21st Century Wood Badge a Thing of the Past

[LeCastor]

After staffing Wood Badge this fall, I learned that it is no longer called Wood Badge for the 21st Century. Now it's just Wood Badge.

 

Also, I hearthere might be some more changes coming along in the next 2-3 years to give Wood Badge a new update. So here's my question: What would you like to see in an new, new Wood Badge?? Please be specific and don't say "make it like it used to be", for example , cuz I don't know what that means.

[Stosh]

I wonder if this is National's way of making the WB for the 21st obsolete like the "old" WB prior to 2000?

 

If I were to make a suggestion it would be to take the principles of scouting like Boy Led, Patrol Method, and Woodcraft, and such that makes Scouting the unique program it is and develop a curriculum that helps basically trained leaders push their envelop to dive deeper into scouting.

 

We do a good job of making everyone a Jack-of-all-trades on a superficial level, but I would like to see it go deep. My "old" WB did a bit of this where we got our hands dirty as the boys would coming through the ranks. But now National wants more than first aid out of it's leaders, they need Wilderness First Aid. That's a deep dive for a lot of our leadership. Where's the deep dive on the Patrol Method? or the deep dive on Boy Led? We give those items lip-service, but really don't expect our people to actually implement them.

 

I would like to see a unit on leadership, Servant Leadership where SM's and other leaders are trained to assist our boys rather than always feeling they need to lead and direct them. They are now teaching Servant Leadership on the collegiate level. Maybe not to that extreme, but a deeper dive on that.

 

Stosh

[qwazse]

A little wood work would be nice.

 

I would apply Stosh's suggestion by having the PL go down his/her group's set of 1st class skills, find out who's weak on what, and make an activity plan that beefs up the most common weak spot. If it's pull-ups, so be it. Submit a plan to the SM for you all to meet at the gym (maybe arrange for two-deep youth supervision ). I would not find it fun, and that would make it hard for my mates to "servant lead" me. But that would really put us in the place of our youth.

[pchadbo]

I would like less of a focus on the "management skills" and more of a focus on the aims and methods of Scouting. Lets teach those who were not AScouts as youth (myself included) why the partol method works, why adults don't need to hover, why uniforms can be a good thing. Also teach the adults to stay out of the program area. ;-)

[JoeBob]

I'd like to see some leadership tools for adults to have available for their boys.

'Here's how a small/young SPL can motivate a big unruly scout to co-operate'

 

As our culture moves farther from the rural roots that woodcraft is based upon, those woods skills may provide more of a draw because of their unfamiliarity. (I'm dreaming, right?)

One of my boys this weekend took my sharp tomahawk and, with a little instruction about cutting chips, whaled into two downed trees for firewood. He had fun, felt very accomplished, was surprised at how much he got done, and wants his own tomahawk.

Ain't it great when it works?

 

Scouting needs something to compete with electronics. Xbox does not teach leadership. Woodbadge, what have you got?

[JasonG172]

Here's one, if the first weekend is a class room style teaching then by god take it outside if at all possible.

 

Absolutely beautiful weekend I had and I had to stay INDOORS

[Eagle94-A1]

Caveat: I have not gone through Woodbadge. I went through the old Brownsea 22 course for Scouts back in the day. After hearing about what is done at WB21C form those who have gone through it, here is what I think should be done.

 

1) BRING IT BACK OUTSIDE! (emphasis) "OUTING is three-fourths of ScOUTING" as GBB said. You can have classes outside.

 

2) Not only bring back basic T-2-1 Skills, but put a major emphasis on having the leaders mastering those skills to bring back to their troops. Have them cook their own meals, plan campfires, do orienteering, etc.

 

3) By doing #2 above, this will promote the Patrol Method.

[MattR]

Make two versions, one for cub scouts and one for boy scouts. Have each tailored for teaching adults how to make the best program possible. That would mean finding people to write the syllabus that have actually turned a pack or troop around. Let it be about the boys, not generic corporate stuff.

