Third Bead.

[BSAChaplain]

Okay, so I just wanted to share this with some people who would appreciate it. I have a tendency to write too much background so forgive the long windedness.

 

I attended Wood Badge this past summer with Old Baldy Council. I finished my ticket rather quickly, at least compared to others in our class, six months almost to the day. Not to be first (which I wasn't), but just because I was able to do the work in a timely manner. I will be getting my beads May 11th at our District Roundtable. During and after the course, I was thinking how great it would be to be on staff, but how with my schedule as a pastor it would be very unlikely that I could take all of the time necessary to do the staff development, the critical time being Sundays. Plus having gone to WB outside of the council, I might not have the connections that can help. So earning my third bead went on my list of things I hope to do someday, but need to "let go of" for now.

 

Two weeks ago, I was chatting with one of the DE's in our council and he told me about a recent LDS Scouter training event here in San Diego, they called it Mini-Philmont, where, if I understand it correctly, the Church leadership AND Scouting leadership (which, of course, blends in many places) met and it was apparently decided I wasn't there so this is just what I heard - that San Diego's LDS units will have longer callings for Scouters and encourage better training. HURRAY! (On a side note the one criticism I have heard, not experienced, about the LDS units in general through all of my Scouting forums, from LDS and non-LDS Scouters, is this very issue - short callings and lack of training for adult leadership. HUGH kudos or maybe as Wood Badgers we should say Kudus to the LDS units in our council for taking this matter seriously and striving to change things. It can have nothing but positive effect for all of Scouting in San Diego and beyond. I hope that more units will follow their lead and take the time to assess their weakness which is so often training and tenure related - and then move on them so decisively. Anyway) As a major action point they determined that there would be a non-Sunday Wood Badge course, ASAP. After meeting with the council powers that be, it was determined that it will be this fall, our council's second course of the year.

 

Like you probably have to this proposition, I had mixed feelings. This would be circumventing some of the traditional staff succession, and I am sure that some feelings will be hurt. ON THE OTHER HAND, this offers training previously unavailable to those who held to their faith convictions, which extends beyond the LDS leaders to people like me. Made even more noticeable in the general move to weekend courses, which would take up 2 Sundays. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was less mixed in my feelings and more supportive, and decided that I hoped it would not be an LDS only kind of thing. Then it dawned on me, that if the course was being developed with no Sunday program as a core value, I might be able to be a part of it. So I shot off an e-mail to the DE, who in turn passed it on to the course director. It is, of course, not an LDS only thing and I was graciously asked to apply. When I lined my calendar up with the course schedule it was almost a perfect fit. So I sent him a copy of my Scouting resume

 

Long story shortwell not very short but at least shorter than it could be. I am the new Scribe for the non-Sunday Wood Badge course this fall, WE4-49-2-06! I am almost giddy.

 

Thanks for listening (or reading), sharing in my excitement and being a Scouting friend.

 

Yours in Scouting

 

I used to be a (can I say Staffer yet, well lets stick with Owl for now,) Owl and a good old Owl too, but now Im finished Owling

[sst3rd]

BSACHAPLAIN,

 

Congratulations on a great opportunity. Incorporate as much tradition in this unique course as possible. The participants will be the better for it short term and long term.

Woodbadge Staffers have long had a poor reputation in our Council for their big headedness, big ego, and big bad attitude. Since Woodbadge is the only place they can display these lousy attributes, they pretty much get ignored everywhere else.

Remember, and I know you know this, it's for better quality adult leaders for the Scouts. FOR THE SCOUTS!!! That should be a Woodbadge Staffer's primary goal. Anything else, doesn't count !!!!

 

 

sst3rd

[Eamonn]

BSAChaplain

I'm very happy for you.

The SPL for NE-IV-153, the course I directed is /was a Lutheran Minister.

While we did the course over two weekends I made sure that we were done on Saturday for our development weekends.

I know that here in the NE-Region there have been a few courses that have been held to accommodate members of the Orthodox Jewish religion. I have never seen the course in action.

