American Legion California Boys State
Staff Development: First Year Staff Manual
First Edition - May 09, 2006 - prepared by Jim Alcorn
Downloads available: (a new window should open)
PDF format - 30KB MS Word Format - 53KB
Preface
This document has been prepared to assist first year staff member who has never attended California Boys State (CBS) to understand their role in enhancing the delegate experience here at CBS.
As a staff member, you are a volunteer assisting the American Legion in its education of California's best and brightest students from high schools of great diversity. As such, it is important to show them the respect they deserve in, for most, their first week away from home. As we have said throughout the years, CBS is "The week that shapes the future." You will see before your eyes a transformation of these young delegates from "boys" to "men".
Throughout this manual, keep in mind that the senior staff of CBS, the California American Legion and most importantly the young men and their families appreciate the time you have committed to this program.
Welcome / Your Time
First thing's first, welcome to California Boys State! Congratulations on your decision to be a part of our family of counselors. We realize that whatever your status, you have made some sacrifices to be here. For one reason or another you are here out of curiosity or want to give back to a program that in some way made an impact in your life. We hope that whatever the circumstances for your presence that you will give 100% of your efforts to the delegates and this program. Don't wait to do it, jump right in!
Before we proceed, allow us to point out some key people in the program whom you may have met in years prior or talked to in preparation for your time at CBS.
Director, Richard Shick
Director Shick is the top administer of the Boys State program, having been appointed by the Boys State Commission. His duties include preparing the budget, securing all necessary contracts with the venue site, and recommending the appointment of the Chief Counselor and top Administrators. Dick has served on the staff for 37 years, 10 years as a City Counselor, 2 years as a County Counselor and 25 years as Director. Dick is a member of the American Legion and lives in San Diego. Dick retired from the County of San Diego in 1991 after 36 years of service as a Registered Civil Engineer. He is married with 1 adult son and 1 granddaughter.
Chief Counselor Emeritus, Joe Cenoz
The senior member of the staff, Joe has been serving California Boys State for 52 years. Joe started off as a City Counselor and progressed to the position of County Counselor. In 1973 he became the Assistant Chief Counselor and in 1984 he was the Chief Counselor. Joe held the position of Chief Counselor for 20 years and since 2004 he has served as Chief Counselor Emeritus. In addition to the California Boys State program, Joe has served on the staff of Boys Nation for several years. Joe is a World War II and Korean War veteran. He has been a member of the American Legion since 1945 and has been a member of the Elks for over 50 years. Joe was an officer on the Pomona Police Department for 28 years and retired at the rank of Lieutenant in 1980. Joe’s son Jeff also serves on the staff as a County Counselor. Joe resides in the city of Templeton.
Chief Counselor, Jim Alcorn
In 1963, Jim was a California Boys State delegate representing his high school from
San Francisco. In 1974, Jim joined the staff as a City Counselor and served in that position until 1982, when he moved to the position as a County Counselor. In 2002 Jim became the Assistant Chief Counselor and since 2004, he has served as the Chief Counselor. He has a total of 30 years on the staff. Jim is a retired Concord Police Department Lieutenant, having been a police officer for 31 years. Jim is a member of the Sons of the Legion. He is married, has 3 adult children and 2 grandsons
Assistant Chief Counselor, Tim Aboudara
A former California Boys State delegate in 1972, Tim joined the staff as a City Counselor in 1975. In 1986, Tim moved into the position as a County Counselor and since 2004 he has held the position as Assistant Chief Counselor. Tim has been a member of the staff for 31 years. He is a member of the Sons of the Legion and lives in Rohnert Park. Tim is currently the Northern California market manager for a large master Agent of Verizon Wireless. He also served 22 years as a Reserve Police Officer. Tim is married and has 2 adult sons, both of whom serve as City Counselors on the staff.
These are just a few key people on staff that are related to your experience as a counselor. Throughout the week you will meet several more counselors and Legion members who serve in other capacities of CBS. Make no mistake about it; these are important people as well due to their continued support and attendance. Due to our makeup as a volunteer staff, there is overlap in our capacities and we are spread thin, especially as City Counselors. Later in this manual you will understand the importance of attendance with your city due to these facts.
