AvidSM

The more risky it is, the more boys want to do it.

There are so many variables to JTE. So, the answer to "why bother" depends on who is asking the question. For a new leader who has no clue as to what JTE is or what a district or council is, I would say: JTE is a set of standards that indicate how well you are delivering the program to the youth in your unit. It will point out where you need to make changes/improvements in your unit and its program. It's a self-evaluation tool, so it will help you focus on what is important and you will learn from this. For an experienced and trained leader I would say: JTE is an affirmation of the great job you are doing with your unit and its program - you should get recognition for this. Also, there is always room for improvement and you might find out something that you need to work on. It looks like more paperwork for you, but take a look at it and give it a chance. The BSA means well by it and it not much different from the old Quality Unit Award. For the burnt out leader who wants nothing to do with their district, council or the BSA: I would say nothing. I can figure out what is going on in their unit without seeing a filled out JTE form. Chances are, they are going to need help.

How do I know ...? The answer is, I don't know. It's all based on trust. I tell my UC's what their job is and I go out of my way to make them feel guilty if they don't do it. But, in the end, they are the one's who have to work with the unit leaders and help them deliver a quality program. If a unit starts falling apart, I have to jump in anyway. More silver tabs showing up at a unit meeting gets their attention. How does my Council know? Right now, it's all about recording visits and contacts in the Unit Visit Tracking System. And, half of my UC's either don't use it or have no contacts nor visits to record. The BSA makes such a big deal about being a Commissioner that people volunteer in order to get the position patch and then don't do the job. It's also the pressure to achieve a 3:1 ratio of units to UC's. The BSA has backed off a little on the 3:1 ratio, because its not an objective in the District's Journey to Excellence. But it is still an objective in the Council's JTE.

SctDad, Some people sign up for the course on faith and realize how much they needed it once they were done. Others take the course and don't like it at all, for one reason or another. It depends on the staff's attitude and ability - it also depends on your attitude. The Wood Badge syllabus and its staff are not perfect - nothing in life is. What I can tell you is that the intent of the course is to get you to act on your ideas and how to get others to help you. There are many people who have posted negative things about the WB for the 21st Century: that it is a cult, it is too corporate, it does not teach scoutcraft or outdoor skills. You can either agree or disagree with these people, but it does not take away from its purpose. So, faith is believing in something before you see it. It's not something that anyone on the internet can give you. Talk to other people you know and trust that have taken WB and see what their experience was. Did they use their ticket to make a positive change in scouting? Did they enjoy themselves? Did they meet interesting and influential people? Was it an emotional experience? Did they feel empowered as a leader afterwards?

I think tenting/shelters then and now would make a good theme, if you can get hold of an old canvas tent or an old dining fly. Backpacks have changed a lot also. I have an old one in my attic that is just a frame. How long ago did they start using internal frame backpacks?

A scout runs into the first aid station at a Klondike claiming that he has gone blind - his vision was clouded. The nurse takes a look at him and asks that he remove his glasses - he is miraculously cured of his blindness!! He had been too near the campfire and the surface of the lenses on his glasses had clouded up due to the heat.

Too many ribbons on a flag and it gets very top heavy. In my old troop, it got so bad that metal decoration on top would get broken off when the flag fell over. I had to replace it twice - and that thing is not cheap!

Youth and their parents - it's a package deal. You can get the kids hooked on scouting, but if Mom or Dad aren't sold on the program, then you can't retain them. I know how frustrating this can be. Sounds like you are doing a good job recruiting. Just keep up the good work and roll with the punches. You can go crazy thinking about these parents. My best advice to not waste your time on them. Do your best for the people who appreciate your efforts.

I will be interesting to see how the unit react to recieving recognition in the new JTE program. Will the Gold level units brag to themselves? Will it provide an edge in recruiting Webelos II's? Will the units that don't get enough points take a look at what they are doing and try to improve their program? I see the gold/silver/bronze recognition as another data point. I don't see it replacing the system I use now to assess the health of a unit. Not all units are going to want to participate in JTE. And, there will be some units that will get the points needed to recieve recognition, without meeting the intent of the objectives.

