, What You Need to Know!
Welcome and congratulations on becoming an adult volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America! This page is for new volunteers and current unit leaders. These are the steps a volunteer and a unit leader must take to fully ensure compliance with BSA membership standards. Thank you for playing a big part in shaping the leaders of tomorrow!
Help Create Adventures that Last A Lifetime!
Golden Gate Area Council relies on dedicated volunteers to fulfill Scouting’s mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lifetime. Over 4000 adults provide leadership and mentoring to young people in our council. Because of their generosity, the BSA remains the foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training in America.
Volunteering relieves stress and builds a stronger sense of purpose. It’s official: living the “help other people” line of the Scout oath makes us more likely to keep ourselves physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
When you volunteer in Scouting, you create possibilities for young people to have extraordinary opportunities. A Scout can achieve their true potential and become the remarkable person they are destined to be. Thank you to all of our volunteers – and we invite all new families to volunteer and share in Scouting!
Did you wonder what our Council Committees do to help support Scouting? Check out the list below (open positions actively being recruited are in parentheses).
Note – this page is being updated frequently to include ALL council committees, but currently lists program committees only.
- Recommends and implements policies for GGAC that are in alignment with the BSA National Council’s Advancement goals and regulations.
- Support our units, including Scouts, leaders, and their families by documenting and disseminating best practices in advancement.
- Provide timely, uniform, and authoritative responses to questions and concerns.
- Serve a Scout’s advancement and recognition needs by providing guidance for Scouters who administer the program.
Scouts and Scouters with advancement and recognition related comments, issues, or concerns should first contact their District Advancement Chair. If necessary, the District Advancement Chair will contact the council committee for further guidance and resolution.
The mission of the Council Camping Committee is to ensure that every Scout has exciting and memorable outdoor adventures by providing quality, relevant camping programs to youth members and adult leaders throughout our council, in accordance with the aims and methods of the Boy Scouts of America.
- Resident camp promotion literature for all programs
- Camp enrichment programs
- Camp standards and policies
- Camp facilities (in cooperation with the properties committee)
- Develop maximum use of camp properties
Council Camping Chair – Start Date 6/1/2024:
Ensures every youth has the opportunity for a quality outdoor camping program at the Council’s 5 overnight camps. Programs should be diverse to meet each program (Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting) with age appropriate activities designed to keep their interest in Scouting. The “outing” in Scouting is a key engagement and retention tool for personal development of all Scouts.
Benefits:
- Ensure/enhance the camping experience for all programs at all camps.
- Gain institutional knowledge about each of our 5 council camping properties.
- Enjoy the outdoors!
Term: 3 years
Experience: Leadership, event planning, and team management experience required. Camping experience preferred, but not required.
Reports to: Council Vice President of Program
Advisor: Program Director
Interacts with: Scouts, Volunteers, Professional staff
Monthly Hours: 16-20
Meetings:
- Camping Committee Meetings (Monthly)
- Council Coordinated Meetings (Quarterly)
- Council Program Chairs Meeting (Quarterly)
Uniform: Not required, but encouraged
Fundraising: No
Overnights: Not required, but encouraged
Youth Facing: Yes
Certification: BSA Adult Volunteer Registration, current YPT training, current California Mandated Reporter/LiveScan (AB 506) required
Directly Manage: 4-6 volunteers
Contact us at [email protected] for more information or to express interest!
Committee Chair
Michael McDowell (thru 6/1/24)
The mission of the Council Training Committee is to enhance and promote existing training programs and explore/pilot alternative methods to appeal to different styles and address different issues.
- Train leaders—don’t just run training courses.
- Establish local policies and procedures consistent with national policies.
- Plan, coordinate, communicate, and schedule an effective, year-round leader learning and development program using the latest BSA training materials.
- Encourage and assist districts in planning and implementing a total growth and development plan for all leaders, regardless of position.
- Select, recruit, and train trainers.
- Conduct or coordinate training events.
- Approve applications for training recognition and service awards.
- Develop procedures for evaluating Council training programs.
- Keep informed of literature, audio/visual, and equipment aids.
- Promote and support out-of-Council training opportunities.
- High Adventure Training, or HAT
- National Youth Leadership Training or NYLT
- Wood Badge
- Leader Education and Discovery, or L.E.A.D.
Committee Chair
Steve deRosier
Website
- The National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP) Committee ensures that all of our programs adhere to NCAP standards.
- NCAP includes the annual accreditation of our Summer Camps as well as maintaining standards for all short-term and long-term camping events.
Committee Chair
Norman Gee
Website
- Provides fun, engaging programs to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as a part of a BSA initiative to encourage the natural curiosity of Scouts about these fields.
- Supports the process to earn the STEM Nova awards.
Committee Chair
Tracy Peters
Website
- Provides support for members to earn the Council’s Distinguished Conservation Award including information and outreach.
- Reviews and approves projects needed to achieve the award.
- Provides technical assistance and expertise in matters of ecology, conservation, and resources management.
- Guides council policy making and operational decisions regarding natural and cultural resource management.
- Promotes conservation-related training and programs.
Committee Chair
Kellye French
Website
Being a Sea Scout is about more than sailing—it's about leadership, teamwork, and pushing boundaries. The Golden Gate Area Council has given me the tools to navigate life’s challenges and discover who I am.
Alexandrya
Sea Scout
