Is Wood Badge over as we know it?

[wrhatfield]

I was told that National is going to do away with Wood Badge as we know it. It is to become a non-camping and more into a lecture type where skills will not be emphasized. Does anyone know if this is correct?

[sm164]

The Wood Badge course is changing significantly effective July 2001. The new course will focus on leadership skill development and is open to all Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venture leaders. I took one of the experimental courses with the new program in August 2000 and thought it was great. I had never taken the previous Boy Scout Wood Badge, but I understand that much of the tradition is retained in the new one. Courses before July 2001 will use the old Boy Scout program, but those after will all be the new one. We did spend a few hours on outdoor skills and did an overnight with our patrol a short distance off site, but the main focus was leadership development, not outdoor skills. I was told that they were updating the Scoutmaster fundamentals course to include more of the outdoor skills that were previously covered in the 'old' Wood Badge. A big part of the course was adapting to change and our need to be flexible and open to it as leaders. Even though the course is changing, don't despair--Scouting is continuing to evolve and change to meet the needs of the boys.

[wrhatfield]

Do you think a person could get a copy of the new program. I would think it would be interesting to compare notes.

[sm164]

As I mentioned, my course was experimental and in part was designed to test different ways to present the new material to see which method was most effective. Staff feedback from the 8 experimental courses held throughout the country will be combined into the final version that will be rolled out in July. As a result, the course that I took is not the final version that will be rolled out in July.

 

I would speak to someone in your local Council who is either trained as a staffer for the new course or takes it after July. They should be willing to share the information with you.

[scouter659]

I'd just like to say that I am planning and very much looking forward to the experience. I have been a very active leader in this great movement my son got me into 11 years ago. Guess it's about time I do this too! I've been very inspired by it all and am experiencing the benefit of some great leaders in our Troop. It's a great moment in time for us all and has also inspired me to run a very elaborate Junior Leader Training course in our Troop which has become a very important part of our program. Can't wait for Woodbadge in Aug/Sept 2001...for me, the icing on the cake.

[wrhatfield]

Glad to hear you are going to Wood Badge. It is going to be something that will last forever if they use the old book. I would like to know if they use the new book and a review of it would be nice if they do. Good Luck

[DFlah]

When I think of what is going on with Woodbadge I am reminded of the 1970's when Scouting became "Urbanized." Are we going to urbanize Scouting again? Maybe this time if we work on urbanizing Scouting hard enough we can completely kill the Scouting program. For those of you who want an urban program, how about the Boys and Girls Club.

 

We already have enough things attacking our program, read 3 G's. Now we are attacking our own program. 3/4ths of Scouting used to be outing. Is it now leadership? Scouting has always been a program that taught leadership through the use of the outdoors. In this day of having leaders who are not familiar with the outdoors, Woodbadge offered an opportunity to learn those skills and be taught how they intergrate with the program. What a shame that Scouting appears to be abandoning a resource instead of expanding it.

 

I read with interest your input on how the experimental program was so great, however, you note that you had never been in a Woodbadge course before. Perhaps some of us who have been in a Woodbadge course before should have been invited.

[sm164]

Hooooooold everything! Who said anything about urbanizing the program or eliminating the 'outing' in Scouting? The outdoors continues to be an important setting to instill the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

 

You have obviously been around a long time and have seen many changes during your Scouting career. You can probably list many more than I can--but how about Tiger Cubs? They didn't exist when I was a Cub. I started as a Bobcat, then moved on to Wolf. Remember the Lion rank before moving to Webelos? Well, Lions don't exist anymore.

 

Over the years the program has been continuously updated in small and not so small ways to adapt and evolve. I assume that the National, Regional, and other Scouters responsible for a major change to the Wood Badge course have done their homework in assessing the current needs of the organization and in developing a training course that meets those needs. One piece that I agree is missing from the picture is that I don't think that the reasons for the changes or the focus of the new course have been communicated very well, if at all, throughout the organization. My own council knows virtually nothing about the program that will be given in July. To me that indicates a BIG communication breakdown somewhere, and this should be addressed. In the absence of official information, it is natural that some people will assume the worst--"that the program is going to #@%* in a handbasket" and worse.

