Wood Badge - A Secret ?

[Eamonn]

There are reports that information about the Wood Badge Course is :

Unavailable.

Unclear.

Hard to get.

Cloaked in Mystery.

What are your feelings ?

Finding out about the Course, and the course was:(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[Scoutmaster Ron]

I find myself talking to other course participants about the ticket thing. I have losts of ideas of how to improve our troop..active recruitment,patrol method,JLT,communication. Just wonder if any ticket items are ever "rejected" I have heard that I design the ticket but still have to be approved.

[Bob White]

 

 

Unavailable? Only to some one not registered in scouting or who is registered but isn't committed enough to complete the basic instruction for their position of reponsibility.

 

Unclear? huh?

 

Hard to get? Doesn't everything worth doing take some amount of effort?

 

Cloaked in mystery? I think what is being misinterpreted as "secret" is the understanding by those that have taken the course that the methods and activities surrounding the actual instruction are part of the learning experience. That combined with the fact that it takes a certain amount of personal committment in time, money, and service to scouting go the extra step in taking Wood Badge Training. I am always amused by those who want to share in the experience, but do not want to have to make the same committment.

 

Bob White

 

 

[dan]

Cloaked in mystery! is what I choose.

Just like Order of the Arrow.

 

Its not very nice to change a poll in the middle of the polling!(This message has been edited by dan)

[dsteele]

I would probably taint your poll and didn't answer it. I took the old Wood Badge course and read the syllabus before I went.

 

There is mystery surrounding Wood Badge, mostly by volunteers, but there are a good share of professionals who think that the Wood Badge experience should come gradually without a lot of pre-conceptions. Sort of like seeing a great movie you didn't know much about before you saw it. Raiders of the Lost Arc was that way for me. I suppose the first time experience of seeing it would have been somewhat more dim if I had read the script.

 

It really isn't a secret -- but Wood Badge is difficult to explain. United Ways ask me all the time how we quantify and measure that Scouting teaches values. It's like that.

 

BTW -- if anyone has ideas on numerically verified ways to measure Scouting's results, I'd be happy to hear them. We've tried # of badges learned, # leaders trained, # quality units, # Eagle Scouts -- doesn't work.

 

Sorry to slightly alter the topic of the poll.

 

What happens to poll results?

 

DS

[OldGreyEagle]

To me Wood Badge (two words) was cloaked in mystery. When I joined my current troop Wood Badge was talked about as only for the truly diehard and when I asked the "beaded ones" about it, all I was told was it was "great", "wonderful", "a mountain experience", and the "best thing I ever did". When I asked what was done, I got evasive answers bordering on the rude. The "beaded ones" wanted to talk about the day they received their invitation to Wood Badge, for three years I thought you had to be invited to a class, no one mentioned signing up on your own. The "inner circle" of District people were all "beaded people" and only seemed to want to talk to other

 

Then, when the new Wood Badge started, I found out you signed up to be "invited" and I attended. After signing up I wanted to know about what was involved in tickets and again ran into the cloak of darkness.

 

Well, I attended Wood Badge this past fall, it was training for Leadership, organization, etc skills. It was material I have seen many times before, but at Wood Badge it was different. It was having over 60 (attendees and staff) people who wanted to be there, who wanted to do good things and all had the same values.

 

I think the aura of Wood Badge is changing, I think it was claoked in secrecy, but is trying to fight its way out.

[KoreaScouter]

What happens to poll results? A rhetorical question perhaps, but I'm reminded of a quote from, I believe Oscar Wilde, referring to a newspaper critic of some work he did around the turn of the century (20th, that is). It goes something like this: "I am sitting in the smallest room in my house. Your review is in front of me. Soon, it will be behind me."

 

 

KS

[matuawarrior]

I feel it was Cloaked in Mystery. Only Beaders can talk of Wood Badge, non-Beaders were given the run around. It seemed like OA all over again.

 

As OGE stated, "The aura of Wood Badge is changing". I believe it's changing for the better.

 

I am so glad that I attended the very first class of the 21st Century WB in Aloha. It was a lot better than what I was informed. I enjoyed myself, made many new friends and contacts, and learned alot of leadership skills that is helping me and my units.

 

Now I'm pushing volunteers in my district to go.

 

Matua

 

[dsteele]

I was so offended when, as staff advisor to the Wood Badge dinner the topic of "the song" came up. I told them I would cheerfully join in the singing of "the song." Whatever it was.

