Hawk Mountain Council Venturing Officer s Association Bylaws Approved as of: 4/18/2011 Article I: Name and Affiliation 1.1: The name of the organization shall be the, Hawk Mountain Council Venturing Officer s Association (HMC VOA) and will operate under the support of the Hawk Mountain Council Venturing Committee and the Venturing Staff Advisor of the Hawk Mountain Council. Article II: Purpose 1.1: The intent of the HMC VOA is to aid crews by: 1.1.1: Provide communication to all Venture Crews 1.1.2: Provide and assist with Training Courses 1.1.3: Develop council wide Venturing Activities 1.1.4: Provide resources of various types for leaders and crews 1.1.5: Promote the Venturing program and available opportunities 1.1.6: Encourage and utilize youth leadership on the crew and council levels 1.1.7: Aid new and existing units with training, programs, and other necessary areas Article III: Organization 1.1: The HMC VOA shall consist of elected (through interview process outlined in Article IV) officers, crew representatives (youth and adult), VOA advisor, VOA associate advisor, and a VOA staff advisor. 1.2: Youth Officers 1.2.1: All youth officers must remain under the age of 21 through the entire length of their term, be registered in a Venture Crew, and be in good standing of the HMC VOA. Officers will serve as voting members of the HMC VOA. 1.2.2: The Youth Officers shall be as follows: President Vice President of Administration
Vice President of Program Vice President of Communication 1.2.3: Responsibilities of Youth Officers 1.2.3.1: President Presides over all HMC VOA Meetings Youth member of the VOA Key 3 Oversees all operations of the HMC VOA Prepare meeting agendas in consultation of VOA advisor and staff advisor Appoint youth committee chairman as needed Serves as a voting member of the Council Venturing Committee Prepare a report for the Council Executive Board at the conclusion of each calendar year 1.2.3.2: Vice President of Administration Assumes responsibilities of President in the event of the President s absence Provides an annual ILSC for the council Serve as a link between the HMC VOA and the council s crews Provides information and resources on awards and advancement for crews Maintains financial records in coordination and consultation with the VOA Staff Advisor Presents financial reports at meetings for approval 1.2.3.3: Vice President of Program Plans and oversees the annual council Venturing Camping event Prepares recognitions and awards for council Venturers Advertise and encourage district, council, area, regional, and national Venturing events Provide recruitment tools and opportunities for crews
1.3: Crew Representatives 1.2.3.4: Vice President of Communication Acts as the communication officer for the HMC VOA Publishes a bi monthly Venturing newsletter for the Herbie Hawk Informs VOA members of HMC VOA meetings and activities Maintain attendance and membership records Take meeting minutes, and present minutes for approval at the immediately following meeting 1.3.1: Each Venture Crew within the Hawk Mountain Council will be able to select up to 2 representatives to be members of the HMC VOA (Crew President and a Vice President recommended, but not required). In the event that a Crew Rep. cannot attend, a replacement may be sent. 1.3.2: All crew representatives will serve as voting members of the HMC VOA 1.3.3: Other responsibilities may be assigned to crew representatives and the need and discretion of the HMC VOA 1.3.4: Crew Representative is not an official position elected by the VOA. 1.4: Adult membership 1.4.1: Adult Advisors will serve in an advising, non voting role in the HMC VOA. 1.4.2: The Adult members of the VOA will be as follows: VOA Advisor VOA Associate Advisor VOA Staff Advisor Adult Crew Representatives 1.4.3: Responsibilities of Adult Members 1.4.3.1: VOA Advisor
Serves as the lead Advisor in all VOA activities Serves as a member of the Council Venturing Committee Serves as a member of the VOA Key 3 Acts as a link to adult crew advisors Works with primarily, but not limited to, the President and Vice President of Administration 1.4.3.2: Associate VOA Advisor Takes of responsibilities of the VOA Advisor in the event of the VOA Advisor s absence Serves as a member of the Council Venturing Committee Works with primarily, but not limited to, the Vice President of Program and Secretary 1.4.3.3: VOA Staff Advisor Serves as the professional link between the VOA and the council Serves as a member of the Council Venturing Committee Serves as a member of the VOA Key 3 Works with primarily, but not limited to, the President and Treasurer 1.4.3.4: Adult Crew Representatives Each crew may send one adult representative (Crew advisor recommended). They will not serve as a voting member. The position is to insure the flow of information to all levels of the Venture crew. Article IV: Elections/Appointments 1.1: All youth officers shall be selected through an interview process annually. There will be a lead youth that shall oversee the process in consultation with the VOA Advisor, Assoc. Advisor, and Staff Advisor.
