eagle-pete

Sounds like fun, hard work, dedication, and a thouroughly rewarding experience. Also, just like participants, I will get out of it what I put into it. I am looking forward to GREAT Wood Badge. Thank you for all your advise. I am sure as the course date gets closer and I learn more I will have more questions. Eagle Pete

I was just invited today to be on staff on a Wood Badge course in September 2007! I am ecstatic! I have been waiting for over 3 1/2 years for this. I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be on staff. WOW! Ok.. now that I got that out of the way and managed to come down out of the clouds for just a bit (NOT), any advise from any of you old-time staffers? By the way, I will be serving as Troop Guide. They could not have given me a better assignment. Best staff position! I haven't even been assigned a patrol. I don't even know when that will occur. I am so green at this, but excited! I do plan to make the best of this time and enjoy every single moment of it. I'm gonna have a great time! Anyway, your advise and council is welcome! Thank you. Eagle Pete

Dan The bottom line is someone has to pay the fee. The difference is that some units have more motivation to supplement the training costs to leaders than others. Ours opted to offer full payment for Wood Badge participants. This is possible primarily because they have the means and desire to have quality leaders. They see it more of an investment. It is an investment in the leaders - but more importantly an investment in the future of our boys in the Scouting program. Incidentally, if you happen to belong to an LDS unit, recent focus of the general leadership of the Church has been shifting much more in favor of the Wood Badge training program. The General Young Men Presidency has specifically stated that the Church not only endorses the BSA programs, but in fact strongly encourages those who have been called to scouting to be trained in their positions. I feel it would be well worth your effort to discuss the options you may have with local leadership in regards to finding assistance with paying for Wood Badge. Not all units will be in favor or be able to find the funds, however training is encouraged by the General leadership of the Church.* Eagle Pete *Source: "Where Scouting is available, priesthood and Young Men leaders are encouraged to become adequately trained and familiar with the requirements for Scouting awards as well as the Duty to God Award so both programs can be prayerfully applied in meeting the needs of the youth." -- Charles W. Dahlquist II, Young Men General President

This falls under the category of "personal decision" and the spirit of the law, rather than the letter of the law. For me, personally, I have, for the last 8 years, attended an instructor lead Youth Protection Training once per year. This seems to be sufficient for me to stay up to date and comfortable with all the Youth Protection guidelines. Personally, I do not want it to lapse. Many times I am asked questions from other leaders about our YP policies. It's good to stay on top of it. Eagle Pete

Wait a minute Let me get something staight here... GNX Guy - you mean to tell me that you were not taught Back To Gilwell at Wood Badge? Do you not remember singing? If you sung Back To Gilwell at Wood Badge, why would it be inappropriate to sing after the course with fellow Wood Badgers even before you earn your beads. Maybe I just don't get the question. Anyway - to the best of my knowledge, I know of no "rules" of any kind regarding Back To Gilwell. It's just a song... And as I understand it, the meaning of the song is to remind us of our continued goals to achieve in Scouting, whether we have our beads or not! Need I address the issue of critter superiority? Soaring eagles continue to reach the greatest heights of all, resting on their aeries with a bird's eye view - We see the big picture. Eagle Pete

SR540Beaver You ARE the only awesome Troop Guide - except MY Troup Guide, of course Eagle Pete

Hey SueM Thanks for the info. What you are saying pretty much coincides with our council as well, although, I know that each course in our council maintains their own roster of participants. I can only assume that other courses in other councils maintain similar records. It would seem to me that it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for councils to put together lists of all their participants in the council (for all I know this is already being done at the local council levels). I was hoping someone had access to these records (assuming they existed) but like many record in BSA, these are likely incomplete at best. I guess it would be fairly difficult to get an accurate statistic of number of Wood Badge participants. Anyway, it was mainly a curiosity question. Nothing important. Thanks for responding though. Eagle Pete

gwd-scouter In answer to your questions - First, we encourage all our leaders in our unit to attend roundtables. That being said, the only positions which list attending roundtable as one of their responsibilities (from the SM Handbook and Cub Scout Leader book) are the unit leaders, their assistants, and Cub Scout Den Leaders. These leaders in particular we do more than just suggest they attend. We let them know it is one of their responsibilites to attend. Committee Chairs and members, COR, Pack Trainer and volunteer parents are made aware of the purpose and meeting times of monthly roundtables, but we don't "push" them too much to go. I do attend monthly roundtables, primarily because it is something I have been doing for many years. I am one of the ASM's over the 11 Yr Old Scouts. As a side note (for those of us who have experienced less than quality roundtables), when I was a Cub Master a couple years ago, I attended rountables and found them to be less than satisfying. Instead of whining about it and spreading negative messages to other leaders, I volunteered to be on roundtable staff and help out. I can't say that I, alone, turned around our cub Scout roundtables, but I did notice an increase in attendance and we had fun. Perhaps just volunteering to help lifted some moral on the staff, I don't know. I felt better about that then just complaining about it, though. Eagle Pete