To me, the Wood Badge beads are a symbol of commitment to scouting. The person who wears them took the time and effort to attend the course and complete his ticket. He made scouting a priority over the other things in his life. You may dismiss Wood Badge for the 21st Century entirely, but it does not take away the fact that its participants care about scouting and its results. The people who take the modern course can wear their beads just as proudly as those in the past. Committed leaders not only talk about how to make things better, they turn their ideas into action. The purpose of the modern Wood Badge course is to turn ideas into reality for the benefit of the youth in the program. The ticket is the idea and the participant must get help from others to get it accomplished. He must effectively communicate, resolve conflict, make people comfortable with change, form teams, etc. Its not scoutcraft it is peoplecraft. This is a universal skill set, taught by a lot of other organizations and businesses. Once the BSA decided to go with one course to fit all, it realized the woodcraft had to go. You may not agree with this decision, but it makes sense. This change opened up the course to more people - turning more ideas into reality - increasing the benefit to the youth. We all can agree that you dont need a lot of outdoor skills to take the course now. You may say this is sacrificing quantity for quality: that the course was opened up to more people, but the changes watered down the curriculum and made it less effective. It all depends on whether you believe that these modern leaders, with this universal tool set, can make the existing program work better. If you dont believe in todays program, then I can see why dont believe in Wood Badge for the 21st Century either. Scouting changed and Wood Badge changed with it, not the other way around. You may want scouting to change back to the way it was and may have many good reasons and web sites that explain why. But to vent your frustration by attacking the modern course as the root of all of scoutings evils is just utter nonsense.

As District Commissioner, I have my own spreadsheet where I keep track of the health of each unit. This is a tool that I made up myself and have only shared with my District Director. It's a means for me to direct my staff resources where they are needed most. I would not make it public information, even if a unit knew about it and asked what their rating was. I don't know if this is a formal BSA tool for commissioners. There is nothing about it in the Administration of Commissioner Service. I don't use Red/Yellow/Green, but now that I think about it, it sounds like a good idea.

Well, my experience comes from overseeing the programs of 35 troops - all with differing styles of leadership. The one's in the most trouble get my direct attention and help. Most of which don't use NSP's and are not boy run. That the reality of the situation in my district. Yours may be different. I am not saying there are no benefits to having mixed patrols - there are. And, I am not saying that there is no downside to NSP's. I am trying to understand what I have been observing as a District Commissioner for over two years now. I used to say that it didn't matter if you used mixed or NSP's. My new perspective has swayed my opinion. In my mind, the balance has tipped away from using mixed patrols as a means of giving the scouts the opportunity to lead, learning to be led and working as a team. Please understand that I see why certain leaders favor mixed patrols. The subject has come up at our Roundtable discussions and I hear what these leaders are sayinig. These are people are my friends that I have known for many years and I respect their opinions. But they do not have my perspective as a district volunteer. So, back on the subject of this thread, I would advise my troop leaders to try using NSP's and rotate its PL every month. The reason I would give them is that it maximizes the opportunity for these new scouts to learn to be leaders. It also gives something for the Troop Guide to do - again more opportunity to learn leadership. Some may ignore me and go off and do what they feel like and that is their choice. But, in my mind, I know that these are the troops I need to keep a closer eye on.

So if you don't have mixed aged patrols, the older boys are not teaching the younger ones - at all? The younger boys in the new scout patrol are left behind for the adults to "watch" them? So, NSP's are Webelos III and more work for the adults? This may be true if your troop is adult run. Boy run troops give responsibility and the work to the boys and let them make the decisions. It means having as many youth leaders as possible making those decisions. Take away the new scout patrol and you are taking away the position of Troop Guide and the decisions that he would have made. Go to mixed patrols and you have taken your first step away from 100% boy led. A new scout patrol gives more decision making power to those new boys. And, boys work better in small groups. The "work" for a NSP is learning advancement. The "work" for an older scout patrol is HA. The NSP is taught by the youth leadership, in whatever patrol they happen to be in. It's their job because they took on their particular position, whether it be Troop Guide or Instructor - not because what patrol they are in. If an older boy is not interested in or is not good at teaching younger boys, it does not matter what kind of patrol he is in, he will not be teaching the younger boys. To say that by forming mixed patrols will foster a change in this older boy is nonsense. And it won't make a difference if your troop is boy run or not. The older boy will get what he wants out of the troop, whehter it's HA or his Eagle rank. If an older boy is interested and is good at teaching younger boys, then it also does not matter what kind of patrol he is in. He will be encouraged to teach, whether he's a youth leader or not. But, he would be less encouraged to do this in an adult run troop.

I did a Google search on "'winter awareness' training BSA" and it looks like something that a troop does on it's own. Does anyone know of a formal BSA syllabus for this training?

