Homenetmen Holds Leadership Preparation and Refresher Seminar

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—On the weekend of February 18-20, 42 members of scouting leadership of Homenetmen Eastern USA participated in a training and skill development seminar organized by the East Coast Regional Scout Council and Leadership.

Group photo of the participants in the seminar.

Participants coming from multiple cities of the East Coast gathered at the St. Gregory the Illuminator church in Philadelphia.

The aim of the seminar was to prepare younger leaders to achieve a higher level of competency, to take on bigger responsibilities, and to enhance the skills of the more experienced leaders.

For that purpose, throughout the conference the participants were divided into six groups each led by the more experienced chapter leaders.

The first session was dedicated to studying and understanding the Homenetmen Scout bylaws and applying them in the everyday scouting lives to resolve questions and conflicts as they arise.

The groups were given real-life scenarios to analyze and try to resolve resorting to the appropriate bylaws article.

The group work was followed by a discussion and a brief presentation of Homenetmen structure (garouyts).

The session that followed was on education and teaching methods.

The leaders came up with specific examples of methods to convey the right message to the scouts. That was followed by a discussion about scouting as a method of teaching, the origins of scouting, its role in today’s society, and the role of Homenetmen scouting in Armenian life. There was also a discussion on revising/updating some of the methods of scouting.

The two morning sessions were separated by breaks during which the chapter leaders had prepared and led various team-building games.

Following lunch, a guest speaker presented an interactive power point presentation highlighting the qualifications and skills of different types of leaders in the world, the qualities of a team and the steps required to develop and build teams.

The second afternoon session was a brief introduction to the concept of SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and then the different subgroups worked through a case scenario to organize a chapter that is on the verge of dying. They then came up with a strategic plan to approach the situation.

Another interactive session preceded dinner. Participants were introduced to the principles of a healthy diet and the importance of diet in health achievement and maintenance. The groups then came up with a complete meal plan for their scouts for the summer camp.

This was the first and introductory session of a series of seminars that the Eastern USA Regional Scout Council and Leadership plan to organize. Evaluations and recommendations of the participants will be taken into consideration and programs tailored to their needs.

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