Woodbadge ticket items

[GKlose]

I'm curious...I've read a bit, but don't fully understand tickets. Maybe if I heard some examples it might make more sense to me. Would anyone care to share some example ticket items for a unit-level leader taking WB?

 

Thanks,

Guy

[Bob White]

A ticket is a set of goals that the participant selects to accomplish in order to move closer to fulfilling their vision of their role in the Scouting Program.

 

Each ticket is unique to each author since each person has a different vision and has different needs within their role in scouting. So three cubmasters from three different packs will have three completely different tickets due to their personal vision and their specific needs within each different unit.

 

What is your vision of what you want to accomplish in your role in scouting Gklose? What is something specific and measurable that you have control over that you would like to accomplish within a specific time period which would move you closer to your vision? That would be a potential ticket item.

 

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[fgoodwin]

GKlose: welcome to the Forums.

 

Are you currently in a WB course, or are you thinking about it?

[John-in-KC]

GKlose...

 

Welcome as well, same question.

 

I will tell you this: My ticket items became clearer as I went through the course.

 

I will also say: If you've had leadership psych and soc along the way, you'll find Wood Badges' academic content a useful return visit. If not, you'll be introduced to some useful concepts. More importantly... WB will give you friends and resources to work with all your days.

[GKlose]

Thanks...in my council, WB is offered every other year, and the next course would be coming up in '09. I'm trying to read a bit before I start thinking about next year's WB. I'm new as a registered adult and will be dealing with NLE/LPST/OLT as they come up this next year.

 

BobWhite offers a brief explanation of WB in his post, but that's all pretty clear from what is available online. But the nature of ticket items aren't really explained -- I've heard from a district-level guy who organized district and council events for his ticket -- but I am actually seeking examples of the kinds of stuff that unit-level volunteers do for their tickets. I realize that tickets are individualized, and I'm not trying to fish for ideas or try and fill out my ticket. I'm just trying to glean the scope and scale of those items.

 

So, I'll give a concrete example: a local unit just organized a district camporee (that went very well), and I imagine one or more of those unit leaders could have used something like that as a ticket item. However, I doubt the average newbie could pull off something like that. It might take awhile to build networks and contacts, and learn the way the district tends to operate, and learn the way large events are handled. If that is what an average unit-level leader ticket item is like, then I could see a newbie putting off WB until a knowledge base has been built.

 

I'm sorry to be so wordy, and I've tried reading back through a few months of old messages, I just haven't seen much of the way of examples.

 

Thanks,

Guy

[Bob White]

Whether or not a new leader could "pull off" such an event would depend on the skill set of that individual. Just because he or she was newly registered tells you nothing of their experience or abilities in event planning or in event administration.

 

Would it be a good ticket item? Mmmm maybe but probably not. The District camporee is under the control of the District activities committee. Since there is no guarantee that the commitee would select this particular person to be the event chairman or even choose his specific unit as host then using this as one of his or her ticket goals would not fit the SMART guidelines of goal setting since the participant has no control over it.

 

If the participant were a member of the district activities committee and had a goal of using the skills he has learned to chair a camporee then that would be different, as it would be relevant to their role in scouting and attainable since they are on that specific committee.

 

The goals you set should to be specfic to your role in scouting.

 

Let's say you were an Assistant Scoutmaster for New Scout Patrols.

What is your vision of success in that position? What would be some specific goals you would like to achieve in that position?

 

Make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant to your position, and a have time table for achieving it.

 

Example: I will work with the troop guide to develop a written 12-month plan to teach, practice, and test the requirememnts for Tenterfoot to First Class, and I will have the plan written by January 1,2009.

 

That could be 1 goal within the ticket.

 

But again you might be in troop that already has a written plan like this and so then it would not be a good ticket item. It all depends on your specific role and the specific needs of the group you serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lisabob]

I don't think you should expect, or be expected, to run district events as a direct result of taking Wood Badge, unless as Bob says, that's what your goal was going into Wood Badge. Most Wood Badgers are much more tightly focused on their pack, troop, crew, team, or ship.

 

To give you a few examples of things I've seen Wood Badgers do, and these were people with only a couple of years' experience as adult leaders: strengthen a pack's outdoor program by planning and running a pack camp out; organize a series of activities culminating in the opportunity for participants (pack or den) to earn the World Conservation or Leave No Trace Awareness awards; improve the pack's communications by publishing a monthly pack newsletter for X # of months.

 

These are not things that would be suitable for all packs, or for all cub leaders. They are, however, probably more typical examples of the narrow focus and more manageable nature of a lot of ticket items than "host a district camporee."

