Leader Basic Training - A Great Start

[eagle-pete]

We all know that training in general can always be improved. As a rule, we send new leaders off to training and they may or may not have the expectation to come away from their training having sufficient knowledge about their position to be able to function effectively. I am referring specifically to Leader Basic Training.

 

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Boy Scout Leader Basic Training in my district. My wife wanted to brush up on her skills and signed up for the training. She asked that I accompany her.

 

To my welcome surprise, I found the training well-presented and informative. Kud(u)s (pun intended) to the staff!

 

Something which was pointed out in the training, and which I wish to discuss here, is that the Leader Basic Training is not intended to be an all-encompassing training. Nor does it have the advanced level of training one expects at, say, a Wood Badge course. Occasionally, we send new leaders off to Leader Basic Training and give them the impression that this training will answer all their questions and solve all their problems. This is a tragic disservice to a new leader in Scouting. All too often, they come away disappointed and disheartened. I have heard with my own ears participants come away from Leader Basic saying, Well that was useless. I still dont understand what I need to do.

 

Moreover, I have seen comments here in the forum stating how unsatisfactory and inadequate Leader Basic Training is.

 

Once, at a Leader Basic Training, several years ago, a trainer was going over uniforming. She presented the proper way to place the insignia and wear the uniform. It was well-presented. But what stuck in my memory was this: she emphasized how important it is to represent the BSA as the honorable and dignified organization it is. Years later I went through Wood Badge and it occurred to me that to many Scouters, the beads also represent the BSA. Prior to having attended Wood Badge, I looked up to those who wore the beads. I considered them the experts. Even if this wasnt always the case, it was my perception at the time.

 

The BSA is not just some far off organization we refer to as National. Its you and me. We represent the BSA and new leaders create in their minds their impressions based on those of us who are seasoned Scouters. How we portray scouting is how new leaders will see it.

 

Indeed, New Leader Essentials and Leader Basic Training hardly presents a complete picture of Scouting. These are only the first essentials for new leaders. A vast array of trainings, activities, roundtables, PowWows, and other experiences await the new leader. I know of no way to present Scouting in its entirety over a 2 day period which will be sufficient to prepare a new leader in all aspects of their position. But Leader Basic Training is a good start. What it does (or should) provide, above all else, is the enthusiasm and Scouting Spirit. The information in the training is good, but a new leader must be inspired to continue to learn. They should come away from New Leader Essentials and Leader Basic Training feeling that, although they still dont know everything, the BSA is a worthy and essential organization for the boys in their unit, and they would like to learn more.

 

I had the fortune of having a wonderful Leader Basic Training presented when I began my Scouting career. As a result, I may come across somewhat over-positive about the program. What I can say is I have experienced for myself what a well-presented training can do for someone (speaking of myself). Who knows how many lives I have since been able to influence in a positive way as a result of a concerned and interested training staff that cared enough to put together a great training.

 

As we see new leaders volunteering their time to help build great Scouting programs, lets remember from their perspective, this is a complicated and sometimes overwhelming program. They need to be eased into it with some basic skills presented to them, allowing them to absorb what they can before having more presented to them.

 

We cannot afford to discourage and lose potentially excellent leaders. One day of discouragement results in years of bad attitudes, which ultimately affects the boys. Many of us have long years of experience with leaders, boys, trainings, and the BSA. Let us use that experience to aid new leaders and help build great programs.

 

Eagle Pete

[Cheerful Eagle]

eagle-pete,

 

You wrote, " I know of no way to present Scouting in its entirety over a 2 day period which will be sufficient to prepare a new leader in all aspects of their position. But Leader Basic Training is a good start. What it does (or should) provide, above all else, is the enthusiasm and Scouting Spirit. "

 

Thank you for your encouragement! I think you've hit the nail on the head. There are times when I look at my syllabus before a training and think, "yes, but what about...". I am thankful for the trainers that I've sat under, particularily at Philmont and Woodbadge, who have put their hearts into projecting Scout Spirit to us mouldy adults.

 

I have started to view NLE/PST (new leader essentials/position specific training) as a trail head. You give the new leader a quick pack inspection, make sure they have a good map and compass, the ten essentials and that they can reach the next guide point. Send them off with a song in their heart and excitement for the journey.