I like the idea of switching NSP PL's once a month. The advantage is it exposes more new scouts to the PL position and how a boy-led troop operates. Yes, there are the organizational disadvantages, like keeping track of who is in charge of that patrol. And every month you have to get the new PL spun up on what he needs to know - but that's the job of the over-15 TG assigned to that NSP. As I see it, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Having new scout Patrol Leaders with fully functioning Troop Guide maximizes the exposure of the scouts to leadership situations. From my perspective, troops without NSP's are typically not boy-run and have more leadership issues and retention problems. The adult leaders of these troops do not like NSP's because they would be too much work for them. It's much easier to put the new boys in existing patrols with mixed ages and ranks. The only way a scout can learn how to make the right decisions is to be put in a position of resposibility and then allowed to make decisions - right or wrong. Hopefully with a good TG providing guidance, the mistakes are so big that they spoil the fun.

I guess not many have jumped on this question because they have never heard of winter awareness or snow camp training. They both sound like good training courses to prepare your scouts for a Klondike. There are many things a scout has to know when winter camping, from what to wear, the proper sleeping bag, tent, signs of hypothermia, frostbite, etc. There are also a lot of "tricks" a scout can learn, like sleeping with your boot liners in your bag. Your boys should know about these things and if the training you mentions teaches this, then they are good to go. The biggest challenge is not the training of the scouts, it's the parents. They need to know to buy the right layered clothing and winter camping gear. You may educate the scout about dressing in layers and not wearing cotton, but if his parents refuse to buy him that polypro undergarment, he'll end up freezing in his cotton tee shirt and underwear. I used to make up a parent's handout with a list of what the scout needs for winter camping. It also inculded brand names and low cost substitutes for the expensive items. It also explained the value of the higher cost items, like a good winter sleeping bag.

Stepping down as Scoutmaster was the hardest thing I have ever done in scouting. I still miss it. What helped was that I had a great job to go to, with new and different challenges. I know now that it was the right decision. I, too, have some health issues that would have prevented me from camping and carrying a backpack. I see the changes that the leaders that replaced me are making and they make sense. Best wishes in your new position as CC. And kudos for growing your troop and it's leadership.

I would have to admit, the first time I looked at the TLT kit, I thought that it was missing a lot of information. It only provides a bare-boned outline of what to teach. It talks about introducing EDGE, but offers no details about the method. Unless you took the time to study the outline and make up your own training syllabus, then I can see why you would not switch. I went with it because I saw the benefits. I believe you cannot have a boy-run troop, unless you have showed them how to do it. Wind in the Willow, Nine Magazines, and the Trust Fall does not teach the scouts what their job is or how fits with the rest of the troop. TLT at least get the scouts to think and talk about what boy led means and what is expected of them. For me, the best part of TLT is the Start-Stop-Continue assessment tool. It got even the quietest scout to open up and say what was on his mind. Every time I ran the course, most of the PLC attended and always came away with new ideas and ways to do things. And they really got the point that they were running the troop and that they had the power to make the changes that they thought were needed. If you are still running Junior Leader Training, you are missing out on this very useful tool.

Holding TLT outdoors is a good idea, if it fits in with your troop calendar. There is more time for games and breaks if you hold it outdoors while on a campout. I've also ran TLT several times in a classroom. You can hold it in one four-hour session or break it up into single one-hour modules. This gives lots of flexibility in scheduling, which should maximize attendance. I would invite all scouts in leadership positions, plus any boys who are interested in a position. Use the games from the old Scoutmaster Junior Leader Training Kit, but DO NOT run this in place of TLT. SJLT is obsolete, outdated and does not fit in with the next level, which is National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). When I ran SJLT many years ago the boys used to make fun of the outdated video. It does not teach the scouts what their job is, how they fit in, what kind of leader they should be and how they can improve their troop. I know there are some proponents of the old course and even the Green Bar Bill stuff. It's nice to wane nostalgic about the old days, but this is 2010 for crying out loud! TLT works if you take the time to understand it and prepare - it's not a course that can be run without some sort of visual outline. Some people hate PowerPoint, but it does the job. The slides should keep things on track and spark a conversation about the topic at hand. They should pose a series of questions that the boys need to think and talk about. The real meat of the course are the discussions that are created. The Scoutmaster should only serve to moderate and keep the conversation productive. Boys can get silly and joke around a bit, but you have to get through it and it can't take forever. Technically, the trained patch is worn for a currently held position. Changing positions means training is needed for that new position. So, technically a scout should take the trained patch off his uniform until he is earns it again for the new position. But, nobody does that. Encourage the scout to take the TLT again; it doesn't hurt to take it more than once. TLT works. Give it a try and you will see. Thinking about running SJLT? Good luck getting the kit at your local Scout Shop!