 

But we are living in a diverse and changing world--with two working parent families, single parent families, non-English speaking homes, computer kids, and on and on. So we must also continue to evolve ourselves to keep Scouting as the most successful youth program ever. Period.

 

I think that we would agree on at least one other point. Scouting is indeed in trouble--and we need leaders like you--and me. It needs people who care about the program and in developing our youth. If the men and women in my Wood Badge course, both staffers and students alike, were any indication of the quality of the new program, I am not worried. Scouting has endured many changes before and will endure this one as well. Who knows--there might even be some positives resulting from the change.

[Blaine]

Hi folks, I took WB back in '93, and I've been asked to be a Troop Guide for the 21st Century WB course which my Council is running this August & September. We had our first staff meeting this past Saturday, and, I can tell you, from the preliminary copy of the syllabus I have, it is much different that the old course. The first half of the course will be in a classroom, in fact, our new Gilwell Troop #1 has a Troop Scribe, whose main jobs are to run the laptop with the projector, and produce the daily newspaper.

DFlah, your comment "Scouting has always been a program that taught leadership through the use of the outdoors." is a good description of the second half of the course. The key being it's teaching leadership through a Troop campout setting, rather than merely teaching outdoor skills. This isn't to say that there won't be any outdoor skills, experienced campers will most certainly share their knowledge with their Patrol mates, and there will be some instruction: my 16 year old son will be on staff the second weekend sharing his knowledge of Leave No Trace (he's a certified Trainer). On the practical side, there is no 90 day meeting, and the ticket is to be completed within 18 months.

Yes, there is much change, but most of the traditions are still in place.

I'm looking forward to that first time when the Troop assembles at Gilwell Field, I'm just hoping I won't be the only one wearing a green & grey Venturing uniform.

 

YIV

Blaine

Beaver, NE I-167

Troop Guide, NE II-111

[rgreenland]

I am not sure I quite believe that the 1st New Woodbadge is going to be in July.

I attended WB the first week of March 2001 and it was announced that this was the very fist session of the new course. We had many visitors from all over who came to see and watch how things were going. This was not a trial or pre-run course, it was the new course and it was incredible.

I had not been to WB before, but have talked to several people who have and also with the WB Scoutmaster, etc and they all agree that this new format is awesome. NOTHING has been lost.

 

Just a thought.

[wrhatfield]

Mr rgreenland, did you do any overnight campouts?Was there any emphasis on outdoor skills or was it just a classroom-type school where they told you how to use your resources and encourage the boys to lead their troop and for you to find a rocking chair to sit in?

[DFlah]

I agree with may of the comments since I last visitedand I am not against change if it is good for our most important asset, the young men we are supposed to teach and serve. I would like to see a syllibus. It might be helpful. I am only concerned about loosing sight of what Scouting is all about in an effort to attract greater numbers of adults.

 

Yes, I remember the Lion badge. It is great nostalgia but the program din't lose because we now have a 2 year Webelos program. The Tiger Cub program is wonderful, I only wish it would start at a younger age in order to get young men to understand that very few people will ever play college or professional sports, but all of us will one day be citizens.

 

My thanks to all of you who keep our flame live.

[scouterjack]

As far as new vs. old WB goes, I think that although WB has evolved, most of the fears that the good stuff is being left out will prove untrue. The fact that BSA is attempting to emphasize the continuum of scouting is a positive thing. How many have complained that the Boy Scouts treat the Cubbers like alien creatures or how many boys that new Venture Crew will take away from "our troop"?

The way the old WB was, outdoor skills were only covered as a tool for teaching the 11 leadership skills anyway. When you had to have two years experience as a troop leader to even qualify to go to WB, you were expected to be fairly competent in your outdoor skills before you graced Gilwell field with your presence.