[DuctTape]

I do not know the answer, but I can describe a problem which WB should address.

 

Many of the "tickets" I have seen WB participants bring forth and implement were adult led initiatives which pushed the troop away from boy-led and the patrol method. I think the issue stems from the idea the tickets were to "help the troop", but without any parameters as to how they would impact boys leading via the patrol method. I think any tickets, if they continue with the practice should be assessed not by what the adult did, but by how the ticket increased the boy-led patrol method within the troop. Far too often these tickets did the opposite. The most troop method, adult led scouter I know is a woodbadge graduate (and commissioner). Attending woodbadge had the opposite effect on training this person to help with a boy-led patrol method scouting experience.

[Stosh]

From my experience some of the ticket items are pretty weak and as DuctTape says, counterproductive.

 

In 1993 when I took WB, it took the full two years to fulfill my ticket. being 30 years go, I vaguely remember the requirements but I do believe that there were 3 ticket items that pertained to Scouting goals, 3 ticket items that pertained to professional goals, and 3 ticket items that pertained to personal/family goals. I also remember that those in my patrol and others of that course taking well over a year to work their tickets as well.

 

I can honestly say I put 30 minutes a week minimum for 2 years to work my ticket. I have 6 Eagle scouts that can attest to that.

 

And yet I see people getting their beads in just a couple months after finishing the course. It just makes one wonder about the hyped superiority of the WB21C program. It's kinda like the Eagle program. It's value is what one puts into it.

 

Stosh

[allangr1024]

Caveat: I have not gone through Woodbadge. I went through the old Brownsea 22 course for Scouts back in the day. After hearing about what is done at WB21C form those who have gone through it, here is what I think should be done.

 

1) BRING IT BACK OUTSIDE! (emphasis) "OUTING is three-fourths of ScOUTING" as GBB said. You can have classes outside.

 

2) Not only bring back basic T-2-1 Skills, but put a major emphasis on having the leaders mastering those skills to bring back to their troops. Have them cook their own meals, plan campfires, do orienteering, etc.

 

3) By doing #2 above, this will promote the Patrol Method.

 

 

I went through Woodbadge for the 20th Century, the last one before the new curriculum. We did all this stuff as a patrol. I thought the training was brilliant, because we got to do the stuff scouts do and experience scouting on their level, while learning stuff that could help our units when we returned. It was in this setting that I learned and appreciated the Patrol Method, and was determined to bring it to our very adult lead troop.

[JasonG172]

And yet I see people getting their beads in just a couple months after finishing the course.

Stosh

 

 

I agree as well. I wanted BIGGER tickets that what I currently have, and was told "remember you only have 18 months to complete this"

 

I have some really weak Ticket items but in saying that, those BIG tickets that I wasn't really encourage to complete I am doing those on the side.

[Stosh]

 

 

I went through Woodbadge for the 20th Century, the last one before the new curriculum. We did all this stuff as a patrol. I thought the training was brilliant, because we got to do the stuff scouts do and experience scouting on their level, while learning stuff that could help our units when we returned. It was in this setting that I learned and appreciated the Patrol Method, and was determined to bring it to our very adult lead troop.

 

And so after 14 years, what impact has it made on the troops? That time span is sufficient to show some evidence. But it doesn't. To this day, we have leaders here and there tenuously trying out the patrol method in uncharted seas in some troops. So what went wrong in the first place and why isn't this training effective in showing progress? There is an obvious disconnect going on and it's been around for a very long time. Even those of the pre-WB21C struggle with it as I can attest to.

 

Theoretically patrol method is taught in the SM Fundamentals and subsequent training programs. It's taught in WB old, new and newest maybe, and yet when one looks at an average troop from around the country, how much continuity is there? Ad hoc patrols, patrols of various sizes from 6-20, PL's with no authority to run a patrol. Troop cooking setups, one dining fly per site, etc. etc. I looked around the camporee last weekend and saw only 1 patrol flag, my boys'. When the awards were handed out at campfire for the competitions they were handed out to the troop and 99% of the time the ribbon was placed on the troop flag.

