MacScouter

Being trained in Organizational Development, I was quite surprised that Woodbadge used this game to teach the principles it was attempting to teach. I have gone through a similiar training exercise with professional staff and they had a hard time dealing with the outfall. Woodbadge staff is made up of volunteers who do not always have the expertise to work on the situation and the reactions the game creates. In addition, this game has two built in fallacies: #1 Once the purpose of the game is explained then the "storming" situation created will disappear and/or will be worked out during Woodbadge. When you have members of teams swearing, fist fights, and chasing staff back to their campgrounds then the "storming" does not end there, but needs to be worked on through the norming stage. But the staff is not sufficiently trained nor do they have time (2-4 days) to work this out. #2 The assumption that the storming is focused within the Patrol. Our patrol "stormed" not at each other, but at the staff because of this activity. Due to the inherent trust you have in Scouting for you leaders, our entire Patrol felt betrayed by the Staff due to this game. When this was brought out to the staff, they in essence said "well Woodbadge makes us do it" and the game needs to stay in the game. Our entire patrol now has lost trust in the Woodbadge course and in the leaders who do not practice what they preach during the course. In closing, I find it ironic that the BSA feels it appropriate and necessary to attempt to teach a positive principle, by creating a highly explosive negative situation. There are other training methods and modules out there to use to get this point across. Finally, a scary thought is that several leaders are now going to take this game back to their boys. With swearing and fist fights breaking out among the adults, what do you think might happen with scouts play this game? Is this what BSA really wants.