SR540Beaver That might be because I was not in the patrol you were Troop Guide for. I attended the Wood Badge Course in the Trapper Trails Council in April 2004. Eagle Pete

Just curious. Does anyone have any (verified) statistics on how many Wood Badgers there are? A rough estimate would be fine. I am not even sure that is something anyone keeps track of. If you can find something or provide a resource, I'd be much obliged. Eagle Pete

Yet another satisfied customer! Congrats GNX Guy! Now the BEST part of Wood Badge begins - Working your ticket. Have fun with it. Don't get discouraged. Do Your Best! Eagle Pete

My problem is I am not a good salesman. Motivating leaders to go to training is all about the sales pitch and understanding how to sell a product. If you can get a leader to buy into the fact that they truly *need* training, you won't have any problems getting the leader trained. Sure, I can talk all day here on the forum, or with my fellow Wood Badgers, about the value of training and how much better our units function with well-trained leaders. But we've already bought into the idea. Having this same conversation with a new, lukewarm leader who still isn't convinced that Scouting is the best organization in the world for our youth isn't so easy. Nor am I very good at it! I think it takes a certain type of personality to pull it off and when you find that person, please let me know so I can bring them over to our Troop to be the Committee Member over training! I don't need to punish my leaders, I need a good salesman. Eagle Pete

Let me see if I understand the situation - You have a Troop Committee which includes a mom and dad on the committee whose sole interest is in their son's Eagle. There is about 8 months left before the boy turns 18. Do you have the sense whether mom and dad intend to fulfill their committee responsibilities over the next 8 months? If so, I would keep them on the committee. When their son does get his Eagle, I would have a serious talk with the parents to find out where they stand on their committee assignments. But if you sense they are just paying lip service for the next few months until their son gets his Eagle, I would keep them on committee for the boy's sake, and start looking for a new CC and Treasurer now. In any case it looks like you may need to replace your CC and Treasurer. Keep an eye out for potential Committee replacements. One thing to keep in mind is the boy. IMO, if there is a chance he can earn his Eagle, I would do whatever is necessary to make that possible. Obviously, his parents know what they are doing and are coming into this committee fully aware of their own selfish interests. Incidentally, I would have a hard time faulting them too much, as they are looking out for their son's interest, which is what I would probably do in their place. Empathy is appropriate here, however, I would also keep in mind the interests of the boy and how he perceives the whole situation. Don't think for a minute that he isn't aware of his parents' attitude, which is affecting his outlook on Scouting and how he values his Eagle. It never ceases to baffle me how parents don't seem to connect the dots between their poor attitude with Scouting, and their son's lack of interest in Scouting. It may be appropriate at some time down the road to point this out to the parents. As far as your Committee is concerned, I'd be on the lookout for a new CC to replace your current one, as this is a key position in your troop's success. Eagle Pete

Please refer to this site http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=ds&terms=Trained&x=37&y=14 I would consider this the official word on the matter. No where on that site does it state that Youth Protection Training is either required to be able to wear the Trained leader emblem. Until National states otherwise, let's be clear on this and do not discourage a leader from wearing the Trained leader emblem as long as they have completed Fast Start Orientation, New Leader Essentials, and Leader Specific Training for their position, even if they have not yet completed YPT (BUT, get them to YPT ASAP!) Eagle Pete(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)

