NYC
Operating
Procedures

Purpose | Definitions | Responsibilities | Meetings | Voting

Election | Ongoing Communication | Review

Purpose of these Operational Procedures

The purpose of this document is to explain the proposed Operational Guidelines of the National Youth Council, and in doing so, provide all members of our Scouting community a better understanding of how the National Youth Council actually operates and makes decisions.

These operating procedures may be changed by the National Youth Council providing that the resulting procedures are consistent with the Standing Resolutions of the Operations Committee.

Back to top

Definitions

Chief Commissioner - person filling the ‘Chief Commissioner, Scouts Australia’ position

Council - National Youth Council of Scouts Australia

Council Advisor - person filling the ‘National Coordinator - National Youth Council’ position

Operations Committee - National Operations Committee, Scouts Australia

NC - Youth Program - person filling the ‘National Commissioner - Youth Program’ position

NEC - National Executive Committee, Scouts Australia

Back to top

Responsibilities

Chair

  • Ensures that the meetings of the Council are chaired impartially, and that the meetings run smoothly and effectively.

  • Maintains direct communication and consultation with the Chief Commissioner.

  • Ensuring reports and recommendations are submitted onto the Operations Committee from the Council, and all responses and reports back to the Council from the Operations Committee are dealt with.

  • Is expected to attend the National meetings, and represent Scouts Australia at Regional and World Youth Forums and Scout Conferences.

  • Works closely with the Council Advisor and other Executive members to ensure that the business of the Council is progressed in the most appropriate manner.

  • Represents the National Youth Council at National meetings and to act as the spokesperson for communication into these meetings, and reporting back to the National Youth Council.

Deputy Chair

  • Assists the Chair in the carrying out of her/his duties.

  • Takes over the duties of the Chairman in her/his absence.

  • Coordinates the promotion to all youth members within the scout, venturer and rover sections both the concept of the Council and also those decisions made by the Council.

  • Works closely with the Chair and other Executive members to ensure that the business of the Council is progressed in the most appropriate manner.

Secretary

  • In conjunction with the Chair, coordinates the production and distribution of agendas, reports and other attachments for meetings.

  • Coordinates the timely production and distribution of all minutes, reports and other information to all members.

  • Maintains a complete listing of decisions and recommendations made by the Council as an easy reference document for access by all Council members.

  • Works closely with the Chair and other Executive members to ensure that the business of the Council is progressed in the most appropriate manner.

  • Maintains an up to date statement of the Operational Procedures of the National Youth Council, and the Standing Resolutions of the Operations Committee which provides the National Youth Council with its authority, role, and responsibility.

Administration Officer

  • Coordinates and maintains an up to date listing of all members including all contact information (mail addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers) as well as individual membership of any established working groups.

  • Coordinates the communication mechanism for Council members, especially those relating to multi-media and information technology that would improve the way the Council communicates.

  • In conjunction with the Council Advisor, coordinates any training issues for Council members, both on a Council and an individual basis, especially those relating to accessing multi-media and information technology issues that would improve the skills and efficiency of individual Council members.

  • Works closely with the Chair and other Executive members to ensure that the business of the Council is progressed in the most appropriate manner.

Council Advisor

  • Formulates an operational structure for the effective running and management of the Council.

  • Organises the calling for applications to fill vacancies on the Council, and then the assessment and selection of youth members

  • Provides ongoing adult administrative and operational support to the Chair of the Council to ensure the effective operation of all aspects of the Council’s activities.

  • Acts in an advisory manner for the Council as a whole, and for individual members where appropriate, especially those within the executive roles.

  • Establishes and agrees operational budgets for the Council with the NC - Youth Program, and works within those agreed budgets.

  • Is a member of the National Commissioner - Youth Program’s team

NC - Youth Program

  • Responsible for the availability of national resources, financial budget and ongoing operational issues of the Council at the national level.

  • To facilitate the communication between the Chief Commissioner and the Operations Committee on the one hand, and the Chair, Council Advisor and other Executive members on the other.

  • With the Chief Commissioner, will establish the priorities for the Council on a needs basis to ensure that there is not a case of work overload, and will be answerable to the Operations Committee for this.

Chief Commissioner of Australia

  • Will act as Patron to the Council, with responsibility to the youth members to ensure their decisions and recommendations to the Operations Committee are considered.

  • With the NC - Youth Program, will establish the priorities for the Council on a needs basis to ensure that there is not a case of work overload, and will be answerable to the National OC for this.

  • Will mainly communicate through the Chair, NC - Youth Program, Council Advisor and other office bearers of the Council.

Executive

  • Membership shall consist of the four elected office bearers (namely the Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary, Administration Officer) and the Council Advisor.

  • The executive should work closely as a team under the Chair’s leadership to ensure that the ongoing business of the Council is progressed in the most appropriate manner. The individual executive members should maintain contact with each other throughout the year.

Working Groups

  • Six specific Working Groups will be established to work with nominated specific areas of interest, and each of these ongoing Working Groups would then report back to the executive on an ongoing basis. These six groups are:

  • Youth Health issues

  • Environmental issues

  • Employment & Education issues

  • Marketing issues (including PR, recruitment and retention)

  • Technology issues (use in Scouting)

  • Scouting issues (all aspects including sectional programming, national & international, along with the principles & fundamentals)

  • It is envisaged that all council members will be involved in at least three working groups (everyone would be involved with the Scouting issues group, and members would nominate another two groups of their choice).