 

How many summer camps allow for the registration of patrols instead of just troops. How many offer PL meetings and how many invite only the SPL?

 

How many troops can seriously say that at 90% of the meals the menus for the patrols are all different, and how many say that at any given meal everyone eats the same thing?

 

I'm willing to bet that 75% of the troops at best give the patrol method lip-service token gestures to give the impression they are doing it.

 

If one ever wonders how this works, just walk around at the next camporee and see how many scouts have easy access to their patrol flag, their regular one, not something they found in the back of the trailer, but one that actually matches the patch on their sleeve. And now many boys in that competition group all have the same patrol patch on their uniform. Ask a leader how many patrols their troop has and then count the number of dining flies in the site.

 

On any given scout outing, I would bet I could find more evidence that the average troop uses the troop method than someone else could point out evidence of the patrol method as taught in leader training is being followed.

 

Stosh

[LeCastor]

Ok, I like these comments! Let's break it down:

 

1. Emphasize the patrol method and boy led aspects

2. Bring back basic woodcraft/T-2-1 Scout skills

3. GO OUTSIDE!

4. Discuss the aims and methods of Scouting in more depth

5. Dive deeper into "servant leadership"

6. Reform tickets so that they steer toward empowering the youth

 

Personally, I think the patrol method is already taught in Wood Badge, but it would be a good idea to say from the outset: "Ok, Wood Badgers, you are now a patrol and you are modeling the life of a Scout." Some folks go through Wood Badge having never experienced Scouting and they don't just inherently know that they are living the life of Scout in the Beaver Patrol which makes up part of Troop 1. Believe it or not this is not obvious to every participant.

 

Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS) touches on these basic woodcraft/T-2-1 Scout skills. Wouldn't it be great if Wood Badge picked up where IOLS left off? When I took the outdoor course after becoming Scoutmaster, I was fired up and ready to do some Scouting even though I already knew all those basic skills. WB21C got me all fired up, too, but in a different way. But I definitely see the need for more woodcraft learnin'.

 

Get out of the dining hall basement. Turn off the PowerPoint presentations. Get dirty and feel the breeze. YES!

 

Absolutely, there is a need to talk about the aims and methods. We should be hitting participants smack in the face with this.

 

WB21C touches on "servant leadership" and it's mentioned in the unit-based Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST). But I agree with Stosh that this could be taken much farther.

 

As for the ticket issue, as a Troop Guide I got to see first-hand how the tickets were accepted. And I had made a special effort to guide my patrol to include the Scouts as much as possible. In fact, the course director made a point to stress the importance of, OMG, remembering the Scouts!

 

 

Great ideas, all! Keep 'em coming!

 

LeCastor

[SeattlePioneer]

I took Wood Badge in 1985.

 

Back then the aim seemed to be to develope and polish skills Scout Troop adult leaders needed to provide a good program for youth.

 

 

That seems to be only an incidental part of Wood Badge today, which promotes and emphasizes Wood Badge as general "management training" and encourage Cub Scout leaders to participate.

 

Lack of focus --- I think that's a problem.

 

Focus on training adult leaders to provide a quality Boy Scout experience.

 

 

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Umm. "Bigger" or more complicated tickets should not be the theme, in my opinion. "I'm going to work my ticket while I can" --- that's what I took away and what I still do. Thirty years later, I'm always on the lookout for "tickets" that need to be worked and that I can do.

 

Currently my only BSA registration is as a Chartered Organization Rep. But I understand what that involves. I attend all the district Committee meetings, have pushed for a dfistrict nominating Committee to be appointed and help find new leadership for the district, and provide leadership within the Cub Scout Pack whereever needed.

 

Get in the HABIT of providing quality BSA volunteer leadership. That's what working your ticket means to me thirty years on.