Pre-Woodbadge Training

[WVCubDad]

One thing that my Council did that I thought was helpful was we had an intro to WB class at our University of Scouting this past January. The CD presented it, offered a good overview of what was going to happen, told some personal stories of his WB experiences and offered some insights then opened it up for questions. In the class were a couple of folks who had been through WB before but hadn't completed their tickets and were back to finish it up. They asked a few questions and then others felt comfortable enough to ask more. We ended up with a full course (yea Buffalos and Antelopes!) and a waiting list long enough to justify a 2009 course.

 

As to not knowing BS from CS from Venturing stuff, my course book had enough info in it to make that a moot issue if I hadn't had some clue ahead of time. The training experience was very good and while much of it was a review of previous leadership training I've had over the years, it was a good refresher and I picked up some new things to put into practice.

 

For me it was an easy course and not overly taxing, for others in my class it was hectic, frustrating and then the a-ha's happened. For each person it's different, for each patrol the experience is uniquely their own. I was blessed to be in a patrol with 5 great people from around my Council. We gelled immediately, had a terrific troop guide and breezed through the course. With two chefs in the patrol, the second weekend was one huge food-fest and I learned new ways of preparing and cooking food that I will use with my Pack. I also gained three pounds!

 

Should I have taken the course with only two years experience as a trained Cub Scout Leader? Yes

 

Could I have waited another 2.5 years for my boy to cross over and get some ASM experience? Probably, but the opportunity came now and I didn't feel like waiting to see when they would offer another course.

 

Are my ticket items geared more towards Cub Scouts? Yup and I'm already working on them and hope to finish in time to staff the 2010 course, won't make it for the 2009.

 

Can you be a great Scout Leader without WB? Absolutely, it's up to you.

 

That said, I'm glad I went and had a great experience.

 

YiS,

 

John Collins

Cubmaster

Pack 13

Shenandoah Area Council

 

I used to be a Buffalo, and a good ol' Buffalo too...

SR-893

 

 

[Bob White]

The onle pre-training needed for Wood Badge is to attend the basic training courses for your role in scouting either in person or on-line.

 

That is really all you need to do.

[NeilLup]

"We talked about 3 of the 4 men that have been to Wood Badge in this Stake doing a little orientation session for the large group of participants. Not to blow the contents of the course and send them overly prepared, but just to alleviate any fears or concerns, and get them excited."

 

At one time (pre 2001), there was a 30 day meeting prior to the course and a 90 day meeting after the course. When the course was revised in 2001, these were eliminated. Strictly eliminated and no longer permitted. The time permitted to be spent in the course was strictly limited also as Scout Executives had been believing that Wood Badge was taking too much time of staff and participants for the good to Scouting that it did.

 

As far as how to prepare, you should have gotten some preparatory material from the course. Read it and think through the matters covered there. If you wish, go through again the training which is available for your position on-line. But don't get shook. Wood Badge is a training course. The staff is prepared to work with participants with all possible levels of preparation. Just be sure that they know where you are at.

[Bob White]

The pre-course meeting was deleted in the revised course but it had nothing to do with the "feelings" of local executives.

 

The previous course required the participants to alter their uniform before arriving, the new course does not. The old course required the patrols to plan plan their patrol gear, the new course does not.

The old course required the the patrols to plan for an overnight hike, the new course doe not.

 

The pre-course was eliminated becaused the new course is designed so that no pre-course orientation is required.

[Tokala]

"The old course required the patrols to plan plan their patrol gear, the new course does not.

The old course required the the patrols to plan for an overnight hike, the new course doe not."

 

I suggest you check the syllabus. The patrols do hike to the outdoor experience upon their arrival on Day 4. In preparation for that they spend time on Day 2, 3 and in between the weekends planning for their hike and their outdoor experience. You are correct in that there really is no need for the 30-day pre-course gathering.(This message has been edited by Tokala)

[Bob White]

You are correct, however it is on a different scale then the previous course. And we agree on the point of the post that with the changes enacted in the current course there is no need to have a pre-course session.

