IOLS, OWL and BALOO?? Oh My!!!

[moosetracker]

Ok I have heard that IOLS & OWL were being merged in the next soon-to-be (but keep dragging it out) release..

 

Some in my Position in Training were upset with it, I thought it great, People were already combining the two (maybe seperating for one or two skill sets)..

 

Now from what I heard at the council coordinated program last night, this change will combine IOLS, OWL & BALOO..

 

I know again similarities.. But, also differences! How to cook for 30 to 100 people, not a patrol of 8.. How to beg, borrow, steal family size tents & family camping equipment.. Rather then expecting the troops to have purchased the equipment.. All the paperwork, on G2SS.. Council excepted camping sites etc.. Half of Baloo was indoors.

 

I am now looking at promoting to Scoutmasters who already think this training is a waste of time, a course that is 2/3 based on the cub scout program..

 

I would assume over a few years things will iron out, and we will promote this training while you are in Cub Scouts.. But there will alway be the new scoutmaster that never got involved at the cub scout level who will have to attend a course 2/3 designed for the Cub scouts..

 

I now feel like forwarning my district Troops to get trained at this Springs training before the program changes..

[Eagle92]

WOW. If that is true, then I see a real, serious problem. Yes there are some similarities, but there are major, stressing MAJOR, differences between IOLS/OWL and BALOO. Combining OWL and IOLS does make sense, and councils are doing it. But BALOO?!?!?!?!?!

 

Unless you want the Cubs to do more camping in dens like Boy Scout patrols than family camping, this will be a mess.

 

If it's a paradigm shift to get Cub dens camping liek boy scouts, it will be interesting getting buy in.

[AKdenldr]

Wow, I think everything will get watered down.

 

I took Baloo one year, then Owl the next, repeated Owl the next year (because it was that good), am doing IOLs (called BLT3 here) the next year. This gave me time to digest the info, put some in practice, and learn in between.

 

Compressing it all together will make training superficial. Human brains only hold so much info at a time.

 

If I was in charge, I'd pull the forms, permits, book stuff out and offer it more often in classroom settings. Then put the outdoor stuff together into a wiz bang course outdoors less often.

 

The part I liked best about OWLs was the fun ways to teach boys the outdoors Webelos Activity pins (finding the heart beat of a birch with a stethascope, etc...) I can't imagine IOLs will have time for that.

[infoscouter]

That information is at odds with what was published in the Training Update in Jan 2010:

"Introduction to Outdoor Skills for Boy Scout leaders is being revised. The new outdoor course will be a one-size-fits-all for Webelos leaders, Boy Scout leaders, and Venturing leaders. Once a person completes the training, it is not necessary to repeat it when they move to another program. BALOO will remain as a training aid as it focuses more on safety than on outdoor skills."

 

At one time, I believe that was the plan, but it has been re-evaluated, I believe. I'll believe the new syllabus exists when I see it (it has been more than a year since it was initially announced!)

[Adam S]

IOLS & OWL make a great idea for combination, theo nly people who take owls now seem to be those working on the Webelos Den Leader training knot. These are also typically the people who move up to scouting with their sons so saving them from redundant taining is a good idea.

 

But Baloo, this makes no sense. Many of the people who take Baloo have no outdoor experience, this class gives them basic ideas about gear and organizaing a trip... Far below the expectation of IOLS.

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

Still, a good Webelos Den Leader needs to understand how to construct a quality program for a Webelos den. That's different than Boy Scouts, although a good Webelos Den leader will probably use suitable Boy Scout outing for his Webelos program.

 

 

Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters probably need to understand the nature o0f a quality Webelos program too, and how to offer services to Webelos dens and den leaders and encourage Webelos Scouts to transition effectively to Boy Scouts.

 

So it seems to me that if you combine the two programs (which would be a good idea) you need to figure out how to educate the Webelos leaders about Boy Scouts and the Troop leaders about Webelos.

 

Some troop leaders may have already been Webelos Den Leaders, but they still probably need education on how to do that program right and the role troops should have in supporting Webelos Dens.

 

 

 

[moosetracker]

InfoScouter - I hope the info you show is still valid.. I am taking the info they have merged it from my Council Training Chair when she announced it to the group in an "official" like manner.. But, I did not think to ask her where she got her information.. Because it was "official" like I just assumed it was from word from National.. But she could have her information from a "word of mouth" source like us with this forum.. Maybe it is not accurate..

 

The fact that no one else has posted to this thread with something like "Yes, News from national was release stating this for a fact.." Seems to indicate, this is something no one else has heard in an "official" like manner..

 

Here is hoping my council training chair has an inaccurate source. Because everyone is right (and National at least as of Jan 2010 when they put out the newsletter is right.. It is different, and should be treated so.)