 

Less than 2 hours is all the time I have to spend with the new den leaders, I do my best to emphasize roundtable (fun and inspiring)and Pow-Wow (more fun and good bang for your buck), encourage networking --we all exchange email addresses and I follow up by sending them all my favorite scouting links -- and then I put my money where my mouth is and show up at roundtable and help teach at pow-wow.

[John-in-KC]

First, I'm confuzzled.

 

BASIC training has not been part of the adult leader training program since 2002. Did you mean to say:

BSA New Leader Essentials--

- Common Core

- Position Specific Training by program (Boy Scout example: Scoutmaster or Troop Committee Challenge)

- Outdoor Skills by program (Boy Scout example: Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills)

 

????

 

If you do mean this, I believe many parts of the country have excellent supplemental training (Pow-Wow) supporting the Cub program.

 

ONE of District Roundtable's purposes is to provide specialized supplemental training. A bigchallenge is RT is designed to operate using the BSA program theme. From my experience as a district RT staffer, we do not consistently revisit the skills and abilities, and increasingly, updated technologies needed for successful fieldcraft as leaders. (Note, by technology I do not mean eletronic gadgets: Since I was a Scout, we've changed fabrics for clothing, fabrics for tentage, stoves for cooking, and materials for the backpack and frame.)

 

My Council is going to do its first true University of Scouting this fall. Maybe that will answer some of the mail.

[scoutldr]

Has the training continuum changed since I gave up the training chair two years ago? I don't remember anything called "common core".

 

There was:

Fast Start (now online)

New Leader Essentials (everyone)

Position Specific (DL, CM, MC, SM, etc)

Troop Committee Challenge

Youth Protection (usually given along with NLE, now online)

Outdoor training (WOE, BALOO, IOLS)

 

 

[fgoodwin]

As a former DL and CC, and currently district training chair and UC, I agree that many new leaders leave their basic training feeling shortchanged.

 

Without fail, the one complaint I hear most often is, "I thought I was gonna learn how to run a den meeting, and I still have no idea!" (or Pack Meeting in the case of a CM or Committee Meting in the case of a CC, etc.)

 

When I ask them how many of them took Fast Start before coming to training, invariably, none of them had done so. Folks, Fast Start is the training that gives new leaders the nuts and bolts about running meetings at their level (den meeting, pack meeting, committee meeting, etc.).

 

I've asked my Council w/o success to REQUIRE FS before NLE + PST. The response is, such an approach is not responsive and that I should never turn away a trainee, regardless if they lack the background in FS.

 

In response, my Council has offered the last two years a special den leaders workshop to talk about exactly how to run a den meeting (first offered at Pow-Wow and now offered as a stand-alone supplemental training).

 

Sadly, despite the complaints that our "canned" training is lacking, the turnout for the den leader workshop was extremely disappointing, so much so that cancellation is being considered.

 

I don't know the answer, I wish I did.

[Lisabob]

I'll agree with fgoodwin on the point about fast start. But to a certain extent I think you need to give people what they want when it comes to training volunteers. If they sit through an entire day or two of basic training (or common core or whatever the latest name change is) and at the end of the day, they leave feeling that they didn't get something of value, then:

 

1. they're probably going to continue to struggle to run good meetings within the guidelines of the program, and

 

2. they're not very likely to come back for the (potentially more rewarding) supplemental trainings.

 

For most people you have to get them the first time they come in the door or, no matter how good the follow up material, you're not going to have a chance to deliver it to them because they just won't come.

 

Lisa'bob

[John-in-KC]

The expression common core is a local term.

 

When NLE rolled out, the entire package was NLE, and you had not finished NLE until you had finished PST.

 

So... I started calling the common element (CS, BS (including V), and VEN as New Leader Essentials Common Core. It's the class we support at District RT monthly with space and access to multimedia capabilities (VCR, computer projector, sound).

 

As to Fred's comment, that is the running problem of Scouter training. We received a complaint from an Scouter last year on our RT surveys: Why hadn't we offered xxxxx? He had missed 4 months of the program year. Guess what was offered one of those months? xxxxx.

 

 

 

He had ma

[emb021]

"When NLE rolled out, the entire package was NLE, and you had not finished NLE until you had finished PST."

 

Sorry, but that's incorrect PER NATIONAL.

 

'NLE' ONLY applies to the 90-minute New Leader Essentials course. It does not apply in any way to the various Position-Specific Training.

