Where to have my beading ceremony

[cchoat]

I have just completed my last Wood badge ticket item, and have recieved the blessings of both my ticket counclor and course scoutmaster.  The question is this, I would like to have my beads presented during winter camp, as it is the most central site for my fellow patrol members to gather, but my ticket councilor and scoutmaster would rather I wait and do it at the district dinner, (I am the District Commissioner) which in my case will be held at the far end of the council (the camp is in the south, the dinner in the north) and would be hard for my fellow critters to come up. 

Also, winter camp is in November, and the dinner not until March of next year.  Either way, I don't want anything spectacular, but I don't want to upset my councilor who was extremely helpful in getting me through the ticket.

 

Any suggestions?

Edited September 15, 2015 by cchoat

[KenD500]

Your beads, your ceremony, your decision. 

[qwazse]

A few people you should ask:

Your patrol. If they were all planning on going to the district dinner anyway, the whole distance thing is moot.

The organizer of winter camp. There might not be time on the schedule for beading.

Your spouse.

Your councilor.

[Eamonn]

Congratulations.

I agree very much that it is your ceremony and should be your choice.

 

I can also see why having the ceremony at a more "Public" place might help promote Wood Badge and maybe make more people think about taking the course.

 

So why not do both?

There is no reason why you couldn't have the Winter Camp ceremony with your Patrol and then just for show do it again.

Eamonn 

[CalicoPenn]

Sorry - Winter Camp?  I'm guessing that is a district event for Troops to attend - an event for the boys.  If that's the case, then there is something that you should keep in mind as part of the decision making process.  As proud as adults are about earning Wood Badge, or any other adult training award, and as many times as we sit through Courts of Honor watching the Scouts be recognized for their achievements, the Scouts just don't really want to watch adults giving awards to other adults - especially Wood Badge awards.  In my experience, non-Wood Badge adults don't like to sit through beading ceremonies either - and in most cases it is a ceremony with long recitations of what a person ticket was, and rounds of Gilwell being sung - Scouts and non Wood Badgers tend to get that glazed over look rather quickly and the whole flow of an evening gets destroyed pretty quickly, especially when they don't know you. 

 

You might be able to get away with a small and short ceremony at your own unit's campsite, with a short explanation of what Wood Badge is (and by short, I mean the explanation should be something like this:  "Wood Badge is an award that <fill in the blank> is receiving because s/he went through a special training course to be a better Scoutmaster/ASM/Leader" and without the lofty rhetoric that seems common to Wood Badge ceremonies but if the plan is to have it at a campwide gathering, I'd suggest waiting until District Dinner.

[Stosh]

 Everyone's different.  I got my beads in the mail.  I put them on and that was that.  My beads have been to Philmont, Sea Base, BWCA, and walked my scouting career for over 20 years.  They are now worn by one of my Real Eagle scouts who will now have to maintain that journey.  I have no idea where they will go, but they will be close to his heart.  I put my beads on him when his new wife was beaded and there was no ceremony scheduled for him.  It was kinda a teary eyed event when I did so.  Well I received his packet and pulled out the beads which I now wear and sent the rest on to him.  I just put his beads on that that was that.  Who knows where they will go, but they will be close to my heart.  

 

It's not the ceremony that is important, it's knowing where the beads are and where they will go that is.

[desertrat77]

Sorry - Winter Camp?  I'm guessing that is a district event for Troops to attend - an event for the boys.  If that's the case, then there is something that you should keep in mind as part of the decision making process.  As proud as adults are about earning Wood Badge, or any other adult training award, and as many times as we sit through Courts of Honor watching the Scouts be recognized for their achievements, the Scouts just don't really want to watch adults giving awards to other adults - especially Wood Badge awards.  In my experience, non-Wood Badge adults don't like to sit through beading ceremonies either - and in most cases it is a ceremony with long recitations of what a person ticket was, and rounds of Gilwell being sung - Scouts and non Wood Badgers tend to get that glazed over look rather quickly and the whole flow of an evening gets destroyed pretty quickly, especially when they don't know you. 

 

You might be able to get away with a small and short ceremony at your own unit's campsite, with a short explanation of what Wood Badge is (and by short, I mean the explanation should be something like this:  "Wood Badge is an award that <fill in the blank> is receiving because s/he went through a special training course to be a better Scoutmaster/ASM/Leader" and without the lofty rhetoric that seems common to Wood Badge ceremonies but if the plan is to have it at a campwide gathering, I'd suggest waiting until District Dinner.

CChoat, congratulations!

 

Calico is much more articulate and polite about this than I.  I concur with what he said, particularly the "small and short" ceremony.

 

Now for the Desertrat edition:  I have witnessed too many overly-long and self-indulgent beading ceremonies.  At courts of honor, district roundtables, etc.  Against my will, held hostage in the audience.  On and on they go, critter songs, inside jokes, every staff member feeling compelled to make their own lengthy remarks, waxing more and more eloquent, with no end in sight....

 

Please save the "director's cut" for a WB friends/family private event.   If it is any where else, the old phrase is so true, "Less is More" and applies to any ceremony, be it WB, Eagle, or striking the colors at summer camp.

[oldisnewagain1]

Your beads, your ceremony, your decision. 

 

Absolutely! 

[cchoat]

First of all, thank you for the replies. 

 

I do not want the "full MGM production ceremony"  I am looking for short, sweet and to the point.  Since my fellow patrol members are drawn from three different councils, doing it during "winter camp"  (Council sponsored, five day event in November) would be in a centralized location and an excellant opportunity for all of us to be there, while offering a public arena.  I don't plan on going over 10 minutes from start to finish.  Bury the axe in log, a few minutes about what is WB, my ticket items, necker and bead, one chorus (BEAR) of wood badge song, remove axe from log.  That's it. 