Presentation
A key to any first impression is presentation. From the first second you meet your delegates in a city, those delegates will have established a pre-judgment of you, their counselor. As the saying goes "There is no second chance to make a First Impression." For those that attended CBS, each of you can probably remember the first time you met your counselors. With all the emotions these youngsters bring to CBS - anxiety, fear, nervousness, lack of confidence, skepticism, etc. - it is pertinent that you make a proper, strong and welcoming first impression. Again, for most of these young men, this is their first time away from mom and dad. They may have heard stories from elder peers or family members who attended our program or a similar program in another state.
How long is a first impression? It could be seconds - before you even open your mouth to say hello before they have their preconceived notions about you and the program. Or it may not be until that first city meeting that they have formed that first impression. The key is, everyone is different, and there is no correct way to make that impression, so make it correct. How, you ask? Exemplify to the best of your ability what this program stands for. Though this is not a military style camp or program, the roots of the American Legion trace back to the military. Some of our staff members have served our country. What does that mean? Shirt tucked in, neatly groomed, clean, firm handshake, confident diction. These are just a few - again you want to welcome these fearful young men to this great program - make them feel comfortable being here, while showing them the respect they have earned in being selected - the same respect they will give you in return.
The Learning Process / Counselor Development
We, the collective group of Senior Staff have high standards for this program. It is through our dedication to the program that grows our desire to make CBS better. As you embark on your journey through a week on staff, we assure you that we are here for your questions and feedback. Much of this program did not happen overnight; instead a development process ensued to shape the activities and counselors that CBS. Here now you begin your development process. The ultimate goal? County Counselor? Director? Perhaps you are unsure yet, but something drove you here to give up a week of your time.
Throughout this week, you will make a mistake. From dozing off in an assembly to misguiding your statesmen, odds are it has been done before. The decision is yours to decide what you will do with that mistake: learn from it, or shrug it off. Hopefully whatever the mistake is, you will be able to face your statesmen with confidence and redirect them or lead by example for the remainder of the week. Make the most of it as you learn what it is to be a staff member here at CBS and foster your development. Always be aware that you are not alone in what you are experiencing. From problem statesmen to knowing the schedule, there are many people to lean on for help, just voice your concern / question.
The Blueprint
The blueprint for your success here as a CBS staff member is very simple. Follow and give directions. Not every detail about this week can be written in a manual or staff schedule. Acting like a sponge to absorb the required information and feeding it back to your statesmen is key. Stay alert in staff meetings. Take notes. Read the Counselor Manual and Blue Book. Tell your statesmen to read their Blue Books (but know what to do and where to go before they do). Lead by example with your statesmen, but be stern. This is your week to learn the ropes from the staff side of the program, it won’t be easy, but you can do it.
Role of First Year Staff at Assemblies
Expectation: First Year Staff are expected to attend all large group assemblies, including county meetings, state party rallies, and general assemblies.
Reason: As you might guess, not every general assembly at CBS appeals to every statesman. As the week wears on, a delegate's attention span grows shorter. Without a strong staff presence, we all can conceive the possibility of chaos at State Party rallies – 450 teenagers without supervision. Throughout the week it is important for the staff to maintain a presence to quell any possible issues that may arise. You may or may not know that many Senior City Counselors assume different roles within CBS, be it Sports, Assembly/Senate, staff political party advisers, etc. Be sure to show up to all events and be assertive enough to keep the crowd quiet when presenters are speaking.
Counselors are expected to remain along the sides of the auditorium for the duration of the presentation. As stated, these are the best and brightest of California; under no circumstance should any counselor roam the center aisle during a presentation in the Student Union facility or Dining Commons, unless directed by a Director of the program. Do not make a scene when dealing with delegates talking or disrespecting a speaker. It’s not that they can’t talk; it’s when a disruption is caused or level of respect is crossed that heeds your intervention. Your purpose, as mentioned, is to provide a presence of staff to keep overall order. If a situation arises, this is the time to seek out an experienced counselor to help deal with the issue. Ask yourself if this is a big enough deal to speak up or if it can be dealt with otherwise.
Role of First Year Staff in their Cities
Expectation: First year Counselors are expected to be in with their cities as much as possible throughout the week.