 

If you look at the on-line page on the "Training Continuim" (http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/18-390), you will in fact read that the 90-minute NLE course is the FIRST section of Basic Leader Training. So National does NOT use 'NLE' for any of the rest of the courses.

 

So National consideres NLE, PST, OLS (as needed) as "Basic Leader Training", which earns you the "Trained" strip

 

 

 

[eagle-pete]

In response to John-in-KC, scoutldr, and anyone else who's "confuzzled":

 

Yes, when I said "Basic" I meant to say New Leader Essentials and Position Specific training. These are the official titles of this part of BSA Training. Thank you for pointing this out. I sometimes get confuzzled myself.

 

I agree that there are a good many supportive and reinforcement types of programs like Pow-Wow. These programs are not always promoted as an official "Training" per-se. Roundtable is often viewed as a scouters social club and the training aspect of Roundtable is sometimes left out of the equation (not every case, I know). The point is, new leaders often get the impression that New Leader Essentials and Position Specific trainings will give them "everything they need", which is simply not the case, nor is it intended to be.

 

But there is a time-tested and proven way to train new leaders. A new leader who goes through ALL the suggested trainings, from Fast Start to Wood Badge, will have a pretty good handle on what their job is, they'll acquire the "Scouting Spirit", they will know how to best deal with the youth and leaders, and they'll know, pretty well, what the policies, guidelines, suggesions, and recommendations of the BSA are to run a successful program.

 

Eagle Pete

[emb021]

"I agree that there are a good many supportive and reinforcement types of programs like Pow-Wow. These programs are not always promoted as an official "Training" per-se. Roundtable is often viewed as a scouters social club and the training aspect of Roundtable is sometimes left out of the equation (not every case, I know). "

 

You need to take a look at the 'training continum' as National sees it. Take a look at the Leadership Committee book and other sources.

 

National classifies training into 4 groups:

 

* Fast Start

 

* Basic Training (this is NLE and Position Specific, and as needed Outdoor training)

 

* Supplemental Training (this is a broad group that includes a lot of training. The various safety certification courses. Roundtable (this should be ongoing supplemental training. some scouters don't get it and think its just an information meeting). Volunteer training at Sea Base and PTC. University of Scouting, Pow Wows, and other such locally provided training. Powder Horn. Sea Badge. (tho some think the last 2 are advanced. not per National)

 

* Advanced Training (only one course in this level: Wood Badge

 

 

[Newbie Den Leader]

Eagle-pete,

 

Good opening post. The instructor makes the difference! Even if its a canned scripted curriculum from National, a prepared, enthusiastic instructor is priceless.

 

As for my experience, the NLE course was very good but the den leader position specific course was poor. The difference? The NLE instructor was prepared, knowledgable and could answer questions. The leader specific instructor was not prepared and just kind of left it as an open Q&A time. If it was not for the great advice and ideas I received from my Cubmaster, I would have been left in a frustrated position. The best advice I ever received for running a den meeting was this one: Keep It Simple, Make It Fun.

 

Roundtables? In our district, these are pretty much relegated to information about upcoming district and council events (deadlines, paperwork, Q&A, etc.). There is no training other than a handout that covers the theme for cub scouts (this is good, but this information is also available online). The most I get out of roundtable is connecting with other leaders and getting acquainted (this is also good because we are not an island and need fellowship and encouragement). In all, attendance at our roundtable suffers because so much training information is now available on scout websites including district and council websites. If we did not have the requirement to attend a minimum number of roundtables to earn our knots, I suspect attendance would be worse.

 

[eagle-pete]

Quote from Newbie Den Leader:

 

 

"Roundtables? In our district, these are pretty much relegated to information about upcoming district and council events (deadlines, paperwork, Q&A, etc.). There is no training other than a handout that covers the theme for cub scouts (this is good, but this information is also available online). The most I get out of roundtable is connecting with other leaders and getting acquainted... "

Thank you, Newbie Den Leader, for making my point.

 

This is an excerpt from Cub Scout Training Highlights: Leadership Training

 

"Roundtables are a form of commissioner service and supplemental training for volunteers at the pack level. Roundtables give volunteers examples for pack and den meetings; information on policy, events, and training opportunities; ideas for crafts, games, and ceremonies; and an opportunity to share experiences and enjoy fun and fellowship. These meetings help volunteers provide a stronger program for Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts." http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-513/02.html

 

Eagle Pete