Training, Training and More Training

[evmori]

I'm not doubting the value of any training the BSA has to offer. There is ton of it!

 

A recurring theme I seem to see in this & other forums is people don't have time to take all the training necessary so in some cases they take no training at all. Cost doesn't seem to be an issue. The issue seems to be time. Now I know some will make the argument that if these adults really were in it for the boys they would make the time. And I would agree with that but there are those who really don't have the time to take the necessary training.

 

I feel if most of the training were packaged into a weekend long or couple weekend sessions, this would help get more people to training. Package the basic Cub courses together & package the basic Boy Scout courses together. Example, have BLT include Troop Committee Challenge for the Boy Scouts & BALOO & OWL for the Cubs.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle]

I agree that making training more available could nothing but help, perhaps more of the policy & procedure training could be done online like Youth Protection is now. I can see that obviously things like Outdoor Skills cant be done online, but all the book learnin' certainly should be

[SR540Beaver]

To each his own....but for me personally, I won't get involved in something unless I can devote the needed time to it. I'm short changing myself and all those involved if I can't do it "right".

 

A good scouting buddy of mine asked me to staff a council course he was course director for. I really, really wanted to do it. It would have been a blast getting to work with him again. But in looking at the first 26 weeks of 2007, I had something scout related going on for at least 15 of them. I could have squeezed it in, but I told him that I would not have been able to do the kind of job he and I would both expect of me. I told him thanks, but no. He told me he respected that.

 

If you are going to be involved in scouting, you need to be involved in scouting. What example are you setting for the boys if you do it half way?

[local1400]

Any time you can give is worthwhile Beav. Hey, I myself am waiting to win Powerball so I can quit my job, become a full-time ASM and spend my summers on a Camp Staff somewhere. Time is very precious. I have a co-worker serving a seven day suspension from work right now. The crime? He called in sick one night. That's life in my world.

[CNYScouter]

One thing our council has been successful at is combining SM Specific and the Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills. This takes place on one Tuesday night and then a Friday to Sunday afternoon.

On Friday night they offer NLE for anyone who needs ot.

One of the reasons we went to this format because no one was taking SM Specific and only taking the Outdoor skills course.

We run this twice a year and usually have a waiting list.

People have asked about adding other courses during the weekend but it tough enough to get everything in to be done at a reasonable time on Sunday afternoon

 

I think every time we run WLOT someone asks why we cant do BALOO at the same time. I have taken both and about 90% of it is overlapped.

 

The reason I was given why not is that they are intended for different people.

If someone is waiting until WLOT to take BALOO its most likely too late to do much good for a Pack so it is offered as a separate course.

 

We try a couple of times a year outside of our Scouting University to offer one-stop training where some can take NLE, YPT and Leader Specific training but I cant say this works any better as they are still not well attended.

 

 

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

Many of the issues that we discuss in this Forum are training issues. It may be that people have not gone to training or it may be that they have gone but the amount of time spent on issues is minimal or the trainers may have cut it short. Achieving the proper amount and the right kind is difficult because people complain of a lack of time all of the time.

 

I suggest that training be mandatory and that a person be expected to obtain a license by exam before they can engage the program. I suggest that the Commissioner's Corps be expected to check to ensure that the basic Scouting program is being engaged and if it is not, then the unit be put on probation with a mentor until they achieve threshold skills. There is so much leeway in the program now that it is surprising that it works or then may be it does. fb

 

[epalmer84]

At the end of each year we have troop elections and shuffle the adult responsibilities. This year I am taking on the newly created position of troop trainer, managing the training of our youth and adults. I'm working on my training notebook now. It will contain:

 

- Charts showing the training progression for youth and adults.

- A checklist of who has what training, the date earned and the expiration date.

- A calendar of troop, district and council training dates.

- Tracking cards for the training award and key.

- Information on training and leadership awards outside of Scouting.

 

Ed

[eagle-pete]

I think it would be helpful to define just what training is, at least in the context of Scout Leadership.

