rainman29 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I am 18 years old and have just digned up for woodbadge. What should I expect/plan for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Be forewarned, different people have different feelings about Woodbadge. My son took WB at 18/19 himself. It always is run during the two weekends where the first weekend he was 18, the second he was 19. The year before he wanted to take it but couldn't as it started when he was 17.. The Course Director was a little hesitant with him taking it so young, others on this forum may voice the same thing.. The worry is that your senior year of HS or Freshmen year of College (really all years of College), may have you needing to place your time elsewhere then the tickets.. Or if you are leaving HS to start looking for work, or starting your career, your concentration will be there.. Or you may find you need to move away from your troop, and not find a new troop or get a different type of position in a new troop, or the new troops needs may no longer fit your tickets.. Anyway, long story short at this time of your life your life may take different unexpected turns. Many at your age may not finish the tickets. That being said.. Know this, if you move but stay in scouts, you can work with your WB Ticket councilor to change your tickets. So if at your finish two of the five tickets and need to change troops which upsets your ticket work, you can keep the two tickets as done, look at the others as which ones will and will not work in the new troop.. Keep those out of the three left that will work, and change those out of the three left to work with your new troop or new position in the troop. Also my son went into it with a different attitude. It would be nice for him to complete WB course with the tickets. But, the skills taught were great to put to work for him in his college courses. He did finish his WB tickets and the course, but barely, sliding under the wire with a week to spare. You may learn things you already know, or new things. But get to know your patrol, most of them being older will have the fun of getting into the mindset of being a kid, you can help them with that mindset haveing just recently left it. They can help you with taking the lessons learned and apply them to the way an adult would take that knowledge and apply it.. Because you may still have some of the looking at things through the lens of a youth in the program.. You and your patrol mates can learn alot if you work off of each others strengths. WB (if put on by a staff dedicated to doing it right), can be both alot of fun as well as getting a good education. Not in scoutcraft (which I am sure you can start fires and tie knots). But, in how to energize your troop both the adults and the scouts to wanting to work together as a well oiled team to have a great unit that is youth led with the adults supporting the youth in what they want to acheive, while stepping out of their way and letting them take the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattlePioneer Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hello rainman29, What are your current Scouting interests, positions and activities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 As a recent scout you will be underwhelmed for sure...... Go have fun, But don't have super high expectations..... Did you participate in JLOW or what ever your council called youth leadership training???? A very similar syllabus between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 As a recent scout you will be underwhelmed for sure...... Go have fun, But don't have super high expectations..... Did you participate in JLOW or what ever your council called youth leadership training???? A very similar syllabus between the two. I am not a big fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainman29 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 I am currently a assistant scoutmaster in my troop, a lodge chief canidate, an unnofficial member of the district committee, and am planning to be a professional scouter, and no I have not attended NYLT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Yes Basement was not thrilled with his WB but from talking to him, his staff did not run it right at all, it was more about the staffers having fun and the participants were a second thought. As I stated you need a good staff running it, who put the participants first. I think what Basement stated a JLOW, we call NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training.) They are very similar, just one is geared to the youth to take and one is for the Adults to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattlePioneer Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 > Once again we fence out the capable young people who have been trained in Scouting to be leaders by age restrictions on doing important stuff --- district committee stuff in particular. With your interest in being a professional Scouter, I would suggest that learning the methods of effective recruiting of new Cub Scouts would be a skill you would profit from by learning. Do you have a district Membership Chair? I would be surprised if your DE and/or membership chair would not be delighted to have you assist with organizing and promoting Cub Scout recruiting nights during the September-November fall recruiting season. You don't have to be of any particular age to help with that, and it's a VERY valuable skill for a DE to have. What is your current unofficial district position or activity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Missed the "unofficial member of District Committee". Yes my son & his fiance took that route too until they were 21. Son's fiance was voted in as "member at large" at 20 when we did our yearly vote, but he had to sit on putting in her paperwork until she turned 21. Like SP says it is a ridiculous rule. I can see something of they want you still reporting to the SM until the age of 21. But the district could use the energy of the 18-21 year olds, and sometimes at troop level it might be good to move the 18 yo away from being direct contact with the youth until he learns the difference between being a youth member and one of the gang, and being an adult leader. It is not like the committee's job is so difficult.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Rain Just so you know who your getting advice from..... Moose is on a woodbadge staff and a big supporter/believer, Drank the koolaid and liked it. Seattle is some sort of District or council big wig who is working to recruit cub scouting and working on Latino families in his area... Me, I am the local cynic and had a horrible woodbadge experience.....Completed my ticket and have yet to receive my beads....... With that said since you did not take any NYLT or JLOW then you would probably benefit from it.......Just don't go looking for that mountain top experience...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosetracker Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Yummm.... Koolaid good.... Seriously I think I was fair in pointing out some reasons why at this point in his life, WB might not be the right choice.. I didn't say go. go. go. But, I do think it is great if you take it at the right stage in your life. Also if he is serious about becoming a DE (or some other scouting professional). I know around here they do not let our DE's go to WB until 2 to 3 years into their job.. They will not let them have the time off. Some of them seriously needed to know how to work with people rather then just try to micro-manage or attempt to be a dictator with a staff of volunteers who know you don't have any power over what they do and don't do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbemis1 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Just to not leave Basement alone in the cold, I fall on the negative side as well. I never completed. A friend in the same class did complete, and also did not think much of it. Many clearly enjoy it and get a lot out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 sb welcome to the antiparty It ain't all gilwell and bug juice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfolson Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I guess I am on the fence... I just got my beads. For me it was no mountain top. That was summiting Baldy this summer with my daughter Did I enjoy it? Yes and no. Did I learn from it? Absolutely! Am I glad I did it? Yes, but I am also glad I am done. Since you have not had the opportunity to do NYLT and you are signed up, I wholeheartedly say go have fun, and I wish you well on your journey. Now Moose, pass me the koolaid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle732 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I would expect your wallet to be about $350 lighter The Woodbadge for the 21st Century was all about leadership skills. Is it worth it? Only you can say after you're done. And years from now if you're still involved in Scouting and you think it will be of value you can take it again. It's up to you. It should be very entertaining for you to watch all the old farts playing Boy Scout! I bet you can teach them a thing or two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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