Wood Badge ??

[briantshore]

I just finished WOLF/BALLOO training this weekend. I hade a really great set of instructers, and had a great time. They handed out information on Wood Badge. My question is as follows.

 

"Wood Badge training consist of two parts; the first part being the course itself. The second part consists of the application of a series of written goals(your "Ticket") wich are completed within eighteen months."

 

Can anyone give me a example of the type of goals one might set.

[BSAChaplain]

Well, I have learned that although the program is the same everywhere, the determination of what makes a good ticket item will differ from course to course a little.

 

Basically you will be asked to think about a major goal or vision for you in your current position. Then you select five items that will help you accomplish that goal.

 

So as Troop Chaplain might vision might be to increase youth participation in religious awards. Then my items might be attend Philmont Chaplain course, give a presenation to our parents and to our youth on the religious awards, meet with 10 religious leaders in our community outside of my own faith and educate them on the religious awards for their own faith, write a How to be a Unit Chaplain booklet, and arrange to run a religious award program class in my own church.

 

They should probably be a mixture of personal development and projects for others. As we are preparing to start a Venturing Crew, my wife's ticket items will all be focused around preparing for a new unit, like attending Powder Horn.

 

The ticket items will really help you to be more successful in your own position in Scouting.

 

Enjoy

[Lisabob]

Brian,

 

Here are a couple of things I did as ticket items when I took WB (the summer after my son finished his Bear year of Cubs).

 

1) Helped jump-start our pack's conservation program by setting up a bird house building workshop for a new local conservation area. We secured the supplies and the boys built something along the lines of 50 bird houses (I had a family friend with a lot of extra wood to donate). They had a blast building them, then went out to the nature center to help install them. The pack has since done several other conservation projects for this group.

 

2) Helped recruit a group of new leaders, then prepared and delivered several supplemental training modules to our pack leadership and managed, with their help, to get everybody to finally get to basic leader training.

 

Your goals would depend on your pack (strengths, weaknesses, level of support for your participation in WB) and your own vision for yourself. I was on the committee and was unofficially the CC when I went through WB together with our then-CM. We both tried to pick projects that would focus on weaknesses in the pack program, and where we were personally well-equipped to help out. It was a dynamic process, both for me personally, and for the pack as a whole.

 

Lisa'bob

[orennoah]

Within reason, you can make your ticket items, your goals, as big or as small as you wish them to be. Remember, it's going to be YOUR ticket, not anyone else's.

 

So, please don't choose from a list of what other people have done. Look around your unit and think of what great things YOUR unit could achieve in the future. Then, see if YOU could do something that would help bring that about.

 

You will have plenty of time to figure out your ticket items, so my best advise is to sign up for Wood Badge and have a great time learning about Scouting, yourself and the wonderful volunteers you'll be working with.

 

- Oren

 

WE3-41-03

BEAR

WE3-41-05

QM

[SR540Beaver]

Brian,

 

With the assistance of your Troop Guide, you will develop your individualized ticket while at Wood Badge. Meanwhile, you can look here for a good description of the Ticket.

 

http://www.woodbadge.org/WB21/wb21ticket.htm

[SueM]

Brian,

 

Like the others have said, each ticket is individual to each person..and very dependant on your OWN vision for how you see the future of your pack. You may also find that you work personal growth into many of your ticket items in one way or another too...at least I did. Most of my ticket items addressed me facing my own personal fears and weaknesses as -part- of the process...a side benefit, if you will and working through them to the benefit the troop for the long term. Taking over as SM for a year was NOT an easy thing for me to do, but it was in the best interest of the troop for me to do it at that time. I am a naturally shy person who hates being front and center..but this has allowed me to build the self-confidence I needed, as well as starting to get the troop back on track to being a Boy Led Troop. It's carried over into other areas of my life! And this is the real benefit IMO of going to Wood Badge...while you do make a difference in your program, the training also spills over into all areas of your life!

 

There is a real need to get cub scouters into Wood Badge early enough that they can have an impact on Packs. Too often Cub leaders take it when they are Webelos den leaders and then they cross over to troops all to quickly afterwards.

 

sue M.

[BVCubmaster]

Brian,

I just finished my second weekend of Wood Badge!!! I've never been more excited. Please do not let the tickets scare you away from the most rewarding Scouting experience you will ever know. The boys of your Pack or Troop will get so much more from you. Your ticket items are things that you are going to do anyway. Wood Badge gives you the information you need to do them easier.

 

GO TO WOOD BADGE!!!!! If you are lucky you will be a BOBWHITE!!!

[Lisabob]

Woo Hoo! Another BOBWHITE! Welcome to the nest, BVCubmaster!

 

Lisa'bob

A good old bobwhite too!

[alpineer]

Like SueM said use your vision! What great changes would you like to see for your unit, district or council? Don't get tunnel vision and think that you can only work within your unit and be open minded until it is actually time to write the ticket so you can apply what you've learned in the course. Also remember the part about leaving a legacy.

[knottyfox]

Ticket items should be fun, useful, measureable and pertain to your scouting position. Should you go through a Wood Badge Course, (Please do!) the staff will be there to help you with your goal setting.