 

 

[AnniePoo]

If you are interested in going, sign up now. Although I was an experienced camper, I knew nothing about Boy Scouts and things like shaking hands with my left hand. HOWEVER, you will certainly have experienced scout leaders in your patrol at WB, and if you don't hesitate to ask questions, they will guide you along the way. It's a learning experience in many ways. Although some WB things are easier if you've been a scouter for many years, you'll be fine if you are a newbie with an open mind. It's a lot of fun.

[John-in-KC]

My CD held the -30 day meeting and the +90 day meeting. I took it in 2005.

 

I had to miss the -30 meeting, I was out of the US on business.

 

I made the +90 meeting. His reasons for having it?

- Opportunity for friendship and fellowship.

- Opportunity for a sanity check with people on multiple levels, from course eval to people skills.

 

Sometimes what was fixed wasn't broken and didn't need fixing.

 

I used to be an Owl...

[Bob White]

Then again some people just like to call meetings.

[rmeints]

Having just completed the wood badge course, here is what I feel would have helped some of the participants focus on what is "unique" for the course (which was held over two three-day weekends:

 

Knowing the basics of backpacking, camping, and outdoor cooking.

------------------------------------------------------------------

While some participants had very little previous experience with

them they still loved the course, but they did have to spend

more of their time doing them. That meant less time for other

things and having to scramble more to keep up with the fast

pace of each day.

 

Knowing more about the Boy Scout program:

------------------------------------------

A visit or two to a boy scout troop, to see the patrol method,

how they operate, etc. would help. You can get by without that

kind of knowledge, but it does mean working harder to keep up with

what other people know well.

 

I used to be an Eagle, a good old Eagle too....

C-60-08

[John-in-KC]

FAST PACE??? SECOND WEEKEND? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT????!!!!???

 

That was one of the most laid-back campouts I ever had. We were good, but not great, field campers. We planned menus on a combination of what we liked to make/bring, what we knew we could cook, and how we could use leftovers for good.

 

Both dinners were elaborate for camp cooking, but since we had a good duty roster and a good understanding of who was supplementing where, we had a blast.

 

John

I used to be an Owl

C-40-05

[rmeints]

John-in-KC said "FAST PACE??? SECOND WEEKEND? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT????!!!!???"

 

Please, I'd prefer that you not use all caps, since it usually gets interpreted as anger, and/or yelling. I'm not implying that you are either of those, but just seeing a text message makes it very difficult to know.

 

My wood badge course was divided over two weekends instead of a single week.

Perhaps that forced them to pick up the pace a bit. The general feedback from most of the patrols was that we had very little down time, and were pretty much on the go from 6am until 11pm at night. It may be a matter of perspective, but most people consider that a long day of events, where you are often doing something different every hour or two, with few breaks, thus "fast paced". I can't remember anyone in the 40+ wood badge students saying they felt it was laid back.

 

Like your group, we had a blast as well. We had our duty roster, meal plans, etc. too. Most of us had a decent amount of camping experience, but nothing extraordinary. Due to the way our two weekends were set up, we ended up preparing most of our meals, about 12 in total (4 each of breakfast, lunch, and dinner). On the first weekend we were provided with the food to prepare from our QM, and on the second weekend we planned/brought/cooked our own menu of meals.

[emb021]

rmeints- from your comments I wonder if your course was run properly.

 

WB can be presented in one of 2 ways: 1 week or 2 3-day weekends. The schedule for both is set down in the manuals. No one should feel 'rushed' if doing the 2 weekend vs the week version.

 

Also, the first weekend the participants aren't supposed to do any cooking. This should all be done by the QM staff. Only during the 2nd weekend do the participants cook. This is all tied in to how the course is supposed to be delivered. Having the participants do their own cooking would cut into the scheduled time, and may have been why you felt rushed.

 

[John-in-KC]

Uh... I was SHOUTING! Caps were malice aforethought. I thought I was being nice in not going bold, underline, italic, and large text size.

 

If second weekend is fast pace, I'd hate to think how you'd do in one of the units I serve or in my day job.

[GMitch]

I second the busy second weekend. It was orginally touted by our TG that weekend 2 (days 4,5&6) was going to be more laid back, but somehow I found myself having one heck of a time even finding time to use the facilities to go #1,........... much less #2. Our second weekend was every bit as crazy as the first. Always somewhere to be and something to do, and not enough time to do it. Many patrols were running well behind us, so we weren't the only ones trying to keep up with the schedule.