A course I staffed back in 1999 did have two LDS leaders as participants.

We don't have a lot of LDS members in our Council (One unit). Both these guys were really good leaders.

At the end of the old Boy Scout course each Patrol got to elect a "Permanent Patrol Leader" I remember one of the two was elected PL of the Beaver Patrol.

Scribe is a very tough and demanding job on this new course. So tough I had two and one other person to manage all the a/v presentations.

It might be a good idea to sit down with the SM and go over with him what his expectations are.

Strange thing was I choose a Lady who over the years I'd crossed swords with many times. In fact it was fairly well known that we didn't see eye to eye on hardly anything. I had seen the work that she had put in as a R/T Commissioner for the District she was in.

She did an outstanding job and we became really good friends.

I really like that the new course is allowing new staffers on board. Over 75% of the staff I choose were new staffers.

Best of Luck with the course.

Eamonn.

[Eagledad]

This is really interesting. A small council next to our council is offering a non-Sunday Wood Badge, mostly intended for LDS, but anyone was invited and welcome. It is completely full. Now it is a small council and they only offer WB once every two years, but everyone is amazed because it fill up so fast. And the course I'm on this Spring may benefit from that course because there is a long waiting list, so they just may hop over to our course instead of waiting two more years.

 

Great letter that was fun to read.

 

Barry

[MaScout]

Our council is relatively small in number, but offers Woodbadge every year. At least 2 years out of every 3 it is offered as a non-Sunday course to accomodate our LDS units. I happen to be very fond of this approach. I am not LDS, but I hold my Sundays very dear. I resent being asked to give it up for Scouts or anything else. Besides, isn't it a good idea to try to make our training (as well as any of our BSA endeavors) available to everyone?

[SR540Beaver]

Interesting! Barry, I had not heard about our neighboring council doing the Sunday-less WB course. Barry is staffing our council's spring course and I'm staffing our fall course. Two of the staff on the fall course are LDS. One of them is being awarded the Silver Beaver at the end of this month. Both are on fire for BSA. I really don't know their personal history. I have a feeling that their involvement in BSA has nothing to do with a "calling", but is voluntary. In other words, they are part of LDS units, but are in it for the long haul as volunteers. In fact, one of the guys is course director (SM) for an upcoming two weekend supplemental council course we call Outdoor Skills Training....not to be confused with IOLS. Evidently they have convinced the LDS powers that be here locally to allow them to attend and participate in courses that go into Sunday. In fact, they are doing some heavy recruiting of their fellow LDS scouters to attend our fall WB course.

[SueM]

BSAChaplain,

 

Congratulation on finding a way to do it!! I recently got an invitation to be on staff at our council course next fall and am weighing the option heavily too...I have given them a tentative "yes" and would really lOVE to od it, but I need to go to the orientation first and see if I can make the time committment for the staff development days. I will at least go and help in the kitchen for the weekends if nothing else! That "Hour a week" (that I have left!!) is down to about 10 minutes currently, though it's a busy time of year with BLT & IOLS going on and I'm on staff for those..along with other troop events and activities.

 

Sue M

[SWScouter]

BSAChaplain,

 

I wish you the best of luck as Troop Scribe.

 

Eamonn wrote, "Scribe is a very tough and demanding job on this new course. So tough I had two and one other person to manage all the a/v presentations."

 

A few weekends ago I was talking to one of my Woodbadge patrol members who had just completed being a Scribe for a Woodbadge course. It didn't sound like he had a very good experience. There was lots of work. He was always making last minute updates (per request) and ended up being the fall guy for things being late more often than he liked. I have no idea if this is typical for a woodbadge troop scribe. I certainly hope not. I would certainly follow Eamonn's advice and have a chat with the SM on expectations!

 

I don't mean to put you off. I think serving on woodbadge staff is a wonderful opportunity, one I hope I have someday. I would even consider being scribe, though I would definitely want to know the expectations up front and I would want to have the demands on the scribe managed better.

 

SWScouter