When to take Wood Badge?

[rjscout]

I attended BALOO last October for my Pack, as the new Outdoor Activities chair. That got me excited about scouter training as a whole. I kept hearing about Wood Badge and this site has helped tremendously in growing the excitement. Soon after my BALOO training, which was integrated as part of the Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, I was asked to be ACM with the idea that I would become CM next year. I was originally thinking that I would take the whole IOLS course in the fall, and then WB some time later. I get tempted when I look at the WB information. Now that I see the schedule for WB in the fall, I see that the 2nd weekend will interfere with our first Pack meeting of the school year (when we get a lot of new Tiger Cubs). I mentioned that at roundtable last night, and someone told me that I could get an ACM to run the meeting. That is true, but I feel that as a new CM, it is important to be there as the new Tigers get started. My son is currently a Wolf, so I have plenty of time for WB. I just hope that he likes the scouting enough to stay involved. That's one of the reasons I am helping the Pack, to keep the program fun and exciting.

 

Do I have good thinking, or should I skip the Pack meeting to attend WB sooner than later?

 

I wonder if I'll get any opinions. LOL

 

Thanks for all the great posts I have read on scouter.com

 

Rob

[ScoutNut]

It is entirely up to you.

 

However, if you really, really, want to go this summer, why not change the date of your first Pack meeting? There is plenty of time to advertise the change, and even to look for a new facility if needed.

[Its Me]

 

Sign-up for WB

 

Your training will be more important to the Pack than being there the first night. Besides the first Pack meeting of the year, especially for tigers is just sign-up. It takes a couple of weeks or longer to sort out den leaders and meeting nights and places.

 

Signing up den leaders and getting parents involved over the course of a couple of weeks is why you get paid the big bucks. Schedule a committee meeting or leaders meeting two weeks after sign-up. This will be a far better way to communicate pack functions than at a pack meeting with kiddies running all around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John-in-KC]

You're going to be Cubmaster. Program is your responsibility, but you're also the Ringmaster of the Grand Circus that is Pack Meeting each month.

 

I'd sit down with your CC now; to me, rescheduling this night, perhaps to a Saturday campfire cookout at the local park is one option.

 

Another option is to look at area Councils and see who is giving WB when. There may be a course nearby which better suits your Packs schedule.

 

I tend to advocate going out-of-Council for WB, particularly if you're already active in your own Council. It broadends the network , and the most important resource Scouters have is ... other Scouters

 

Remember the major program delivery context of WB will be the Boy Scouting program, so while the leadership skills and several of the games are exportable, you will have to think as much Parents as when your SPL talks about PLs and PORs.

 

Have FUN!!!

(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[eolesen]

New parents are pretty much drinking from a firehose for the first couple weeks/months... I don't think anyone will notice if you have the ACM filling in for you at the first meeting.

 

Plus, I suspect you'll do a better job as a new CM having been thru the course. If nothing else, you'll be pumped up, and can probably leverage a few ticket items out of things you want to do differently with the pack from the previous CM.

 

That said, I will second the value of going out of council for WB if you have an opportunity to do so. In addition to the expanded network, it was a nice change of scenery in terms of both the attendees and the camp. My course was about three hours drive from home, which also gave me lot of time for reflection to/from the camp.

[Pack378]

Change the date of the pack meeting!!!

[kb6jra]

Good advice so far. Re-schedule the pack meeting or allow an assistant to cover for you. Take the training and have a great time, come back energized and ready to roll.

 

Have fun

[Knight]

Missing one Pack Meeting in order to go to Wood Badge is entirely appropriate and is 100% the right thing to do. This is precisely what ACMs are for. I'd make sure the ACM or CC mentions at the Pack Meeting that the CM is away doing BSA's best and most intensive training in order to help the boys and the Pack grow even better.

 

As someone else menioned, new scouts and parents will be bursting with new stuff, just make sure the Pack Meeting agenda is full and has some back up "Plan B" things (like goofy cheers or "spirit yell" contests between the various ranks) in case some part of the meeting goes awry.

 

I used to be an Antelope, and a good old Antelope too...(This message has been edited by Knight)

[SR540Beaver]

There is no time like the present. If you have the time, means and desire, go to Wood Badge. Have a blast.

[NeilLup]

Wood Badge will do so much for you and your Pack. It is a very worthwhile investment. I would suggest changing your Pack meeting night and trying to get one or more other leaders from your Pack to go too.

[jmeyers]

I am going to go a little against the tide on this one, and suggest you may want to wait. I think you need to do a reality check on the pack and what kind of Committee/support structure you have in the pack.

 

I took over the pack this year from the CM who had been in for 5 years. Like you, my thought was the more training I have to try to figure it all out, the better. I took WB over the summer/fall, and I loved it. It was my mountaintop experience.

 

My 2nd WB weekend was the popcorn pickup weekend, and I was popcorn kernel, because the previous CM had handled all that. I also had my newly recruited Tiger leader back off because of family issues. Oh, and I am also the WDL.

 

My point is that I got back with all of my WB enthusiasm, and got so buried in trying to run the pack, get ticket stuff done, that I had trouble providing the level of program that I think the boys deserved. Short version is, I am scrambling to have the Tigers and W1s make rank by May.

 

The point being, make sure that you have the resources in place to offload some of the administrivia that goes along with running/funding a pack. I didn't have the resources in place to take that off of my plate, and I didn't feel I could take the time to find and teach someone to do what needed to get done.

 

And before anyone says it, I know that finding and developing these kind of resources is part of the CM job description. And I know that the Leadership aspect of WB is what I need to work on most.

 

Whining aside (lol), if you have strong DLs and committee people you can pull it off. If you have some weaknesses in the Pack structure, get those shored up before you add the WB experience. It will allow you to enjoy the experience more, focus on developing your skills without as much stress, and guarantee the best program possible for the boys.

 

Just my 1.98490 yen....

[rjscout]

jmeyers,

 

Thanks for the honest opinion. It does sound like a HECTIC year (hour a week???). I think we have a good committee going, at this point, but we are still trying to expand the committment to more leaders. One of the things I wanted to do was to get my new Webelos Den Leaders (one advancing from Bear DL and a team taking over for a husband/wife WDL who moved) to IOLS, and attend with them. That is one of the interferences that I have. I doubt if my wife will like me doing both. I will be attending Resident Camp with the boys this summer, and a few more summer camping opportunities with the scouts. I am sure that I will love WB when I go, but I am not sure when that will be. I'll keep my mind and my options open.

 

Rob