World Crest with Wood Badge beads patch!

[bdjvegas]

In the new March-April 2009 edition of Scouting Magazine on page 20 there is a picture of a scouter with a different world crest emblem patch. The patch can be purchased from quartermasterstore.com under woodbadge patches. Anyways, my questions is, is this patch official and can be worn after completing your woodbadge ticket, or is this guy just in the wrong?

[Crew21_Adv]

bdjvegas,

 

Greetings!

 

Well, without splitting hairs. It is not an official patch, and is not manufactured by the BSA (or any other country Scouting association).

 

Here is my opinion.

 

I attribute to a similarity of the movie "Office Space" and wearing the fifteen pieces of flair.

 

Some may say the gentlemen in Scouting magazine is just in the wrong.

Some Scouters may say he is adorning his uniform with a modification. Still, others may say that he is bragging (since he may already have earned and wear the beads, why have another patch that says the same thing?). But most of us brag on our own accomplishments sooner or later.

 

I would not state he is "just in the wrong". I wouldn't place that patch on my uniform shirt; but, hey, I'd happily put it on my vest or poncho.

 

I personally like to show off a patch that I've earned every once in a while; not only to brag, but to also encourage youth and adults to participate and receive a similar patch.

 

So back to splitting hairs..

Is this patch official? No, It is not official. Can it be worn after completing a wood badge ticket? I say, why not? Is it just wrong? Technically and by the insignia guide, inspection sheet and uniform police, yes. But, by common practice, "naw" (no, not really).

 

If you want to be an absolute role model and by the book, then don't wear it! If you want to be a little risque and live on the Scouting edge a little, sew it on!

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[AlFansome]

He's also got on non-official square knot awards that he purchased from http://www.sageventure.com/store/knots.html probably. They have the dark green Venturing color as a background. Not as obvious, but noticable.

 

If he earned them as a Venturing leader, they make sense if you think about it, I guess.

[emb021]

Earning them as a Venturing leader is a not a requirement for wearing them. The background color just matches the shirt, and does not signify the program you recieved the knot it.

 

National at one time made several knots on khaki, dark green, blue, and white, to make the uniforms of the different programs.

 

They stopped this sometime in the 70s.

 

All that Craig Murray is doing is making available the knots on dark green that National Supply used to wear. You wear them to make your uniform. Sea Scout leaders have their own sources for knots on blue and white for their uniforms.

 

[kb6jra]

When I attended Wood Badge in 03 the entire staff had those patches on, with 3 beads. I thought it was pretty cool honestly. I love the patch, but it is not an "official" patch, so I won't put it on my uniform. I will add them (2 beader, 3 beader) to my patch collection. someday when I grow up I'm going to do something with all those patches...haha.

 

[BDPT00]

The simple answer is no. If you care enough about uniforming to ask, then you should care enough to not wear it.

BDPT00

[John-in-KC]

I'd be more concerned about being invited by a unit to help conduct a Uniform inspection, and making it fun, educational, and demonstrative to the Scouts and direct contact Scouters.

 

To me, this is "trivial pursuit", otherwise known as "pole vaulting over mouse turds," or "does this pass the 'so what, who cares?' test?

[Nachamawat]

I am frankly pretty tired of the term uniform police. Seems we wear a uniform to appear the same in appearance, hence uniform. That is why there would be a insignia guide and inspection sheet.

We as adult leaders should be in the habit of abiding by the Scout Law and setting a good example for our Scouts to follow. We should wear our uniforms properly and present ourselves as we would want our Scouts to present themselves.

 

I am not saying anything specific here, but, I am a veteran and I can not imagine ever appearing anywhere in a uniform that was not properly adorned, fit, and turned out. I know we are not a paramilitary organization, I know we are not all about all things military, however, if we are saying that the uniform is one of the 8 methods of Scouting then why do we not do it right? Why do we as adult leaders allow other leaders to simply to whatever it is they want to do?

 

As a point of reference our troop attended an OOC camp this summer. The camp was being inspected while we were there. The inspector wore a "instigator" patch where her "Trained" patch should have been. I guess she thought that was funny or cute, however, I found it to be trite. She was not there representing her Troop or herself, she was there to certify that the camp met the requirement set forth to be an accredited camp. So I am nitpicking her uniform. What other parts of her duty did she think was insignificant enough to make light of? Maybe the kitchen cleanliness was not that important enough to her either.

 

We are and should be all equal in Scouting.

 

It appears to me that Wood Badge is nothing more than a clique. Membership of patrols becomes so pervasive in the lives of people. Walking sticks have become living memorials to their patrol critters with embellishments from furry tails, to feathers, to plastic animals, to wood carvings and medallions. Groups form at gatherings of foxes and eagles, each slamming on the other. At least in the SR there seems to be a slipping from the boy centered concept of Scouting to an adult centered concept. Time to reel it in and get back to the purpose of Scouting. It is the YOUTH members of the program!

