VISION 2016
Dr. Tom Hiter, retired Lt. Colonel in the National Guard and Professor of Military Science at Ft. Benning provided an introduction into Vision 2016 at the SCV National Leadership Conference in Foley AL. Vision 2016 is an exciting initiative for the entire SCV organization and leadership which will be gearing up immediately and over the next few years. The GEC in Chickamauga formulated the Vision 2016 concept and program after taking a hard look at the core SCV beliefs. We believe in God, home, family, heritage, duty, liberty, freedom, self-determination, self-government, and patriotism and we believe the Confederacy was founded on these same beliefs. The GEC formulated a plan to implement these beliefs, to have an organization of 50000 men by 2016 who are regarded as the preeminent authority on Southern heritage and American liberty. This vision was adopted at the Montgomery National Convention.
There are six elements to Vision 2016.
Who needs to take action? Every SCV member because it is our duty and privilege.
What needs to be done? Vindicate the Cause per the Charge. The Cause includes the belief in
individual liberty and states rights including the right to property (but not necessarily happiness)
as Jefferson originally proposed for the Constitution; promoting the Cause of liberty is essential
and should be the focus of our events and participation in parades and socials should be the trimming.
When does it need to start? Now.
Where was action needed? Everywhere, especially in the South firstly but everywhere we live now throughout the United States and the world; the SCV has members in Europe, Brazil and throughout the USA.
Why is the action required? Because it is our Charge and why we exist as an organization.
How? This is the hard part. The SCV is a 19th century organization in the 21st century. The members of the UCV conducted their reunions often in campgrounds especially in the poor Southern region rebuilding from the War and Reconstruction. The SCV was founded by children of these veterans who originally sought to help their fathers attend these reunions. But today we have a much nobler cause.
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) In WWII conducted a body of research on which thousands of volumes have been written. The Vision 2016 plan makes use of this research. Elementally, this research found that anyone can learn to lead. This was essential when special operations sought to recruit the local populace to lead resistance forces. The OSS study showed you can train leaders.
General Systems Theory formulated in the 1950s postulates that open systems are those that interact with their environment and they function best. Organizations work best when members are involved in making decisions and plot the course of action. Many organizations today are like that like churches and some local SCV camps too but all too often, SCV camps are founded and directed by a single man who builds a membership that does not get involved and do not continue with the organization. Systems Theory identified key things to fix – educate ourselves (training), educate the public (marketing), better public relations and growth. In the 1980s and 1990s communication technology leapt forward and continues today. Systems Theory is about keeping the communication going.
Vision 2016 formulated by the GEC comprises many elements:
A “What Works” book was written and is available to every camp.
A g-mail system was put in place and every camp or commander will have a permanent g-mail address.
A shadow organization will be developed to assist Commanders at National, Army and Division levels to assist camps. Camps should exhaust the shadow organization as resources for support for recruitment, retention, and training.
Share information between camps at a national level. The camp Google account will include access to a Google shared drive which provides access for retrieving filed information including resources and communications. It will be thru this method that for instance instructions for lobbying local, state and national politicians for SCV initiatives will be communicated.
What’s next? More Army and Division level training. By July all camps will hold a facilitated meeting to deal with the Systems Theory questions on what we do and what we can do better and results will be disseminated to each camp. Also by July each camp will need to be comfortable with their Google account.
What can we do now? Talk it up. Use the new Google account and systems. Use the ideas in the What Works book. Get to know your component managers and coordinators at Division level and use them as resources.
Vision 2016.
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