It looks like the Centennial Quality Awards (CQUA) are going to be replaced in 2011 by the Performance Recognition Program. My Council Commissioner provided me with advance copies of the forms that will be used with this program. They say on the top, "Scouting's Journey to Excellence" and below that, "2011 X Performance Recognition Program", with the "X" being Council, District, Troop, Pack and Crew. These forms are numbered 513-105 through 513-108. There are different written criteria for each and three recognition levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. My initial reaction to these new forms is that I like the changes because the units can no longer set their own goals. With the CQUA no matter how well or poorly each unit did, they can still achieve the same quality unit award as long as they set their goals low. And, most units did not set their goals at the beginning of the year. They waited until the end of the year, which made it easy to fill out the form in order to earn the award. The new criteria for the three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold are already set on the form. I've looked over these criteria and it's not too hard to acheive the Bronze level. I would guess that half of my units could achieve it without changing any part of their program. The Silver level is possible if a unit sets their mind to it. Gold looks hard to attain and a unit would really have to have it's act together to reach it. There's lots more to talk about with these new forms. But since I'm not sure that they are official yet, I just wanted to see if anyone else knew anything about them. I searched scouting.org and could not find copies of them.

The best way to convey your opinion on issues is at your Roundtable meeting. If your Commissioner is not giving you a chance to speak up and raise an issue or concern during that meeting, shame on him. A Roundtable should not be only announcements and presentations - there should be time set aside for open, productive discussion. Do your district volunteers care about your issues and concerns? They should, especially if it's not just one person with the same problem. Also, they can help you understand BSA policy and paperwork changes and suggest ways of dealing with them. Do these concerns make their way up to your Council and perhaps beyond? Some do - again, it depends on how many people are affected by the issue. And, there are some things within the purview of a Council that unit volunteers may not be aware of - each Council may interpret BSA policy in different ways. Does National care? I hope they do. I can't function as a volunteer without some faith in what the BSA is trying to do. I guess because of my background as a civil servant working for the US Navy, I am used to working in a large bureaucracy. And, that is exactly what the BSA is. All bureaucracies work in the same way - the stuff flows downstream. The people who do the actual work must overcome, improvise and adapt. As volunteers, in a unit, district or otherwise, we must all help each other cope with it. There should be at least someone who will listen to what you have to say and understand what you are going through.

The graphics on the bsauniforms.org web page are tame compared to some of the video games these boys play. Just as an example, the opening video to Beatles Rock Band - towards the end, I am mesmerized my it. I also recently purchased a High Def TV and the graphics on some the HD commercials are something else. Scouting is in competition with all the other things a boy can be doing with his time. The value of these graphics is that it keeps the viewer interested in the content of the web page and ultimately in scouting.

12 stations sounds about right, provided the are competing by patrol and the number of youth participants is under 250. We usually use a point system, with 100 points maximum per station. Teamwork always counts towards some of the points.

1 & 2. No stave with stuffed animals attached at the courses I have participated in and staffed. Sounds a little silly to me. 3. Staff should spend less time patting themselves on the back and more on teaching the course. 4. What donations were solicited? We had a collection for the World Fund at our Scouts Own Service, but that was it. 5. My Council Commissioner mentioned that the Wood Badge Course was going to be changing - again. He did not give any specific details. Has anyone heard anyting similar?

A council-run resident summer camp provides structure. The camp is certified and it's staff is trained and all the health and safety issues are covered by them. All the program directors are trained and certified. The downside of having this structure is that the camp chooses the the activities that it offers. The scouts in the troop have to pick a camp that offers the most of what they want to do. This camp may be expensive and far away. This seems to be your situation. While nothing prevents a troop from camping for six night in a row, there is the first challenge of covering all the health and safety issues. A troop would have to consider week-long storage of perishable food items, managing the scouts medications, emergency procedures in case of bad weather, serious injuries or accidents. If you are swimming or boating, all the Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat guidelines must be covered, by the book. Any deviation from the Guide to Safe Scouting would mean risking your Troop's liability coverage. The second challenge would be getting enough youth or adults to staff the program for a week. These people would have to be good teachers and know the subject well. They would have to come up with a plan of activities and the materials needed. If offering a Merit Badge, they would have to either be the Counselor for that badge or get permission from one in order to help the boys complete some or all of the requirements. I'm not saying it can't be done. And, I'm sure you have already considered much of this. But, I belive this would be too much of a challege for an young troop with too many unexperienced boys and adults.