ScoutNut and GNX Guy No one has denied that Youth Protection Training is required for all scout leaders. However, the original question was, "What all do I need to get my Trained badge? It is my understanding that the only requirements to wear the Trained leader emblem are as stated in the Leadership Training Committee Guide. Again, I will refer back to FScouter's post - Quoting from the Leadership Training Committee Guide #34169A: Cub Scout leaders must complete Fast Start and Basic Leader Training for their position to be eligible to wear the Trained leader emblem. Basic Leader Training has two components: New Leader Essentials, (and) Leader Specific Training designed to train the new leader in the specific responsibilities of his or her position." I will verify whether there has been a change in policy to require Youth Protection Training as well to wear the Trained leader emblem. If so, this is news to me. Let me emphasize, however, that Youth Protection Training is now a requirement for all scout leaders, regardless whether they have completed the above requirements to wear the Trained leader emblem. Due to recent BSA policies, I simply recommend to all units that they make sure that all leaders complete Youth Protection Training, regardless of their Trained status. It's just the right thing to do! Eagle Pete

Hey scoutldr Let me know if you ever come across any. I'd love to get my hands on one of those too. Eagle Pete

NH Bobwhite is correct, even if he/she (?) is a bobwhite (kidding). This is just a non-educated guess, but it seems to me that a college that offers credit for a Wood Badge course had to be instigated by a professor or administrator who happened to be impressed enough to incorporate it into the curriculum. That says a lot about Wood Badge! It may even be possible to propose this to a college that doesn't currently offer credit for a Wood Badge course. It is possible that there may be a Wood Badger employed at the college who simply hasn't thought of it yet. I would ask around. Speak to advisors or faculty members who are over the curriculum. They may be more open to the possibility than you might think. Eagle Pete

No Problem at all, acco40 I believe the original intent and focus of the posts on this thread was to try to address queenj's question about earning the Trained badge and I believe it was well answered. Your explanation of Basic Training requirements is excellent and breaks down very well each of the Scouting Families and positions and their specific requirements. This kind of thing should be handed out at Roundtables and at trainings for new leaders. Great information! Thanks Eagle Pete

Thank you for making that clear. Although this was explained very well to us in the LST I attended. Additionally, I also learned that when a leader changes positions in Scouting, they should REMOVE their Trained strip until the appropriate Leader Specific Training is completed for the new position. Once the new LST is completed the leader can then wear the Trained strip again. And I learned that the Trained strip is positioned just under your Badge of Office - infact it should be touching the base of the Badge of Office - signifying that you have been Trained for that specific position. (Exception: moving from assistant to leader within the same office type does not require this - for example going from Assistant Scout Master to Scout Master - The Leader Specific Training received originally as an assistant is sufficient to be considered Trained for the new position as well.) I apologize and I don't mean to sound flippant, but I served as our District Training Coordinator for over a year, have attended many, many trainings, and I believe I have a good handle on the Basic and Leader Specific Training process. In my position, I've made it my business to know the BSA Training concepts and processes. I do appreciate the clarity and I whole-heartedly believe in helping any leader to clearly understand their positions in Scouting. I also know I have much to learn in Scouting and welcome any and all help in that regard. Please feel free to correct me whenever it is necessary. Eagle Pete

Actually, I believe that FScouter hit it right on the nose here: Quoting from the Leadership Training Committee Guide #34169A: Cub Scout leaders must complete Fast Start and Basic Leader Training for their position to be eligible to wear the Trained leader emblem. Basic Leader Training has two components: New Leader Essentials, (and) Leader Specific Training designed to train the new leader in the specific responsibilities of his or her position." Not sure where we "...all missed the boat on this one". Quoting from the LTC Guide pretty much covers it, doesn't it? Help me see where we missed something. Eagle Pete

Bravo oldsm! Years ago, as a newbie Scouter, I used to chuckle when I went into a Scout Shop and looked around at all the badges, patches, ranks, knots, and other insignia freely available to anyone (with the exception of the Eagle insignia and, of course, the Wood Badge). After earning a couple of those insignia I understood that it would do me no good to adorn my shirt with meaningless, unearned badges. It does make it easier to replace an old or damaged shirt with a new one and add all the earned insignia. I could imagine the administrative nightmere for Scout Shop managers (and Scouters) to try to keep records of all the Scouters' paperwork for every earned badge. Heck - you are lucky if your council records are kept up to date. I can see the reasoning behind simply selling the insignia with an "On My Honor" policy. Eagle Pete

