Who is responsible for our advancement in Pathways? We are.

HS commented in a posts: "I struggled to fully understand the approval system for Pathways Projects, Levels and Paths, as it was not clear to me how the Base Camp Manager could see proof that I have actually performed and completed all of the steps, apart from me marking each Level complete.

In the old system, each project was clearly initialled by the VPE in the manual. Is there any documentation that we need to collect in order for the Base Camp Manager to approve our progress?" 

Others in the discussion about Pathways asked similar questions. Here is my answer.

The approval process for Pathways projects is based on Ralph S. initial decision more then hundred years ago and then again and again confirmed: there is not Fail/Pass at Toastmasters. That was one of the first decision Pat Johnson team of REP Learners made, there will be no Fail/Pass in Pathways.

Each of us is responsible for what and how we learns, what knowledge and skills we develop. 

So, we do the Assess your skills After... and when all questions are answered Save, to signal Base Camp we finished the tasks. Same in any Project. That all it takes to add a check on the project. (In case someone is between less then 0.4% and has Printed Path, the VPE has to do declaring every project for him! a lot more work! one of the reasons to avoid it in plus of the member not having any choice of Electives).

As we are not in school no "professor" has to examine "how we did" so we do not have to show Evaluation form completed to anyone. It is for us. Even if we upload the form to our e-portofolio, no one then us can see it. Best it saved in our folders or printed and saved all together. In old times, they clipped them all together at some time, they were not part of the "manual" of Basic Training.

Here an example of the Leadership Development Level 3, with all the tasks completed and check marked. The VPE approved it so I could View and Print the certificate and continue to next level.

Indeed the VPE or any other BCM marks complete a Level so we can go further, but only in extreme cases will ask us how or when we have done our tasks. Usually, he or she will listen to us delivering the after tasks speech in the club. Will have also the agenda.

We get (or not) a right to give speeches outside, perhaps best to prevent (or ask "permission"). In my clubs, for long long time, no one looked and initiated the manuals. We do not need documentation to show for approval.

If we "cheat" and we can easy even sometimes fill without knowing yet what will happen, we only do it to our development for which as adults we are totally responsible. So, as we need the learning, we do wait and do all the tasks, and only then we continue farther. We learn because we want to develop. Not to get yet another award for us, the club or the district. We learn responsibility. We learn new skills.