 

I received what I took to be looks of shock and horror from the group. "You can't sing the song!" someone said, "You haven't taken Wood Badge."

 

I was ticked. I took it to mean that only Wood Badgers could sing the song.

 

I think it's that kind of stuff that cloaks Wood Badge in mystery.

 

Now, if they had said, "You can't sing the whole song because each patrol sings "I used to be a . . . " and you haven't been assigned a patrol. We'd be glad to have you join us in the chorus."

 

I would have understood.

 

Back to Gilwell, happy land . . .

 

 

[dan]

And why in the heck is it

I use to be a Fox and a good old Fox to?

 

Why isn't it

I AM a Fox and a good old Fox to.

 

I know it just a song, but?

 

and while I am asking questions that have no answers, WHY can I not carry a tune either!(This message has been edited by dan)

[evmori]

In my district, Wood Badge is talked about at almost every roundtable. There have been many Scouters in my district that have staffed Wood Badge courses.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

 

I use to be an Eagle ...........

[fotoscout]

Sorry folks, but I liked the bit of secrecy. Information on the course content was readily available for the asking. Details on the presentation and methods were not so available. It is a well crafted program, most will tell you that they enjoyed the experience. Ah, but the program varies from class to class, why you ask? Because each year the staff changes, and with that the presentation and methods also change. So it would do you no good even if I did described my WB experience to you great detail.

 

Besides that, if you're in the middle of a good book do you want someone to tell you how it ends? Of course not. Do you want to sit in the movie theater and listen to some guy behind you talk about what coming next in the movie. Of course not.

 

Folks, its not secrecy, its courtesy! Thank you.(This message has been edited by fotoscout)

[dsteele]

I think photoscout has something there. I remember being very excited about learning more about the Brotherhood ceremony in the Order of the Arrow. My father took his brotherhood the weekend I took my ordeal. I was very curious about the red lines on his wrist.

 

When I was told what I needed to do to find out, by obtaining brotherhood myself, I set out to do it. Sometimes mystery is cool.

 

However, some people aren't motivated to bother with a mystery. Perhaps we should be more open about answering their questions and get them to take this great course.

 

But who am I to talk. I couldn't solve my Rubic's Cube as a teenager and took it out and shot it up with a case of .22 bullets!

 

DS

[Eamonn]

This was my first try at a poll.

Things will get better.

The reason I stared it was because of some of the posts in other threads.

I like to think that I give all those who ask, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I have asked course participants, not to use some of the material from the Camp Fire and one other presentation. In order that those who follow will see something "New".

In putting a staff together, I went for the best trainers in the council / Cluster.

We have a staff of 21.

4 Female.

2 Crew Advisors.

5 Cub Scouters.

4 With past Wood Badge Experiance.

We would have had more Cub Scouters, but there is a lack of Cub Scout Wood Badge Holders in our Council.

I have gone out of my way not to have the "Good Old Boys."

In fact many of these are not willing to change, and have gone into retirement.

At this time we have 36 deposits paid. Far more Cub Scouters then anyone else.

Some of the things that I'm doing are not sitting well with the other 3 past staffers. Mainly stuff about uniform and hats !!But this is how I'm interpreting the Staff Guide, and when all is said and done, I'm the Course Director. Yes I know how bad that sounds.

One thing that was in the old Boy Scout Wood Badge, that isn't in this new one is the 30 day meeting. While I have no intention of re-writing the syllabus. I wish that we still had it.(Yes I know that the Council next door still holds it, but it is not in the syllabus.)

I have looked over the letters that I have sent out, and ok, there is talk about a "Mountain Top Experiance" But that is about all the "Hype" That I see. At the end of the flier I made it a point to add "Training Never Ends" This is also very clear in the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training.

The course will be looked at and I feel sure that some things will be changed. However if we all make changes there will be no benchmark. So we need to do it as it is in the syllabus in order to make sure that the changes if and when they come will be worth making.

[ASM514]

Eamonn, are you saying that you are course director and do not have your Wood Badge? Or are you saying that you are course director and have people on your staff that do not have their Wood Badge? I am confused. Please xplain.

 

Also, Wood Badge is and should be a mystery. It is the mark of the Elite in Scout leadership. The mark of commitment to the program. The "Beaded Ones" are of a select few who have devoted themselves to the cause of Scouting. To those who are offended by the mystery, I can only say, put your committment to the program up front and prove yourself by taking the course. It truly is a Mountain Top Experience. One that I will forever be greatfull for. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to have participated.

 

ASM514

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