[jsummerlin]

I would like to second Nachamawat's comments. Scouting is becoming way to adult centric. Gatherings become about adults and the cliques they are in. Odd patches and attitudes like "instigator" are thought to be cute, but what is the purpose? We are here to make sure the boys are safe and have a good time. Adding more flair to my uniform is not what this is about.

[OldGreyEagle]

I am ok with Kudu blaming the demise of Scouting starting in 1972 with the changes in Wood Badge but since when did having been to Wood Badge such an awful thing it must be bashed at any opportunity, real or imagined?

 

If you meet a Wood Badge elitist, treat him as you see fit, but just because someone wears beads doesnt make them a bad person, it just means they took Wood Badge, in whatevr form it was offered at the time.

 

To see beads on a person and prejudge them seems, I don't know, icky at best.

 

You can always hold out hope the training didnt take and they are still decent people, whatevr version they took, or were subjected to

[desertrat77]

OGE, your point is well taken. There are good WBers out there. Their actions show it.

 

Unfortunately, I think the WB program is tarnished by two things:

 

1. The program is largely sedentary/indoors, and the topics taught are a rehash of what any employee in any company will get if they are middle management or aspiring to middle management. So why the claims of "This is the Apex of Scout Leader Training?"

 

2. The incredible hubris of some WBers.

 

Desertrat77

[Nachamawat]

I am not suggesting that I prejudge a person simply because I see Wood Badge beads. Because I do not feel I do.

 

I am saying why do so many Wood Badge recipients feel the need to over adorn themselves in Wood Badge regalia? Our council has a WB CSP, now this world crest, and the walking sticks covered with bushy tails, plastic figurines, and medallions. Why can they not simply be satisfied with the beads the were awarded for the completion of the course and their ticket? Those other things are the trappings that make it appear to me that they are forgetting about the youth and concentrating on themselves and their own accomplishments instead!

 

I am an Eagle Scout. I do not have a bumper sticker, I do not wear a ring, I do not have the dinner plate sized patch on a brag jacket. It is one aspect of who I am. But I am also a father of four, a combat veteran of 12 years, a college graduate, and many other things. However, I do not feel any motivation to knock someone over with a first impression of any of the things I mentioned. You get to meet the whole package and make your own decision about me. Those others they paint a picture first so sometimes I get the wrong idea about them upfront, sorry.

[desertrat77]

Nachamawat, I've wondered the same thing about WB accouterments. I think we have to borrow something from Mr. Maslow, namely, the need to belong.

[Eagle92]

One thing about scout staves. I don't know about WB today, but when I attended BA22 and staffed JLT, they were a very important item. Their use dates to the founding of Scouting by BP, and in one speech he said the scout stave is an integral part of the uniform, adn was upset with troops not using them or abandoning them all together! There are hundreds of uses for the stave, and in fact I used my stave for several things at CSDC.

 

At BA22 we had to find and make our own. At JLT they were issued to all participants and staff who didn;t have one already. One of the things that was in the notebook at BA22 was a diagram with a bunch of cool uses for a scout stave: ruler, scale, hanging hook,surveying tool, etc. I always wanted to make one of those staves, and finally started it this past year, 21 years later. From the drawings, as well as from the speech BP gave, you were suppose to customize it and make it your own.

 

Upon reflection while typing this response, and reading to my boys, it hit me: The WBers are acting like the scouts would at that age! yes some do go overboard, but they are acting like the kids they work with. I know that originally BP wanted SMs to have the outdoor skills and patrol method experiences that a patrol of scouts would have for WB. Maybe we are taking it scouting and WB in particular too seriously, and maybe some WBers have gone a little overboard and forgot that while scouting is fun, it's for the boys?

[desertrat77]

Eagle92, I too had a stave from scout leader training, circa 1976...had it for years. The syllabus included a reprint of old scout handbook drawings of those many uses for staves that you mentioned. Still have it somewhere. That old stuff is very cool.

 

The stave and the neckerchief used to be important parts of scouting. The stave is largely forgotten, unless it is carried by an adult scouter as a mobile advertisement for their accomplishments. Fashionable but not functional. If hikers use anything these days, it's high tech ski poles and the like.

 

The neckerchief went from something large and functional to a dinky thing that isn't much good for anything. The chief attribute of the modern neckerchief is that it can be rolled up real nice and purdy. Little value as a cravat, or anything else.

 

Interesting observation about WBer behavior, thanks for sharing that.