Oh, let's not forget about Cub Trainer WB. To even be invited to that one you had to be fairly committed to at least two years of serving as a trainer at the district or council level. Inclusive? I think not.

I loved my WB experience as much as the next scouter but I must say that I have run into many who have resented those of us who wear the beads. Why was that? I don't know, could it be things like singing "Back To Gilwell" at the drop of a hat and forgetting to consider that not everyone there had even the slightest clue about what the heck we were doing? Or how about those WB reunions some of us love to talk about? It's no wonder that we were viewed as elitist and exclusionary even though most of us never meant to be.

The 21st Century WB course seems to strive to tear down some of these unintentional barriers between the phases of the BSA program that we are all a part of.

Yes, although the final version of the syllabus has not reached me, I have had the opportunity to view the newest available syllabus and not many of our beloved traditions are being eliminated. In fact, some are just being replaced with others.

I, for one , am very much looking forward to my council's next WB course this fall where I will be happily serving on staff for 21st Century Wood Badge.

 

 

[scamp]

I have only attended CS Trainers WB about 10 years ago and my husband attended BS WB about 3 years ago. Now we are both serving on the staff of the first "new" WB course in our Council. We have not received the final syllabus and material from National yet, which makes staff orientation a little frustrating. Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to this opportunity. I think the new course, when it is finalized, will be a real asset to the BSA training continuum. The topics covered are relevant to our whole life, not just Scouting. Things like leadership, communication, conflict management and diversity are all important parts of dealing with today's world. Most of the beloved WB traditions remain, which give the new course a specific link with Scouting.

 

My only concern so far is the continued emphasis on Boy Scouting as the be all and end all of the Scouting program. Even though the new program is supposed to reach out to all Scout leaders at all program levels, the majority of the course is conducted in a troop format. Participants experience Cub Scouting for less than an hour on the first morning when they participate in a cross-over ceremony and become part of a troop. The emphasis on outdoor skills, packing a backpack, camping out in a remote area that are still part of the new course have only marginal relevance to Cub Scouting and may possibly turn off a few attendees. When will National realize that there are about three times as many Cub Scouts as Boy Scouts in this country and successful Cub Scouting is the foundation to successful Boy Scouting? Oh well, this is a battle that I am not going to win.

 

By the way, a pet peeve. There is no such thing as "Cubbers" and "Cubbing". We are Cub Scouts and Cub Scouters and we do Cub Scouting. It's kinda like a Trekker vs Trekkie or hacker vs cracker thing. So I'm off my soapbox for this morning!!

[jmcquillan]

scouterjack,

 

I believe that many of the ills suffered by WB and the elitist appearance that WBger's have attained may be due only to the exclusionary tactics of the course outline, as participants are supposed to be "invited" to take the course. That can appear quite exclusionary to others who may have served as long in Scouting, but haven't been recognized in the Scouting public enough to be invited. I've served on a number of WB staffs, and have had my four beads for a while, and share the opinion of our Council members who work on WB, that it should be open to all Scouters trained at the Scoutmaster Fundamentals level, with no pretense of speciality via invitation. We open the doors to all who desire. The mystery may still be there for those who choose not to take the course, and perhaps that breeds a certain amount of elitism with them, but, so be it. You can't please everyone, especially if they choose not to participate. But the door is always open, and the respondents are many. And the elitist mystery surrounding WB trained Scouters rapidly disappears.

 

As for the changes? Only time will tell. I loved the experience of the old WB, and felt that the outdoor skills sessions contained therein were key to reinforcing the leadership skills taught, in a Scouting environment, rather than a corporate environment, which I've also taught...so I know the difference. I understand that there will be a new course covering outdoor skills for all leaders, Cubs, Boy Scouts, Venture, and that's great. It looks like it will cover a lot of ground. But I still have a concern that the lack of, or limited outdoor experience in the new WB might take away from the experience as a whole. But then, I'm old, and rely upon memories that may be going the way of the dinosaur. Only time will tell. We'll wait and see.