1-Day Indoor OLS?

[TAHAWK]

I have been clear. I will try to be clearer.

 

I did not ask about program - only a particular training issue.

 

There is no vacuum of volunteer leadership in training in this Counsel.

 

There is no shortage of OLS training opportunities. They are offered by different districts at various times utilizing staffers from more than one district. This is a cooperative effort of all the district training volunteers and has produced higher quality courses.

 

There is a vacuum of volunteer-lead ONE-DAY OLS courses because the volunteers have made a decision to offer only weekend courses. This decision was based on a consensus (not sure if it was 100% - but certainly close) that the official syllabus could not be presented in one day, much less indoors.

 

If anyone has any information about whether one-day versions of OLS have any official sanction, I would like to hear about it.

 

I would also appreciate the sharing of any experience with how one-day courses actually function since my next opportunity to see one in action is in April -- one week before the Sring weekend course.

 

 

 

Now if you want to discuss what a great job James West did, perhaps that might be covered in another thread. Our Troop was founded in 1908. The Troop I Scouted in as a boy was founded in 1908. My views probably differ.

[Eamonn]

"If anyone has any information about whether one-day versions of OLS have any official sanction, I would like to hear about it."

This talk about any form of "official sanction" has me a little confused.

For my sins I have served as a District and Council Training Chairman. While I did get involved with the presentation of the training's, I seen part of my job as ensuring that the syllabus was presented as written.

To this end I along with the Training Committee selected people to present the training's. In part the committee and myself choose people who we knew would follow the syllabus.

While I never seen myself as an Official Sanction-er of any kind. Presenters who failed to follow the syllabus were never asked to return and present again.

Had I been the Council Training Chair in a Council where some misguided person be he a pro or a volunteer wanted to alter the training syllabus? I would have met with him and explained the error of his ways.

Just as the SE really shouldn't change the laid down requirements for Eagle Scout rank, he or she really shouldn't go messing with the training's.

I happen to think that one weekend isn't long enough for this outdoor training, but while it might be OK for me to offer my services for another more in depth training. For me to turn around and say that the training as in the syallabus is not good enough would be wrong on my part.

However were I to do so? I don't think anyone other than the volunteers in the Council I serve would do anything about it!

At the end of the day like a lot of things in Scouting we are charged with doing our best to do what is right, because it's the right thing to do. No"official sanction" is required.

Eamonn.

[FScouter]

For any training the material that needs to be covered is in the syllabus. A training can be shortened by skipping some of the required materials. There is no other way to do it. Skipping parts has no "sanction". The fact that a council committee has failed to send in the rescue squad to stop it does not equate to approval. If a MB counselor skips over some of the requirements and the badge gets recorded anyway, that does not mean the practice is sanctioned. It just means the people doing the work are not doing a quality job.

[willhi1979]

The IOLS Syllabus states the type of accepted course formats. Completing the class in one day isn't mentioned. Below is what it has. The District I am in is hosting a two Saturday course in March and April. This is ideal for people who cannot get away from work on Friday or have to be at church on Sunday. The syllabus also has a schedule for Format 1 and 2. It states that each item in the syllabus must be checked off and taught just like a Scout advancement.

 

1) Full Weekend (Friday evening to Sunday at 2:30pm)

2) Two One-day Weekend Sessions

3) Mentoring program where one skill is taught as a time and one on one by an experienced Trainer

[TAHAWK]

AN UPDATE

 

Following a meeting between our Scout Executive and representatives of our district training teams, we MAY have seen the last of one-day indoor IOLS courses. In that case, I will not have the opportunity to observe such a critter in its natural environment.

 

I contacted five other Councils. No one in those Councils had heard of such a course.