jaredthebear

First of all, I tip my hat to you for your willingness and commitment to get trained and prepare yourself to be a better servant leader for youth. Congrats on completing two goals toward your ticket - keep going. Now, as far as Jamboree selection let me try and give you a little more insight as to why tenure often beats training. Recruiting is the main focus of the SM and the ASMs leading up to the Jamboree. Tenure means more contacts to draw from, and more credibility with parents making that decision to send their son for a couple of weeks for a couple thousand dollars with virtual strangers. Also, if two men were from the same home troop, it reduces their recruiting pool to fill the 36 spots on the Jamboree roster. Leading a group to the Jamboree is night and day different compared to going to camp for a week. Having more than a year's worth of over-nighters and week-long camps helps the council leadership feel confident in the SM's and ASMs' ability to safely lead the tour, and be able to take all considerations into account (such as kids with diabetes)to reduce liability and ensure a successful experience for all. I would encourage you to let your son go, and to try to staff. There are lots of positions that need to be filled. For someone that is hungry for training like you are, become an NRA Instructor (and merit badge counselor), or RSO, and go help with shooting sports. Last I heard they needed over 1000 instructors and RSOs to help with shooting. Keep your chin up. There will be many more Jamborees, and starting this year they allow Venturers, so you may still have a chance to attend with your son as part of the adult leadership for his group. If he attends this Jamboree, it also will help him be better prepared to be a youth leader for the next one.

This is from the Wood Badge Administrative Guide page 27: "All Wood Badge for the 21st Century courses utilize the traditional Wood Badge patrol names, which were selected from animals found in North America: Beaver, Bobwhite, Eagle, Fox, Owl, Bear, Buffalo, and Antelope. The order of patrol names may not be changed and other patrol names may not be substituted." The order is Beaver 1st, Bobwhite 2nd, etc, etc.

There was a time when courses were not limited to eight patrols, but today there is a limit of 48 participants per course making up eight patrols set forth by National. For past courses that had more than eight patrols it was up to the course director to choose patrol names. Tradition has the raven as a ninth patrol, but I personally know ravens, wolves, bobcats, cougars, and moose. Today there can only be eight patrols and they have to follow Gilwell order. If there are not enough participants for eight patrols then seven, and so forth, can work. I was on one course that only had five. As patrols are eliminated, due to lower participant numbers, Gilwell order must be maintained. This means a course cannot have an antelope patrol unless there are eight patrols, a buffalo patrol without seven patrols, etc.

No, there are no official colors for patrols. Each area, council, and staff tends to promote traditions that are not official. The only thing in relation to patrols that is official is the eight critters and their Gilwell order, and that only applies to the BSA. JDL49- the colors listed in the first handbook have no bearing since they were abandoned long before the first U.S. Wood Badge was held in 1948, and then the patrols were different than today. Your friend in all things Scouting, Jared the Bear Wood Badge Course Director WE7-589-1-09

According to the Wood Badge Admin Guide the campaign hat should not be worn by staff because it is Boy Scout specific, and not a Cub Scout or Venturing hat. The brimmed hat (aka Expedition hat) is fine for Troops and Venturing Crews. Eagle92 - you can still have a Venture Patrol as part of a Troop, just like a New Scout Patrol (see page 37 of the Scout Handbook) They are registered Boy Scouts and are usually older and participate in high adventure activities. A Venturing Crew is registered with the Venturing program and not registered Boy Scouts. A crew can be all male, all female, or coed. However, young men cam be dual registered for Scout advancement purposes if they had not reached FC by the age of 14. So while people confuse the two terms, they are both current and can be applied correctly to registered groups. Your friend in all things Scouting, Jared