  • Additional Working Groups may be established to work on other issues or carry out specific tasks, and then that working group would report back to the council or the Executive depending on the agreed basis with each group

  • Each Working Group will have a member nominated as the Group’s Leader and as the group notetaker, will be responsible for keeping the Group moving on the task assigned, and then reporting back of the Group’s progress to the Executive.

Sectional Groups - Scouts, Venturer Scouts, Rovers

  • Three Sectional Groups will be established to work on issues together within their age / section, carry out specific tasks, and the Sectional Groups would then report back to the Council or the Executive depending on the agreed basis with each work issue.

  • Each Sectional Group will have a member nominated as the Section Leader and Section Notetaker, who will be responsible for keeping the Group moving on the tasks assigned, and the reporting back of the Group’s progress to the Executive.

Patrols

  • Four Patrols will be established to work on issues together, carry out specific tasks, provide support to each other as members of the council, and then report back to the Council or the Executive depending on the basis with each work issue.

  • Each Patrol will nominate their Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader, who will be responsible for maintaining communications between the Patrol members, providing support to Patrol members, moving in any tasks assigned, and the reporting back of the Patrol’s progress to the Executive.

(this means that each Council member will be in at least five smaller groups within the larger Council - their Patrol, their sections group, the Scouting issues working group, and the additional two working groups individually picked).

Back to top

Meetings

Physical Meetings:

  • The Council shall physically meet at least annually, normally in the March - April period, with the actual dates and venue being agreed after consultation between the Chair, Council Advisor and NC - Youth Program.

  • Meetings will be open to all members of the Council, the Chief Commissioner, the NC - Youth Program and the Council Advisor. Other speakers, guests or observers may also be invited to attend meetings (or a specific part of a meeting depending on the agenda) on the agreement of the Chair.

  • The travel, secretariat, administration, catering and accommodation expenses will be met by national as part of the agreed budget allocation process.

Internet Meetings:

  • How full meetings over the internet are carried out is not yet established in procedural format. This is one area that the Executive and Council Advisor will have to establish and formalise, and put to the Council.

Executive Meetings:

  • The Executive shall carry on business in the most appropriate manner identified, which may include meeting either physically, over a telephone hookup, or utilising the internet and current information technology.

  • The operational expenses of the Executive members will be met by national as part of the agreed budget allocation process, however the Executive members need to be aware of the budgetary constraints when organising their meetings.

Back to top

Voting

General:

On the vast majority of issues discussed it is not envisaged that the Council would be voting on issues, rather discussing and presenting a ‘collection of views and comments representing the breadth of Australia’s youth’ which would be passed on to the Chief Commissioner of Australia and the Operations Committee in total.

However, where the occasion to vote does arise:

  • Only Council members may vote on issues at meetings, with each person having only one vote.

  • Votes must be cast in person, there is no proxy voting.

  • To be accepted, recommendations must be approved by a majority of votes cast (abstentions are not considered a vote cast).

  • Recommendations should be accurately recorded and formally moved and duly seconded by individual members.

  • Voting may be by show of hands, however if there is no visible majority then the Chairman may call for a vote by roll call.

  • Any member may request a specific vote to be carried out by secret ballot. On such an occasion the Chairman and Council Advisor will consult on exactly how such a secret ballot will be carried out, and the secretary and Council Advisor will act as returning officers.

  • When an amendment to a recommendation is proposed by a member and duly seconded, the amendment is first put to the Council for a vote, before the original recommendation. If the amendment is lost, then the original recommendation is then put. If the amendment is carried, then the recommendation as amended accordingly is put before the Council.

Back to top

Election and terms of office

Office Bearers

  • The Council members shall elect their own office bearers at the annual meeting, and those office bearers will hold office for the next 24 months commencing from the 1st May.

  • Any office bearer may be dismissed on the recommendation of the Executive as soon as possible, and the majority vote of all Council members.

  • Any casual vacancies will be filled by an election run by the Executive as soon as possible, and the new office bearer shall hold office until the next changeover of all positions.

  • No youth member shall be considered for a second consecutive term in the same position

Back to top

Ongoing communication and information dissemination

  • It is envisaged that the major communication method of the Council between their annual meeting will be via the internet facilities. Council members will need ongoing and reliable access to the internet and email facilities to carry out their roles effectively.

  • Where a Council member does not have regular access to appropriate computer facilities (through school, business, community or private facilities), the Council Advisor will then discuss what other options are available with the national office and the individual’s branch headquarters.

  • The Chair and other Executive members will maintain contact with all Council members through the internet with regular information, either seeking information as to issues that the Council should be putting to the NEC, or in turn providing information from the NEC that the Council needs to comment and provide feedback on.

  • The Council will try and coordinate internet familiarisation and training where appropriate for Council members, which will cover not only email but also chat rooms and other facilities.

Review

These guidelines will be reviewed annually at the Council meeting.

Back to top

 

 

[nyc/_private/footer.html]