1.2: Terms will be one year (approximate) and begin at the conclusion of the business meeting at the annual council Venturing camping event and will end at the conclusion of the election for their respective office at the following year s Venturing event. 1.3: The lead youth will develop questions and use the procedures listed in the HMC VOA manual for conducting the officer interviews. The lead youth will select 3 5 other youth Venturers to sit on the interview panel. The panel will consist of the prior mentioned youth Venturers, VOA Advisor, Assoc. Advisor, and Staff Advisor. The panel will deliberate and select the candidate they feel will fit the description of each role and uphold the responsibilities best. 1.4: Youth candidates running for a position must be under the age of 21 for the entire term for which they are running. 1.5: Youth candidates must present a letter of approval from their crew advisor permitting them to interview for only the offices specified in the letter. This letter must be presented to the VOA advisor at least one day (24 hours) prior to the interviews. 1.6: Interviews will take place Saturday Evening of the annual Venturing camping event and the announcement of officers shall be made during the annual business meeting Sunday of the event; at this time, officers will be sworn in and made official. 1.7: Should any youth officer positions go un filled; the newly selected VOA President will have the authority to appoint someone to that position. 1.8: The VOA Advisor shall be appointed by the Council Venturing Chairman in consultation with the VOA Staff Advisor and the Council Scout Executive for a term of their discretion. 1.9: The VOA Associate Advisor shall be appointed by the VOA Advisor in consultation with the VOA staff advisor and Council Venturing Committee Chairman for a term of their discretion. 1.10: The VOA Staff Advisor shall be appointed by the Council Scout Executive for a term of his/her discretion. 1.11: Removal from Office 1.11.1: Youth Officers 1.11.1.1: Reasons to remove a youth officer from office can include but are not limited to, failure to fulfill responsibilities as designated by the HMC VOA bylaws and VOA, failure to live in accordance with the ideals of Scouting,
and failure to attend numerous VOA events/meetings. Any member of the HMC VOA may request the Removal Process to take place, but at least 50% of the youth HMC VOA members must approve that the hearing outlined in the following section (Article IV section 1.11.1.2) to take place. This submission shall be presented to the VOA Advisor and Staff Advisor anonymously, who will then have the authority to enact the removal process accordingly. 1.11.1.2: A vote must be taken at a HMC VOA meeting in order to vote an officer out of office. Notification must be sent to the officer in question at least 2 weeks prior to the vote. They will be allowed to plead their case at the meeting where the vote is to take place if they choose to do so. A 2/3 supermajority vote must be attained in order to remove an officer (2/3 from votes cast ONLY, not from members present); votes are from youth members of the VOA. This vote will be done in a secret ballot manner. 1.11.1.3: In the event that a member is removed, a special election will be held at the following VOA meeting or event in order to fill the position. Those choosing to run for the newly vacant position shall submit the necessary documents specified in Article IV Section 1.5 at least one day prior to the election. Each candidate will be able to explain why they seek the position and what qualifies them. A brief question and answer session will then take place. This shall happen in front of the entire VOA. VOA members will then vote by secret ballots. A candidate must receive a majority (+50%) of votes cast (not members present) in order to be selected as the winner. This officer shall be sworn in and installed as a VOA officer. 1.11.2: Youth Chairman 1.11.2.1: Youth chairman may be removed at the discretion of the VOA President on the same standards of removing a youth officer (Article IV, section 1.10.1.1). Reappointment of the position is also at the discretion of the VOA President 1.11.3: Adult Advisors 1.11.3.1: Matters of the removal of the VOA Advisor and VOA Associate Advisor shall be handled by the Council Venturing Committee, Staff Advisor, and Council Scout Executive. 1.11.3.2: Any special committee advisors can be removed at the discretion
of the VOA Advisor. 1.12: Resignation Article V: Meetings 1.12.1: Any youth officer or adult advisor may resign at any time during their term. In the event of a youth, a special election will take place following these guidelines outline in Article IV section 1.11.1.2. Adults will be reappointed by the appropriate parties. 1.1: The HMC VOA shall meet at least 6 times per year. 1.2: The VOA President will preside over all meetings (in the event that he/she is unable to fulfill this responsibility the succession of officer is 1: Vice President of Administration, 2: Vice President of Program,3: or as otherwise designated by the President. 1.3: The meeting procedure shall follow Robert s Rules of Order also known as parliamentary procedure. 1.4: A minimum of 3 officers and 2 represented crews (one member present) shall constitute a quorum (minimum number of members to vote). 1.5: The Vice President of Communication is responsible for communicating all meeting times and locations in a timely fashion. Article VI: Events 1.1: The HMC VOA shall host an annual Venturing camping event for all crews in March of each year (cancelations must be voted on by the VOA). The VP of Program shall be the youth coordinator for the event in consultation with the VOA President, VOA Advisor, VOA Assoc. Advisor, and the VOA Staff Advisor. 1.2: An annual ILSC will be planned and coordinated by the VP of Admin in consultation with the VOA President, VOA Advisor, VOA Assoc. Advisor, and the VOA Staff Advisor. 1.3: Venture crews may host events (examples: Demonstrations, training events, trips, etc ) for the council with approval of the VOA and in consultation with the VOA Key 3. 1.4: The VOA may host other events pending VOA approval. Articles VII: Bylaw Amendments 1.1: Any youth member of the HMC VOA may present a bylaw amendment, if granted the
floor by the VOA President or his/her designee. 1.2: In order for a bylaw to pass, a 2/3 supermajority must be received from all votes cast. Only youth members can vote. This vote will be done in a secret ballot fashion.