 

Training is not simply a means of transfering information. If it were that simple, then yes, a DVD, video, or online training would suffice. But before we start "packaging" our trainings into nice, convenient value meals, let's consider the trade-offs...

 

Scouting Spirit

This is the old clich, right? Let's get that Scouting Spirit! But there is something about scouting which you have to have in order to be able to swallow all the skits, songs, and goofy activities. That intangible something is the Scouting Spirit. And the boys respond to it! Now, I am not saying this is impossible to transfer in an online training, but it is very difficult to do. First of all, the trainee must be willing to accept the Scouting Spirit. As we know well, a luke-warm leader is not going to just magically have the scouting spirit. They need to buy into it.

 

The Sales Pitch

Which brings us to the sales pitch. I, like many new leaders, didn't realize it was happening to me when I took my first BSA training. I was being "sold" on the idea of scouting. Training is not just a step-by-step outline of how to run a program. We are presenting concepts and ideas which, in order for a unit to succeed, the new leader must buy into the whole program. And this is not always achieved at their first training. It's a process which the new leader must go through and it may take several trainings before they are truly sold on scouting. Without a live, real, speaking trainer, it is very difficult to achieve this.

 

The Process of Training

There is a process which people go through in training. It begins with the assumption that the new leader has never been exposed to the concepts which BSA presents. As the leader progresses they are given new concepts built on those that have been presented until they are finally "Trained". This process is not achieved simply by sitting through a one hour video. For most new leaders, this process takes time.

 

A Way to Gauge Dedication

I have heard it so many times, new leader A: "This training was a waste of my time. I am no nearer to understanding my position than I was before I came to the training." And yet, in the very same training, new leader B: "Boy I sure learned alot. I can't wait to get back to our troop and start implementing some of this." What do you think new leader A might do with an online version of the same training? Would they jump at the chance to spend an hour or two sitting in front of the computer going through powerpoint presentations? Would they find it more fulfilling or beneficial to watch a DVD? I like to look at trainings as a way to gauge dedication. If we start making it so easy and convenient to get the training material, we will lose the impact and the effects of those people who are dedicated enough to make the time, get to the trainings, and learn something from the experience.

 

Yes, it is true. We will not get everyone out to training. But we will get quality leaders if they have to invest something in training (time, availability). I am all about quality, not quantity. Think of it this way... Do you want your son to have a leader who sat through an hour of online training, or do you want him to have a leader who took the necessary time to be trained well and have the attitude and spirit you expect from a good scout leader?

 

I am not saying online trainings or packaged trainings are bad. There are some benefits. But we need to weigh those benefits against the possible losses. It's kinda like those tech schools. "You can earn your bachelors degree in just 1 year!" What is the student sacrificing in order to earn that degree in an accelerated pace?

 

Maybe I am just naive, but I think the BSA is pretty smart. I don't think it is a mistake to present concepts a piece at a time, I think that is by design. I think new leaders should sacrifice something to get trained because it gives them the opportunity to invest into scouting. By making that investment, I feel they will be less inclined to just give up when things aren't going so smoothly.

 

Eagle Pete

[SR540Beaver]

local1400: "Any time you can give is worthwhile Beav."

 

Local,

 

I agree in general. But if I sign up to be the ASM for new scouts and can only find time to show up for one troop meeting a month and ever other outing, I'm hindering the program more than I'm helping it.

 

When my son was a Webelos II, one of the dads stepped up and requested to be the Den Leader. When the boys were Webelos I's their DL was a lady. He and she both felt that the boys needed to get used to having a male adult leader. That was fine with everyone involved. This guy (a great guy BTW) was an EMT by day and a student by night. The only evening he had available for Den meetings was Friday evenings. Our attendance dropped to half within a month. Half way thru the season, he decided it was too much and dropped out leaving me the CC and the CM to take over as DL's to finish out the year.

 

All I'm saying is that if people are biting off more than they can chew, maybe they should consider smaller bites. We can't have it ALL no matter how much we want it.

[local1400]

OK Beav, you got me.