 

What I would suggest to you, as you start thinking about taking Wood Badge next summer, is to keep a list of things that your pack does well, and of things that you don't do so well. And then think some about what it would take to improve on those weak areas, and whether any of those areas align with your particular position in the pack and your particular skills and interests. You don't need to go into Wood Badge with your ticket already written and indeed I think it is a bad idea to try to do that - I know people who have and in practically every instance, what they ended up doing was closing themselves off from actually learning, or applying what they were supposed to learn from the course. But, going into WB with a clear sense of what your unit's strengths and weaknesses are, and where you fit into the unit, may be very helpful to you and to your pack.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Lisa'Bob (A good old Bob White too!)

 

Edited to add: Oops sorry, somehow I had the impression you were working with a pack (hence the pack-level examples) but upon re-reading I see this is not the case. Hope it is helpful to you anyway.(This message has been edited by lisabob)

[GKlose]

Thanks BobWhite and LisaBob, it does help quite a bit.

 

Guy

[BeaverIII]

Lisabobs suggestion is an excellent idea. If you decide to attend Wood Badge (and I hope you do) your ticket should be exactly that: YOUR ticket. Dont fall in to the trap that because you have been to Wood Badge that you will be expected to take on District and Council responsibilities. If you are member of a troop you would make that the focus of your ticket.

 

The skills that you will learn in Wood Badge are designed to work across ALL levels of Scouting. Those folks who work on a District level (as I do) can use them just as those folks who are in units.

 

Talk to other Wood Badgers in your area to glean how they worked it out. If you know who the course director is going to be, talk to that person and let them know your concerns. Wood Badge is certainly worth attending and the skills presented will allow you to help your unit to excel.

 

Good luck and good Scouting!

 

BeaverIII

 

[allangr1024]

GKlose,

 

Keep in mind that the one of the WB staff will be assigned to help you work out your ticket. He (or she) will advise you and help you come up with the ticket items, and word them so that they are achievable. This staffer will monitor your progress and sign off on your ticket as you complete it.

 

One of my ticket items was to "teach a class in camping, prepare all teaching materials and handouts, and demonstrate camping techniques" for new cub scout leaders at out annual cub scout leader training. My advisor told me to change it to "Offer to teach a class in camping, prepare all teaching materials and handouts, and prepare to demonstrate camping techniques". That way my ticket would not sink if the event were canceled, or if they got someone else to do this, or I missed the event due to work, sickness, ect.

 

Ticket items, to me, having been through it, are similar to eagle projects. You go through an approval process, you do lots of planning and preliminary work, you do the thing you said you would do, and you get an evaluation. The big difference is that it is not necessarily a project where you provide leadership to others (although it can be).

[fgoodwin]

GKlose, the reason I asked is because your answer would affect the way I respond.

 

allangr1024 pretty much gave my response; I would add this: don't get too anxious about the ins-and-outs of writing a ticket until you actually are seated in your course. Although WB21C has a standard syllabus, every course is different, and I wouldn't want to give you info here that might conflict with something you're taught in your course.

 

I would offer you the same advice as others have said: let your TG (or ticket counselor / advisor) do their job by guiding you as you learn about and write your ticket.

 

Its human nature to be curious about something that you may soon face, but let me close by saying my own ticket writing experience was mostly painless (in fact, I wrote three separate, complete tickets, and my Troop Guide helped me sort out which would be best and "doable" for my particular situation).

 

Good luck,

 

Fred

"I used to be an Owl . . ."

[Knight]

My biggest concern pre-Wood Badge was if I'd be able to think up - and complete - the ticket items.

 

My recommendation to you:

Write down your answers to the 20 questions and then just go through the course. You'll start thinking of ticket items as the course goes along. I still have my little 34 cent Walmart notebook that I bought for Wood Badge. I scribbled down whatever came to my mind during the course. In there are the thoughts and comments that became my ticket items.

 

As far as the 20 questions, my wife and I had a great time coming up with smart-alek answers for them. But my written-down (serious) answers reminded me what I really hoped to do. Yes, those pre-course thoughts directly guided my choice of tickets items.

 

You'll think up plenty of ticket items as you go along in the course.

 

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

[eolesen]

"One of my ticket items was to "teach a class .... My advisor told me to change it to "Offer to teach a class ...."

 

Same thing with me, and I'm glad it was worded accordingly.

 

I offered to teach a class, came up with the curriculum, made my sales pitch a few times, and still wound up with no takers.

 

Trust me, it was no less work to prepare to teach the course...

 

 

[GKlose]

I'm back after an extended weekend trip...many thanks to everyone for your replies.

 

It's not so much a case of worry as it is an absolute refusal for me to enter into any situation completely ignorant. Partial ignorance usually works out much better .

 

Guy

[Bob White]

If that is the case then go ahead and register because you will recieve a packet of information from the course director with everything you will need to know prior to attending the course. Including information on the ticket.