 

Too much?

[Stosh]

The only one that can determine whether it was going to be "enough" is you.  Sounds like it would be nice, though.

[qwazse]

First of all, thank you for the replies. 

 

I do not want the "full MGM production ceremony"  I am looking for short, sweet and to the point.  Since my fellow patrol members are drawn from three different councils, doing it during "winter camp"  (Council sponsored, five day event in November) would be in a centralized location and an excellant opportunity for all of us to be there, while offering a public arena.  I don't plan on going over 10 minutes from start to finish.  Bury the axe in log, a few minutes about what is WB, my ticket items, necker and bead, one chorus (BEAR) of wood badge song, remove axe from log.  That's it. 

 

Too much?

Sounds like you're heart's in the right place. What you need to grasp is "scope creep". How many other WB patrols will be there with folks who will have finished their ticket?  Each of them gung-ho to stamp and tramp and caw (or in my case, go "oooh shiny")?

 

If you have it at your troop campsite maybe with the adults while the youth are doing more important stuff, you'll get what you're asking for. But these WBers love to swarm and be indignant that you wouldn't have it with everyone in camp, because after all we want to get the "outsiders" thinking that this is a great fraternity, etc ... Someone might want to do it at one of the boys' campfires, which suddenly gets hijacked with a song and their leaders acting stupid .

 

That's why your winter-camp director would be top on the list of people to talk to.

[desertrat77]

Sounds like you're heart's in the right place. What you need to grasp is "scope creep". How many other WB patrols will be there with folks who will have finished their ticket?  Each of them gung-ho to stamp and tramp and caw (or in my case, go "oooh shiny")?

 

If you have it at your troop campsite maybe with the adults while the youth are doing more important stuff, you'll get what you're asking for. But these WBers love to swarm and be indignant that you wouldn't have it with everyone in camp, because after all we want to get the "outsiders" thinking that this is a great fraternity, etc ... Someone might want to do it at one of the boys' campfires, which suddenly gets hijacked with a song and their leaders acting stupid .

 

That's why your winter-camp director would be top on the list of people to talk to.

This is true!

 

I've seen beading ceremonies start out simple, and then asst QM for the course feels compelled to say a few words, even though she wasn't part of the original script.  Her comments prompt a WBer who went to the same course but was in another patrol to make his way to the stage and commence to telling stories that never seem to end.  Then the course director from two years ago comes forward and talks about the impact WB has had on scouting.

 

Meanwhile, the person receiving the beads stands there, smiling and nodding politely, whilst wearing the official course songbook on a string attached to his belt loops (true story), holding a homemade bugle/horn made of PVC pipe (another story), etc.

 

No doubt all of this is meaningful to the WBers.   But it is best reserved for the private dining room at the local buffet restaurant, where it can be enjoyed by those closest to the experience.  

[CalicoPenn]

I neglected to congratulate you - so I'll correct that error now - Congratulations.  Winter Camp sounds pretty neat - 5 days in November - either people are giving up Thanksgiving with their familes, or you have an interesting school schedule - I would have loved a 5-day camping trip in November when I was a Scout - no more bugs or allergies.

 

So that you understand my perspective, I tend to measure ceremonies against my own Eagle Scout ceremony and if they're any longer than that, I'm pretty much over them (my only exception is OA ceremonies - but those are a more solemn ceremony as opposed to a celebratory ceremony - those ceremonies are designed for later reflection).  So how long was my Eagle Scout ceremony?  About 5 minutes - I asked that it be done at a regular Court of Honor without all the fuss and folderol of other ceremonies I saw - my best friend's was over 30 minutes long - and my parents popped for cake after the Court of Honor.  I also try to think of the attention span of the audience.  An all-camp campfire?  10 minutes is too long - the 11-14 year olds are already wondering what the next skit is going to be after about 2 minutes in and the 15-17 year olds are considering if it would be worth the later grief if they pulled out the cell phone and started texting their buddies.  Burying the axe in the log is going to be the most exciting thing about that whole ceremony to the Scouts - and that's the first thing done - it would be like Thor defeating Loki in the first scene of the movie - everything that comes after is just anti-climactic.

 

But that same 10-minute ceremony held as a separate event with fellow woodbadgers and other adult leaders sounds just about right -  If there is time in the schedule, invite fellow Wood Badgers and any other interested adult leaders to a beading ceremony at your campsite with cobbler served afterwards.  For bonus points, if there are a couple of other members of your Wood Badge patrol or troop that are ready to receive their beads, maybe they could piggyback on.

[cchoat]

First off I want to thank you all for your input.  I think that CalicoPenn has the idea that i am going to use.  Have it at Winter Camp but at a seporate, away from the scouts area.  If he's finally done with his last ticket item, I'll be able to share this with my assistant scoutmaster. (Who I dragged fighting and kicking to Wood Badge, then back for the second wekend and through four of his five ticket items.  BTW, he saw the light and he's a convert now.)

 

BALOO taught me KISMIF, Keep It Simple, Make It Fun.  so I will print up a small program and stick to it.  No additions, and the Course SM the only one to speak. 

 

Our Winter camp runs from the Friday night before Thanksgiving to Wednesday morning.

[Cambridgeskip]

First congratulations!

 

Second..... everytime this thread goes back to the top I keep thinking it says "beheading ceremony". Not sure what that says about my sub conscious.....

 

As for where to have it as Kend500 said, that's down to you. Just think about who is going to be there and what they will appreciate.

 

I'm not one for ceremony, when I got mine it was quick and to the point. Round the camp fire with my cubs. Whole thing took less than 90 seconds. Quick "seal of approval" from the cubs and that was it. The powers that be wanted it with full ceremony at district St George's day parade. Not my thing, all that fuss.

 

Do it how you want to do it!