[David Taylor Jr.]

Good info Dave!

[David Taylor Jr.]

Excited to be a part of this!

[David Taylor Jr.]

@davegregg any updates?

[David Taylor Jr.]

We are still over a month out from starting so we have not made any decisions and are waiting on what the state/church will or will not allow us to do.

[David Taylor Jr.]

For years now we have done two meetings. This is always the first weekend of each month. Sr. Leaders meet on Saturday morning and the full leadership team meets on Sunday afternoon.

[David Taylor Jr.]

We start planning in May and usually have everything planned (big picture) by the end of July. Finer details get worked out throughout the year in LTM and Microsoft Teams.

[David Taylor Jr.]

So far, 2733 has done the following:

 

Modified 20 Questions: Someone comes up with a topic and the group asks yes or no questions one by one until someone figures out the answer.

2 Truths and a Lie: We had everyone chat the captain their Name – Lie – Truth – Truth. Then, later in the meeting, these were read out one by one (mixing up the order of truth and lie) and people wrote down on a card two things. 1, what they thought the lie was, and 2, who they thought it was. The person who got the most correct won.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Here is what we do.

The Brigadier selects a mentor and has that mentor get in touch with our achievement coordinator. The AC conducts a brief interview (make sure the mentor is a solid Christian man) and goes over how achievement works and how we can support them. Then we let them get started.

The AC checks in with mentors on a monthly basis to ask how they can support. We check in sooner if no progress is being made.

For Leadership Trails, we require the mentor be a Senior Leader in the unit.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Hey Dave,

So we are doing our own version of the Computer Skills patch specifically dealing with Microsoft Teams and collaboration.

Basically this week we will be getting them set up on their accounts and each week we will have a different aspect of the software and during the week they will finish activities like contact a Sr. Leader, or reply to a post, or fill out a form, etc.

Games, this week we are doing two truths and a lie, we have talked about a virtual scavenger hunt and a couple of other ideas.

[David Taylor Jr.]

We like using Zoom as well. We have a paid account so we actually send squads into breakout rooms to let the Corporals teach their squad lessons and catch up with their guys.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Correct. I know it is in development but I am curious as to what stage and when we can expect to see it. I have guys who are interested in it.

[David Taylor Jr.]

@pwesterman No, I am talking about the other track, Frontier Trails. This is referenced in both the Observer book as well as the Christ Centered Adventure Trails book as an alternative to Leadership Trails.

[David Taylor Jr.]

For Adventure Trails we only use Sr. Leader’s as a mentor as a last resort and encourage the guys to find a Christian Man in their life that can work with them on it. Now for Leadership Trails we require Sr. Leaders be their mentors.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Thanks Dave, I think Scott was looking into it as well.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Awesome, you will have to let us know how that goes!

[David Taylor Jr.]

We do. I got it from one of the Brigade Books, though I don’t know which one right off hand.  AC stands for Achievement Coordinator.

 

Mentors

Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to serve as a Battalion Mentor. To fulfill this exciting experience you should:

Commit to helping that young man grow spiritually and being an example for him. Seek to have a positive impact on his life. Developing this relationship is as valuable as the achievement material he is working on. This will take time, require sensitivity, and demand plenty of attention.

Work with him until he completes and entire unit. It will take 2-6 months. Meet with him at least 7 or 8 times for about 10-20 minutes each. Augment these times with informal meetings and phone calls.
Look at Adventure Trails. There are six adventures: You and Your Faith, You and God’s Word, You and Prayer, You Serving Others, You Building Others, and You Telling Others. Within each there are 7 or 8 action steps.

Discuss the material  with him (one per meeting), after he has done each Action Step. He may have questions for you. Don’t feel like you must be an expert. Listen and allow him to talk. Help him feel at ease. The 15-20 minutes of Battalion squad meetings can be used for this purpose.

Initiate interaction with him whenever possible. Because you have been chosen by him to be his mentor, you can encourage him even when he has not completed an Action Step. Find out what you can do to help.
Be a learner yourself. Notice the Bible memory verses. Try to quote them to him before he says them to you. Allow him to make as many mistakes as you make. Do the Bible studies on your own so you are familiar with them.

Allow him to do the work. Ask yourself, “Has he completed it to his ability, even though it may not be perfect?” When finished, sign in his book. Look at the next Action Step and determine when you’ll meet next. Pray together.

Figure Out if you will need to provide some extrinsic incentive (a reward) to help him finish the unit. These young men are busy and will get distracted. Keep a positive attitude, even when he may appear to be losing interest. You can work along with him in things on which he does not understand. This may be of great encouragement to him.

Report back to the Battalion Leadership when all is completed. Keep adequate records and turn them in. Another man may be his mentor in his next achievement adventure. Pray for him as he continues.

[David Taylor Jr.]

Thanks Dave. When my wife and I were praying and discussing moving we had a pro/con column and leaving the unit was actually one of the top on the Con level and we had to work through a way with the Chairman to keep me involved. It has worked really well and I still attend most of the monthly trips.

Last year, I surprised them by coming down unannounced for their annual Christmas party.

[David Taylor Jr.]

If the young man has a father who is a Christ-follower, these are usually the strongest mentors. However it is also healthy to be sure other men are speaking into their lives as well, as time goes on.

You know Dale it is interesting, I just had a conversation with one of our Non-Coms last night about this. He actually prefers it to not be a father. Not because his father isn’t a strong Christian, and not because his father doesn’t have a good relationship with him. He said he likes having someone that he does not see on a day to day basis that he gets to interact with and build a new relationship and get insights that he might not get from his dad who sees him every single day.