would you hide your ticket?

[Lisabob]

Thought I'd try posting this in the WB forum rather than the open discussion forum...we'll see who answers!

 

How do you all feel about making the end product of your WB ticket public? By that I mean, does the unit or district or council or who-ever it is you serve, know about your ticket? Do you share with them how you have completed your tasks? Are they part of the process of working your ticket? Are there instances where you feel it would be justified to go ahead and do something but then hide it from those whom you serve in a scouting function (or at least, not promote it)?

 

I can't think of too many occasions where that would seem appropriate. "Hurt feelings" doesn't seem like a good reason to me. If what you're saying or doing is truthful and important then maybe it needs saying or doing, although of course sensitivity is desirable. If what you're saying or doing isn't truthful, or isn't done well, or isn't meaningful, then hiding it to avoid hurting others' feelings seems like an excuse for just spouting off without any serious effort or thought to start with, and in that case perhaps motives need to be re-examined.

 

But maybe I'm not thinking creatively enough.

 

 

[Trevorum]

Lisabob, I'm not following your question. I can't envision a situation in which one would do a ticket item but purposely try to keep it secret. Some ticket items are more interesting than others and some are interesting only to certain people or sets of people. Ticket items are supposed to be "helpful", so why would anyone choose something that was sure to hurt anyone's feelings?

 

One of my ticket items resulted in a booklet entitled "A Scout is Reverent" which our friend Kudu later (with my permission) published on his website Inquiry.net. I didn't originally intend for the booklet to be widely public but I am pleased that it has reached so many people.

 

Trevorum

[Lisabob]

Sorry Trev, I should have linked my question to the thread that got me wondering about it. In another thread (in the open discussion section) Brianbuf indicates that he has not shared his website or ideas about "saving" scouting with people in his area, although developing this website was apparently a major portion of his WB ticket. The gist of why seemed to be that it might upset people or ruffle feathers. Got me thinking, is there ever a legitimate reason for not making your work toward your WB ticket known to others?

[emb021]

I, too, am also confused by the question.

 

Around here, while a persons complete ticket (or everything they did) is not usually promoted or made public, certain some items are known. Many times if a person working their ticket does something that is for their ticket (organizing an event, getting something done at camp, etc), it is known that it was done for WB. Also, around here its come that if you ARE working your ticket, telling people that you are trying to do X for your ticket, usually gets more cooperation in getting it done.

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

No.

[EagleInKY]

I believe that you should try to accomplish your ticket items based on the merit of the item. I don't like the idea of getting others to cooperate with you just so you can complete your ticket. One of the challenges, as I see it, is to get others to align with your vision. It's a great test of leadership and teambuilding. Afterward, if you want to share that you did it for your ticket, that's fine. I, personally, did not do that. A few people know one or two of my items. But, for the most part, they were between my Troop Guide and me.

[red feather]

No, to my thinking the ticket is to help the Wood Badger learn more about scouting and help to improve it or at least portions of it. If the ticket has a 'subversive' portion to it then it should not be apporved for action.

 

I am proud of my ticket and am still trying to improve on it even though it was completed in 96.

 

C-5-95

and a good ol' Beaver

"if it is not for the boys it is not worth a dam"

yis

[Eamonn]

I suppose that there could be rare occasions when some people might not want others to know what is in their Ticket.

Of course the Troop Guide would have to know what it is, being as he or she is the person who approves it

Then the Ticket Counselor would also have to know.

I was the Ticket Counselor for our Scout Executive. He had a very good ticket, but being as he was the SE (He has since moved.) We both felt it was better that it wasn't open to public scrutiny.

I could see how maybe a person who serves on the Council Finance Committee could write a ticket, which might not go over well with the masses?

How about the guy who serves on the Properties Committee, who as a ticket item does a feasibility study on Council Camps?

I'm unsure what position our friend in the other Thread serves in? (I think he might be a unit Scouter.) If he is a unit Scouter, the Ticket should be goals that would better serve the unit he serves.

A web site that meets that end should or could be about improving communication within the unit, maybe it could have links that might help improve the skills of the unit members?

I only visited the site one time.

I can't remember if indeed it was improving the communication within the unit or teaching skills? If it was I missed it!!

At some time if a ticket has any real worth, someone should receive some benefit from the results of a ticket, some good should be passed on to the people or group that the Ticket writer serves, once this happens I think in most cases the group that benefits will notice.

Eamonn.

[John-in-KC]

Lisa,

 

There are items in my ticket I had to share. Our friendly SMART acronym: Measurable. At least three ticket items required external subjective judgment of the work I did for the item.

 

As far as would I share my items, as ideas for others? Yes, but only if asked. I think the discovery learning of developing and working the ticket, now that I've been through it, almost mandates there not be a "good idea bank." The Scouter needs to be able to assess the needs of himself, his unit, and the "greater good" he works in.

 

Would I (and have I) share the FORMAT I used to communicate my ticket items to my TG? Heck, yes.

 

Does this help?

