Implement training from 21st Century Report

The American Legion

The 21st Century Ad-Hoc Committee was re-established during the 2017 Fall Meetings by the National Executive Committee to review the original 21st Century Report approved by the NEC during the 1997 Fall Meetings. The re-establishment of the committee was to update the report’s recommendations for current and future needs to ensure The American Legion continues to serve community, state and nation.

The report focuses on three areas: Legacy and Vision; Membership and Member Engagement; and Training. And it is to be implemented at all levels of the organization. Download the report here.

The following information on training came from the report as stated by the committee members:

"Training must be recognized as an important element to the success of The American Legion. It is essential to have a direct focus on training at all levels to continually improve the effectiveness of the organization, as well as ensuring that all members are good stewards of our legacy and vision. The ultimate goal is to enage, educate and empower American Legion Family members. It is our duty to provide a conduit for American Legion Family members to obtain the institutional knowledge that they need to grow within the respective Legion Family organizations and to engage and promote Legion programs.

"We have concluded that if we do not train and mentor future generations of Legion Family members, then there will be no Legion Family. It is an investment in our future that we must make – we can’t afford not to.
 
"To this end, the committee makes the following recommendations."
  • Departments must take ownership of training and mentoring. Every department should have: 
  1. An active training commitee
  2. A mentoring program.
  3. A Legion College that consists of the following subjects (at a minimum): leadership, how to conduct a meeting properly, resolution writing, train-the-trainer
  4. A training cadre.
  5. District commander training
  • Districts are responsible for getting the right training out to the posts. Districts should:
  1. Include training in all district events.
  2. Have an active training cadre.
  3. Bring training to the post level.
  4. Provide post officers training.
  • Posts need to actively support training opportunities for their Legion Family. Posts should:
  1. Have all members take the American Legion Basic Training course.
  2. Send post leadership to district and department training events.
  3. Bring back what is learned to the post level and implement it.
  • Legion Family members should progress along four levels of training.
  1. Basic: knowledge of the organization, introduction to programs
  2. Advanced: Informative (post and district officers) on operations of a post, resolution writing, who we are/what we do, mentorship, trainer at basic level.
  3. Senior: Implementation (district and department officers); fluency in The American Legion, trainer through advanced level, district/department training leaders, community engagement training, mentorship/mentor to empower lower levels. 
  4. Professional: Execution - trainer/train-the-trainer for all levels, mentorship/mentors-empower all levels, legislative, public relations.
  • All levels of The American Legion must be committed to mentoring:
  1. Every level of the organization should be responsible to nurture and mentor the future leaders of the organization.
  2. All districts/departments/post should have a mentorship program.
  3. Trial by fire does not work. Legion Family members should be nurtured and coached.
  • Continuous leadership focus on training year after year at all levels:
  1. Develop evaluation program.
  2. Ensure training initiatives are funded.
  3. Accountability.
  4. Recognize if we do not invest in our future – Who will?
  • Pathway to the future:
  1. Establish training committee with the intent to develop train-the-trainer instruction and instructional material—this needs to be a priority resourcing item at all levels.
  2. Promote post development training at district events.
  3. Establish department Legion colleges that meet minimum criteria.
  4. Create and maintain multiple paths to deliver training at all levels.
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