Should Committee Members take WB?

[Nike]

I've been doing the Committee thing ever since Bears o'so many years ago. While I understand how Woodbadge helps a program leader, how does it help an MC? What in it is applicable to committee fucitons?

 

WB here in TAC is a week long program. That in itself sounds great--a week without my kids! But, I'm not sure why I should take it.

[John-in-KC]

Is Scouting something you want to keep doing after the kids are out of the program? If yes, take WB. In a way, it's like some of the schools your DH attends: They're a rite of passage on the trail.

 

Would you like to be able to help units improve communication amongst themselves? If yes, take WB.

 

Would you like to broaden your base of Scouters you know? If yes, take WB (even in TAC... because folks will come over from Britain and up from Italy)

 

Finally, and fully in jest...

If your DH DEROSs while you are working your ticket, would you like to give your TG/SM conniption fits when it comes time to bead you, and the two of you are now stationed at,... let's pick Lewis? If you, take WB

[SSScout]

If you do Scouty things, and you have a modicum of Scout experience, WB can only help. The course applies to Scout stuff, work stuff, family stuff (keep an open mind!) and personal stuff. The WB is held in high esteem by corporate America, some colleges will give course credit for it. If finances are a concern, some unions will give scholarships (how I went!), some companies will too, Scout Council will have "WBerships". Ask around.

What better way to learn than by having fun doing what you love and seeing how you might do it better?

 

At the worst, you can always come back to Scouterdotcom and chastise us for being wrong, or stupid or oblivious to the obvious shortcomings that the WB course promotes or something...

Either way, you're out in the woods and not in the office.

I'm sorry, what was your question again?

[jhankins]

Wood Badge is for ANY Scouting leader, whether you're going to be in the program three years or 80.

[Oak Tree]

If you are an active MC, the class would be great. Take it. It's very applicable to committee functions.

[nolesrule]

My patrol was a mix of 2 Cub Scout committee members, 1 Boy Scout committee member, 1 SM, 3 ASMs and myself, a UC.

 

Believe me, so much of what is taught at Wood Badge can be used just as easily by those in non direct-contact positions. I had my concerns going in because as a commissioner we're even further removed from units than committee members, but by the time we were two hours in on the first day, I was convinced my initial concerns were unfounded.

[BrentAllen]

A Committee Member should take WB only if they are interested in learning how to become a better Committee Member, how to be a better team member, and how to find ways to improve the committee. If they aren't interested in any of those, they shouldn't take WB.

[jhankins]

That's kind of redundant, isn't it? The only reason to really attend Wood Badge is to better yourself in your duties you enjoy...

[BrentAllen]

Well, since the question was asked (thread title), I thought I would give my answer.

[Gonzo1]

Yes

[Nike]

Thanks for all your answers. While this summer is a wash with my husband TDY in the States for three months, perhaps next summer.

[BadenP]

My feelings are kind of mixed on this, if committee members take WB I can just imagine all the debates at the meetings as to what is best for the program, what their instructors told them, bragging on their ticket projects, and the members who do not go feeling out of place and looked down on. Would WB be good for them, probably, would it make them better committee members, probably not, just more program knowledgeable. If any members really understand what is required and want to take the time and effort and frustration of going through WB then more power to them.

[moosetracker]

I had to post to disagree with BadenP. You sound like a SM or ASM who have great conflict, someone who thinks an ignorant committee allows the SM & ASM hold the power because they will not question your word.

 

I am from a family of scouters, my husband & son (19 YO) have been on the SM team and in the committee both.. (Yes, at 19 my son is officially on paper and ASM, but is doing the Outdoor coordinator job on the committee and is the only young person who has been give the right to vote.) I have stayed only in the committee. We have all taken WB.. My son is working on his tickets now.

 

Our troop put in rules that anyone who was going to go on events with the boys needed to have ALL the training that a SM & ASM need. There were too many parents that were going for the Adult bonding, and knew nothing about scouting, the SM & ASM had more concerns about the untrained parents then the scouts, either their saftey or them not being of help on the outing.

 

This training cause a very strong troop, because the committee was as trained as the SM & ASM. So many committee members were now trained at the SM level and could then understand the SM point of view better. Arguements? Yes, but that is expected with intellegent people who are passonate on any subject. But in the end we got to the best solution and that benefited the troop and the boys.

 

Our troop is not rich so woodbadge was never paid for by the troop.. If you wanted to shell out the money, and chose to go then, great.

 

WB is focused on scouting, but is basically a great management training program that can help you at work and in relationships outside of scouts. It is about teamwork, and communication. That is good for anyone and everyone.

 

We had our son go to WB even though he is young. He hopes to finish the tickets, but even if he doesn't the management training he recieved is very valuable as he goes through college.. He is much more organized and comments by his peers and teachers prove that they see him as a leader.

[BadenP]

Sorry moosetracker but you are WAY off base here, I am a COR/CC of a venturing crew and our committee gets along very well thank you, and it is obvious you did not read my post very throughly. You are new and obviously untrained in the ways of scouting as this and your other posts just make very clear. Instead of stirring up trouble here with crazy assumptions and in your committee(other thread)try listening and learning the proper procedures to follow and you will become a better scouter. Your approach seems to be to stir up and create trouble rather than solve problems.

[moosetracker]

No I am new to the District. I have been involved with the Pack and troop committee since my boy was a tiger and through to currently at 19 having made eagle scout. I have even served on a Venture crew. I have been the Committee Chair for the troop & the Venture crew.

 

I am sorry, if this is not what you were getting at, but saying that Woodbadge would cause committee members to feel better then others or to brag about tickets, and other to feel left out is unfair. And why so a committee member but not the SM or ASM? Basically we had committee members take woodbadge if they felt it worth their paying for it themselves. Those that did not feel the need did not. We never voted who could take it and who could not. There were no noses out of joint. None of our SM or ASM that I have ever felt the need to take WB, even though the troop would have paid for it for them.

 

My first troop no one was encouraged to be trained but the SM and he told everyone that BSA rules were this and BSA rules were that.. When we moved to another troop and took training we found out that he had made up his own rules, and was doing things that were even against BSA policy. It took years before he was finally pulled out of scouts by the council for his practices. Why did he get away with it so long. Several reasons, when I brought it to council attention, I was no longer in the troop, they said that it would need to be a complaint from someone in the troop. Those who I knew in the troop who were having problems veiwed him as too powerful, and feared anyone at council level. Those that did not have a problem followed him blindly.

 

In the meantime he had years where he brought in about 40 boys a year and chose 8-10 as the cream of the crop, and belittled the boys he did not want until they left with very low self esteems. The few boys that stayed regardless of the SM not wanting them, were left out of the elite sub group he had formed, and were given unfair "extra" requirements they needed to accomplish to make eagle. He monitored it to make sure they never could meet the requirements by adding new ones if they did, until they lost the ability to make eagle rank. Even though they had met all the BSA requirements for Eagle.

 

Since then I have taken a stance that everyone SM & ASM should be trained with everything.. I was training chair for a while in the last troop I was in and everyone that went on events had to be fully trained not at committee level but at SM level.. Committee not going on events had to be trained at Committee level.. (This was requested by our SM at the time, because too many parents went on events for their own fun, and he was babysitting them more the the boys).. Learn, Learn and learn more.. That is the only way to know what is black and white and what the committee is able to alter for their specific unit. That is the only way to know how we can make policy and organize events to allow the unit to run at it's smoothest.

 

Yes you did say that the person personally could benifit from the training, but the training would not be benificial as a committee member. I say take all the training you can get. Everything you take will be benifical to you as a committee member.

 

Again sorry if you feel I was out of line.