 

John

I used to be an Owl

C-40-05

[eagle-pete]

Case in Point

 

I was a Cubmaster when I wrote my ticket. One of my goals for my ticket was (and I am paraphrasing - I don't recall the exact wording) to improve parent/scout relations by involving the parents more in the program, educating the parents on how the Cub Program works, and giving them more ownership of the program. One of the steps I took to reach this goal was I had a personal meeting with each of the parents of the Cubs. I invited the parents, the den leader, and their son(s) to attend the meeting. In the meeting we went through the cub program, focusing especially on the current age group of their son(s). We went over the responsibilities of their den leader, how a den meeting is run, how advancements are handled, where the Cubmaster fits in, and how parents should be involved in the program. We took some of the time to have an open discussion with the parents and their boy(s) to express any concerns they have, questions, or suggestions for their den and the pack. We also went over the upcoming goals and plans for the pack for the next few months and invited their input. They were then invited to attend the Pack Committee meeting as active participants in the program planning.

 

These meetings proved to be very successful in making the parents feel more included and part of the program. We greatly improved the communication and cooperation of the parents and they were able to work much closer with their den leader. Overall, it was a very successful project.

 

I didn't openly tell the parents that this originated with a goal for Wood Badge or was to go toward some kind of reward. I didn't want the parents' involvement to be tainted because they might feel I was just trying to get some reward or get another notch toward a requirement completed. I wanted it to be a sincere effort on both parts - the parents and scout leaders.

 

This turned out to be one of the most successful and rewarding parts of my Wood Badge ticket and I learned a great deal about the parents and how they view the program. I understood their point of view and why they become involved/uninvolved at times. It also allowed me to make changes to the program which specifically addressed the parents' concerns. Also, this ticket item forced me to use just about every skill I learned from the practical course. I didn't realize it at the time I wrote it, but I couldn't have wrote a better ticket item.

 

Eagle Pete

[Gonzo1]

Yes...... and ... No.

 

I think that when someone is working their ticket, it should be their personal task to do. Sure, get and seek help if and when needed. However, I don't think that WBer's should say that they need this, that, or the other because "I'm working my WB ticket" I recognize that it may lead some to help, but it could drive others away from helping. Maybe the help could be sought because the WBer needs the help, nothing more, nothing less.

 

Moreover, I think the ticket is a personal and private matter. I think that if the WBer wants to reveal their ticket, it's OK, but should not be required.

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

I think perhaps that people are missing the point of this thread. Brianbuf started a website to give his opinion on what was wrong with scouting, why he believed the numbers were declining and what he thought national should change to make it better. He did this as a WB ticket item. He does not want folks in his unit, district or council to know about it because of the fallout it would cause. I believe that is what this thread is about. Would you create a ticket item that you felt needed to be hidden from your fellow scouters?

 

I understand what some of you are saying. While I don't think anyone needs to shout their tickets from the rooftops, I don't think a ticket should be so personal that you wouldn't be comfortable telling people what it is. As a Troop Guide, I approved some personal ticket items. Especially those that would serve to lead others by example. I did have some of my patrol rewrite some of their tickets TO include other people. Many of them wrote items that THEY were going to do. WB is a leadership course. They needed to apply what they had learned in WB to the tickets they wrote. I had them change it from "I will do X" to "I will develop a team to do X". Why? It put them in a leadership role and provided an example to adults and boys. It gets other people involved. Shared work keeps good leaders from burning out. It introduces WB to others whose help you enlist. The reasons are many. It is difficult for me to see how doing a ticket that no one would be aware of helps scouting.

 

Just my two cents.

[evmori]

Would I hide what is in my Wood Badge ticket? No. There is no valid reason to do so. If someone is hiding something in their Wood Badge tickets I would be suspicious that it was ever done or not done according to the way the ticket was written. And if that is the case, I would not consider that ticket item completed.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

 

NE-V-120

Eagle Patrol

"I'm a talon you, we're the Eagles!"

[Lisabob]

Thanks Beaver, that is what I was thinking about. I admit in part that I was curious to see whether or not Brian would get past the open discussion forum and venture over to the WB area. But really, I just can't see how or why it would make sense to do something as public as a website on how to "save" scouting and then assert that one doesn't want to share it with other scouters in one's area who might be offended by it. If we suppose that this desire to "save" scouting is genuine then shouldn't that apply to those units in one's own area too?

 

Venturing beyond that particular example, I just couldn't think of legitimate reasons to hide your ticket from other scouters.

 

Eamonn, your examples make the most sense to me of why certain people in sensitive positions might prefer not to broadcast their ticket. I hadn't thought of it in that light. Eagle-Pete and Gonzo, I understand what you're saying too.

 

 

[Eamonn]

Back in the day.

Before the new course, the final approval for Tickets came from the Scoutmaster or Cubmaster.

Now the final word comes from the TG.

It is however up to the Course Director to develop his staff.

Once again back in the day.

Staff members wrote tickets -I never thought they were very important but they did offer the CD an insight to how each staff member seen things.

I'm a little unsure if a Ticket item that seemed to have little to do with the position that the ticket writer served in, would ever pass.

Participants are to write their Tickets about their primary registered position.

Having TG's who understand the entire process is vital.

Having tickets that really do work toward the participants Vision and Mission and are not just a list of random ideas and goals, is in many ways up to the TG.

Some of us did see the web site in question.

We don't know what thinking went behind it?

If it was some kind of a "Dry Run"? Along the lines of :

"I'm going to learn how to make a web site that will improve the communication within the unit I serve" That might be OK.

In that case, the content of the site really doesn't matter - As far as the ticket goes.

Eamonn.