While we want this first year experience to be fun and full of memories, however, there is work to be done. The same reason exists for the need for staff to be with their cities at assemblies. Becoming a leader and roll model is not an exact science; we believe that it is practice that is learned throughout years of interaction. There is a correlation between the time you spend in your cities and the development of your CBS leadership. As your delegates learn about government and much more this week, you will learn with them.
Assertiveness
Expectation: First Year Counselors are expected show their assertiveness at large group assemblies and also during times that delegates are walking about the campus to ensure their safety and show respect for others.
Reason: From keeping delegates respectful during assemblies to maintaining respect for Sacramento State students and staff, the basic assumption is that everyone will do the right thing. If you haven't done so by now, you should familiarize yourself with the Boys State Code of Conduct that each delegate receives and signs. This is what you enforce - this is your week to be the good cop and bad cop all in one. Foster their growth, as well as keep them in line. The best part is that if you set the tone correctly in your city, your own delegates will respect you and try not to disappoint you.
Now don’t take this the wrong way, we are not here to beat on statesmen or send them home early any time they commit a minor infraction. Use your best judgment in dealing with simple situations to let it go, and contact other members of staff to handle more serious issues. With the amount of activity on campus, it will be necessary to have the first year staff watching to keep delegates out of the restrictive areas.
The Political Process
The process repeats throughout the week, however fewer positions come available through elections during the week. Nomination papers need to be filed, develop and deliver a speech, campaign and then get elected. The first political process is complete within the statesmen being here for a day and a half. Instill in them that they should run for something and run early. If they don’t like it, they can stop, but they cannot run for city elections come Sunday. The process becomes more difficult- larger crowds to speak in front of, fiercer competition from those in their party, etc.
Study Election Procedure section in the Counselor Manual to make certain you know the process – you are going to get questions. Be prepared as best you can. Know who can sign petitions and how many for each position they can sign, when and where they can buy campaign material, when they can leave the city to campaign…if you don’t know yourself, don’t feel bad, ask your other counselors.
Sports
If you want to supervise a sport, be sure to contact the Athletic Counselor. If you do volunteer to supervise a sport, you are expected to do it all week. As a sport supervisor, one of your main purposes is to assure there are no injuries. Again, there is a fine line here between being aggressive during a game and actually causing bodily harm. When in doubt, keep the statesmen under control. Remember, there’s nothing worse than someone’s high school sports career being ended at a government camp.
Getting the Message / Just Ask
Throughout this busy week, communications are bound to be lost. These are long days; each of us will get tired, as well as having our own personal lives to think of this week. With everything that goes on, the only thing each of us can do is stay focused on our goal -- "The week that shapes the future." Are you doing what you can to achieve this goal?
When in doubt, ask a Senior City counselor or your County Counselor for any changes to the schedule or program clarifications.
Tips
There is a great wealth of information within a conversation or question to each of you. There is a very experienced staff on hand here at CBS who are here for one reason: their love of the program. Everyone one is very approachable and eager to develop and assist you, the first year staff member. When in doubt throughout the week, ask; be it a senior City Counselor, County Counselor, or one of the specialized Counselors, ask the question. We entrust you to make many decisions throughout the week, the senior staff have made those decisions before and will make any of the tough decisions in the future. We are famous for saying to our delegates, "Read your Blue Book," we as leaders should make sure we follow our own advice. Stay three steps ahead -that is, know tomorrow's schedule by dinner the day before.
Keeping in Touch
Many friendships have developed as a result of serving as a Counselor at Boys State. Besides the friendships developed between staff members, lasting contacts developed between Counselors and delegates. Now that we are in the computer age, it’s easy to keep in contact via the computer. Several cities have established web sites and continue to share information upon there return home. The Boys State web site can be accessed by logging on CALEGION.ORG and accessing Boys State under the “on-line program section”. Although there is no pressure, if you feel as excited a week after CBS as you did the week before, why not return as a staff member next year?. We realize this is a volunteer position and appreciate the time you have committed to this week; if you feel strongly about this program, do yourself a favor by keeping in touch year-round.
On behalf of the 930-plus delegates, their families, the American Legion, and the CBS staff, we thank you for your time and efforts here this week and look forward to establishing a relationship with you for years to come.
|
