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Section 1 a “Blueprint” for the 21st Century Purpose


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SECTION 1
A “Blueprint” for the 21st Century
Purpose: A plan to provide “Service” to our veterans, their families and their communities is as solid today, in a period of high technology and lightning fast changes, as it was in 1919, when the founding fathers of The American Legion met in Paris.
They were true visionaries. Much of The American Legion’s success rests on its understanding that the fight for veterans rights - past, present or future - is never-ending. While our purposes may remain unchanged, our capabilities must not. The environment is changing and we must stay in front of change to be this nation’s leading advocate for veterans.
For continued success, we must provide first rate service to our veterans throughout the next century, The basis for this blueprint is the Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion, which was finalized at the St. Louis caucus in 1919 and reaffirmed at Minneapolis in 1994. This declaration reaffirmed the principles on which our great organization was developed (the Preamble Minneapolis Affirmation follows the 21st century blueprint information).
And the method for applying this blueprint for success to American Legion activities has not changed either. Personal contact at every level of leadership within The American Legion is the catalyst that has made us successful in the past and will make us even more successful serving veterans in the future.
Since our founding fathers gave us a sound, clear focus, we need to build on this direction as we seek every opportunity to excel in growth and membership in the 21st century.
21st Century Key Challenges: The key challenges facing The American Legion in the 21st Century, as outlined by the National Executive Committee in October, 1997, have a common denominator to success -- personal involvement of Legion Officers.

Vision: Every American Legion member must focus on service to the veteran, to their families and to the communities as their number one priority. Legion officers at every level must lead the way in reinforcing this vision.
Goals: We must have goals to fulfill our vision of service. A mission statement should be in place that includes these goals and spells out a direction of where you and The American Legion at every level should be in one, three, five and seven years.
Image: We must be aware at all times of our image and how others perceive us and our work in the community. We must remain the champions of service to our veterans and their communities. Everyone in a Legion leadership position must set the example for all members to follow.
Partnership: The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of The American Legion need to be partners in providing service to our veterans, their families and their communities. Legion officers again must set the example for inner-organization dialogue and cooperation. Our work of service to our veterans is a “family affair.”
Public Relations: We can amplify our commitment of service to the veteran through an aggressive and consistent public relations program. It allows us to maintain visibility in the community. Technology in the media has made it possible for every one to become accessible to print and broadcast media. Likewise, Community

Service Committees, the Chamber of Commerce(s), and Business Associations have doubled in number over the past 10 years. These are excellent opportunities to network. Become involved in the community as a good neighbor. Public relations opportunities to tell the Legion story should be pursued.


Programs: Our service to veterans and their communities is manifested in our programs and there are many outstanding programs to choose from. Single theme or service Posts can be drawing cards for starting new Posts. Legion officers at every level should be coaches, motivators and consultants in helping Posts develop and maintain programs.
Training: Every officer and staff member needs training. Through training we gain knowledge to help better serve our veterans. Whether it is a Department Legion College, a conference, an annual convention, the Extension Institute or National Information Conferences, education of our officers and staffs at every level should be an on-going process. One of the most ideal and effective training methods lies in mentoring.

Mentoring: Is an “hands-on” approach to training that has proven to be the best investment in nurturing future Legion leaders. Mentoring can be tailored to accommodate any learning needs of your members. It can be in small group or done one-on-one. Through the individualized coaching by a seasoned Legion officer, new officers and members can receive the training and reap the benefits of experience, which may be lost in a classroom setting. Mentoring allows one to learn at their own pace and in their own locality. It allows ample room for positive motivation and stimulates new ideas for improving Legion business.
Membership: Service to our veterans begins with our membership base. Without members we would have no voice on Capitol Hill nor could we achieve the entitlements and support to our veterans, their families, their communities, our state and nation. Membership is everyone’s responsibility --especially Legion officers. Post revitalization and new Post development should be on every Legion Officer’s mind. Resolution 28, Disenfranchising, reaffirmed that the Department Commander or Department Executive Committee is the final decision maker on establishing Posts within the Department, not another Post or District. The National Executive Committee established, by the same resolution, an objective of one Post for each high school in the community. The focus is presence in the community and the objective is growth. Over the next five years the goal is to increase the number of Posts to over 16,000. Therefore, every Department must focus on Post development/ revitalization
21st Century Outreach Program - This program encourages Legion officers to aggressively seek support from the Active Duty military, Guard and Reserve organizations in your Department to identify eligible veterans. Since January 1998, several active duty bases and guard units have agreed to allow The American Legion to address veterans separating from the service. The potential for membership is unlimited. Two initiatives to identify veterans in the community are listed below:
JobsAmerican Legion Members and Posts can help job seekers from the military community find good jobs with good employers! Help your employer/business in recruiting Veterans, transitioning military, and working spouses! Find out how referring employers will benefit your Post and the Legion by visiting The American Legion web site at www.Legion.org.
Internet - Several of our members have shown leadership initiative by thinking outside the box when it comes to finding new sources of eligible veterans. Tapping into webrings and getting on veteran service organization chat lines has proven to be highly successful in initiating interest in The American Legion. It is also a new frontier to promote the Legion through new public relation opportunities.
Communication: This is a must! Legion officers must set the example in establishing clear and concise lines of communication with members and nonmember alike. Through communication and personal contact, The American Legion can cross all race, gender and age barriers on its way to providing quality service to our veterans and their communities. District and county Commanders should visit every Post within their jurisdiction. This provides you with an awareness of their needs and growth potential. Communicate, educate and support one another through all mediums available to you whether its newsletters, bulletins, television, radio, newspapers, E-Mail and/or direct contact.

Conclusion: The essence of the 21st Century Plan is personal involvement through demonstrated leadership. Our blueprint for success was laid out for each of us by our founding fathers----it is:
SERVICE TO OUR VETERANS, THEIR FAMILIES AND

TO THEIR COMMUNITIES, STATES AND NATION
For more information, refer to the full text of the resolutions approved by the National Executive Committee, May 6-7, 1998, Spring Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana – the “Resolving” clauses of each resolution follows:

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