rquezada

Our council used to run a TLT program called Cedar Badge (I posted this info in another forum some time ago) that covered the three modules but added other activities that help new youth leaders learn how to run the troop, such as the PLC, planning campfires, planning a campout and how to conduct games and how to lead songs. We did this to assist the Scoutmaster in training his youth leaders. Unlike the TLT syllabus, which is really dry for boys, we made our program hands-on and fun. We had lots of games that applied those three modules (all used EDGE so the Scouts better understood the concept). The council no longer supports Cedar Badge but two districts are running an improved version of it. It's not NYLT lite. Just basic patrol leader training and activities a boy can bring back to the troop. Course emphasizes patrol method and spirit. All those leader handbooks are great references, but few boys ever crack them open. The council had been running some form of Cedar Badge for decades twice a year. It has been highly successful and augments many troops' own leadership training. So we know there is a need for some kind of basic leader training other than what is (or is not) being offered by the unit.