Eamonn Although I have not served on staff, nor did I go through the "old" Wood Badge course, I appreciate a lot of what you have said here. I may be invited to serve on a Wood Badge staff one day, and much of what you have said is very insightful. Indeed, the staff's main responsibility is to serve the participants. The staff on the course I attended certainly did that. I felt as though we, the participants, were the crowning jewel of the course. And that the staff was there for us, not for themselves. Not one staffer made me feel like they were there to get their third (or fourth) bead. Concerning what has "happened next"; I make a point to contact my Troop Guide on a regular basis. We talk about Scouting and what's going on in each other's Scouting lives, and we discuss Wood Badge too. It's been about 3 years since I took the course and I am still doing what I can in our Troop and in our District to "make a difference". Absolutely, I use the tools I learned from Wood Badge, particularly those that I developed further during the time that I worked my ticket. It only makes sense that I was able to incorporate those skills best that I put into practical use. I understand where you are coming from concerning the whole "guru" thing. Although I don't have years and years of experience behind me, I am probably considered among the more experienced in our Troop/Pack. We have several new leaders with the "deer in the headlights" look in their faces when it comes to Scouting, and since I am readily available (and Trained), I am often approached for assistance. I have noticed that new volunteers are constantly being recruited in Scouting. I think it is important to keep in mind that - even if we don't invite it - new leaders look to those of us who wear the recognizable insignia which flags us as "Leaders" in scouting. Whether we want to believe it or not, the beads do set us apart as experienced and knowledgeable examples of a good Scout Leader. I would go so far as to say, we, Wood Badge Trained Scouters, have somewhat of a responsibility to assist new leaders and guide them in presenting a High Quality program. I don't think you sound conceited. I think it's the truth! I agree with you that there are a tremendous amount of excellent people associated with the BSA; however, I don't believe it is just good fortune that Scouting has good dedicated and passionate leaders who genuinely care about the youth they serve. There are a handful of organizations in the world which are truly dedicated to the care and development of mankind, or to a segment of society. A very few organizations, such as the BSA, tend to draw the best of mankind to it. It is human nature to want to be a part of such a noble association; the mission of which is to aid in the development of youth - Our cause is altruistic in nature. No wonder we have some of the best of leaders. Thank you for putting our relationship to our youth so eloquently. The honor is, indeed, ours to serve them. Wise words from an olde tyme Scouter like yourself is always a welcome reprieve. Eagle Pete

And Another Thing - At the time I attended the Wood Badge Training Course, I was a Cubmaster. I really appreciate the full range of training Wood Badge presents. I am now in the Boy Scouting program. When I attended Basic Training for Boy Scouts it really made sense from a Troop standpoint. The Patrol Method fit right into place and it all made sense. Wood Badge is Advanced Training for all Scout Leaders. Not just for Boy Scouting, but for all families of BSA (Cubs, Boy Scouts, and Venturers). Eagle Pete

In response to BrentAllen's post to me... The official BSA website states the following: "Qualifications Each Scouter invited to participate in Wood Badge training must have completed the basic training courses for their Scout position and completed the outdoor skills training programs appropriate for their Scouting position." (excerpt from the following site: http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=ds&terms=wood+badge&x=43&y=8 ) Although I cannot speak for other councils, ours follows this requirement as a rule. However, we do not turn away participants who cannot produce proof of their prerequisite trainings, as this could be due to inaccurate records at the council level. As with many programs in Scouting, we use the "On My Honor" system and err on the side of providing positive experiences to volunteers willing to serve. Personally, when I consider introducing an individual to Wood Badge I try to assess their level of experience and training with Scouting before immediately delving into a pitch for Wood Badge. I remember what it was like for me when I first began as a Scouter. Wood Badge wasn't first on my list of accomplishments. Eagle Pete

Ok... BACK, YOU FLAMERS!! I was only kidding! I took Wood Badge Training because I felt I was ready to go that extra step. Before I went to Wood Badge (and knew almost nothing about it) a friend - the one who kept encouraging me all through Scouting as an adult - said to me, "Once you go through Wood Badge, you'll be a lifer!", almost as a warning. What she meant was that if nothing else got me "all the way" into scouting, Wood Badge would and that I would be in scouting the rest of my life. At the time, I had just completed Basic Training and was just getting my feet wet. I didn't give her comment much thought. She told me about her little stuffed fox and I figured she was just being over enthusiastic, as usual. Later, as I learned more about Scouting and Wood Badge, and met a few other Wood Badgers, I gradually got to a point where the investment of both time and money began to be less and less a huge sacrifice. Finally, after one attempt to attend a course didn't work out, I went to Wood Badge. I have never to this day regretted the decision. In fact, I am still finding ways to apply what I learned and help other leaders and youth. Yeah, she was right... I am a lifer. Eagle Pete