Training for Council Committee?

[jc2008]

What does a council training chair need to take/have in order to wear the "trained" patch, besides YPT of course.. I see the district training committee workshop training syllabus, but not a council one. 

[TAHAWK]

A big cancelled check.

 

In most councils, most training is by districts.  District Training Chair reports to District Program Chair, who reports to District Chair, who reports to Council President.   So Council Training Chair is a dotted-line guy for all that.  Wood Badge has it's own Wood Badge Coordinator.  

Edited May 18, 2017 by TAHAWK

[JosephMD]

The trainded patch isn't well defined outside of the unit level.

For example, there is no OA training for the trained patch.

 

At this point, you should know enough about scouting to know if you are trained or not.  Woodbadge, Trainers Edge, a couple of years of University of Scouting, a trip to Philmont Training Center for a training related conference, you decide. 

[4CouncilsScouter]

@@jc2008

 

Great question! This came up at a Philmont Training Center conference I went to a couple years back that went over council training committee operations, so

I'll give a short and a long answer from what I remember.

 

Short: Many registered adult positions in Scouting don't have defined "trained" requirements, and the majority of these positions that don't have defined requirements are those that exist at the national, region, area, and council levels. In most cases, any Scouter who's been selected to serve at these levels have enough experience/trainings that a patch isn't necessary or desired by that individual.

 

Long: As mentioned previously, the majority of these positions exists in the upper-echelons of Scouting leadership, so these requirements apply to only a handful of Scouters. That being said, there's a few other factors including:

• The priority to create a training syllabus for every registered position in Scouting is not present. With dozens of registered position codes existing beyond the council level, it's not practical to formulate a formal training for each one.
• Most gold-shoulder loop Scouters tend to play down their uniform. Most national council volunteers/staff I've encountered have always eschewed looking like a banana-republic dictator, so many of these Scouters will wear the minimum that's expected for their position.
• This was confirmed through an open Area Committee member I met at the 2013 Jamboree, the "training" usually comes on an informal basis. This individual said she was told that "if you want to wear your 'trained' strip, just have a meeting or a phone call with our Area President, and he'll brief you on your responsibilities."

Hope this helps!

[TAHAWK]

 

Who can wear the Trained strip?

• Registered adult leaders who have completed Youth Protection Training and the training courses for their program, which are outlined below.
• Scouts who have completed troop training ["Introduction to Troop Leadership"] and Venturers who have completed Crew Officers Orientation and Personal Safety Awareness training. Scouts and Venturers who have completed NYLT may wear . . . [the NYLT strip] instead of the Trained patch if they wish.

What are the program-specific requirements?

These requirements are for adult leaders. The emblem may be worn only in connection with the emblem of office for which training has been completed. In other words, if you’re an assistant Scoutmaster and a Venturing crew Advisor, but you’ve only taken training for the assistant Scoutmaster role, you would only wear the trained patch on your Boy Scout uniform — not on your Venturing uniform.

• Cub Scouting: Position-Specific training for your position. (Pack Trainers take Pack Committee Challenge and Fundamentals of Training.)
• Boy Scouting:
  • Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters: Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Position-Specific and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills
  • Troop committee members: Troop Committee Challenge
• Varsity Scouting:
  • Coaches and assistants: Varsity Coach Position-Specific and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills
  • Varsity committee members: Team Committee Challenge
• Venturing and Sea Scouts:
  • Advisors and assistants: Venturing Advisor Position-Specific
  • Crew and ship committee members: Crew Committee Challenge
  • All adults in ships: Sea Scout Adult Leader Basic
• Chartered organization representatives: This Is Scouting and Training the Chartered Organization Representative.

Source: Boy Scout of America, https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/11/24/when-can-adult-leaders-wear-the-bsas-trained-patch/

[TAHAWK]

@@jc2008

• Most gold-shoulder loop Scouters tend to play down their uniform. Most national council volunteers/staff I've encountered have always eschewed looking like a banana-republic dictator, so many of these Scouters will wear the minimum that's expected for their position.

 

One purpose of wearing a Trained patch - of all "recognition," when we used to call it that - is to encourage others to qualify for the recognition.

[Stosh]

None of my committee members wear trained patches because in a small troop they wear other hats as well for which they are trained.  As long as they under stand the BSA boy led, patrol method program, they don't need to know much more.  A good advancement person needs training on the operation of a computer and BSA software (or 3rd party software if they are using that).  A good treasurer needs to know how to keep records, that training comes from outside of the BSA.  Same for a good secretary.  The Chairman needs to know good group leadership skills with a bit of tact and politicin' thrown in.  The rest pretty much need to know how to do a good BOR keeping the boys' success as their #1 goal.  Unless they are wearing another hat which requires it, my committee people don't wear the tan shirt so they have nothing to sew the patch on anyway.

[NJCubScouter]

None of my committee members wear trained patches because in a small troop they wear other hats as well for which they are trained.  As long as they under stand the BSA boy led, patrol method program, they don't need to know much more.  A good advancement person needs training on the operation of a computer and BSA software (or 3rd party software if they are using that).  A good treasurer needs to know how to keep records, that training comes from outside of the BSA.  Same for a good secretary.  The Chairman needs to know good group leadership skills with a bit of tact and politicin' thrown in.  The rest pretty much need to know how to do a good BOR keeping the boys' success as their #1 goal.  Unless they are wearing another hat which requires it, my committee people don't wear the tan shirt so they have nothing to sew the patch on anyway.

A unit committee member (CC or MC) who wants to wear the "Trained" patch (as I do, although these days I don't wear the uniform except on special occasions such as COH's) would take Troop Committee Challenge. It is available online and makes one a "trained" committee member (along with YP of course) regardless of role on the committee.

[Stosh]

Unless they are in a dual capacity, our committee members do not wear uniforms.  We are in a depressed neighborhood and getting the boys into uniform is a struggle enough for these parents.  Bling is not on their radar.

[NJCubScouter]

Unless they are in a dual capacity, our committee members do not wear uniforms.  We are in a depressed neighborhood and getting the boys into uniform is a struggle enough for these parents.  Bling is not on their radar.

 

About half of our committee members don't own one.  For those who do it is usually "left over" from a past role, for example our CC was formerly an ASM, Lodge Advisor and other things, I was an Assistant Cubmaster (which means my uniform is rather elderly at this point), one of our past CC's was a former SM, etc.

 

But more important than the "Trained" strip is that a committee member actually take the Troop Committee Challenge.  Most likely none of it will be new to an experienced committee member, but it can't hurt to be trained for one's position.

Edited May 19, 2017 by NJCubScouter

[Stosh]

Agreed!

[desertrat77]

The impact of the Trained patch is truly "in the eyes of the beholder."

 

I suspect most folks just assume we are all properly trained.  Or that we should be, anyway.

[desertrat77]

Concur with NJCubScouter--take the Troop Committee Challenge.

[4CouncilsScouter]

@@jc2008

 

I would ask your Scout Executive or Area Training Chair (if one exists) for clarification. Because no formal training exists for council committee chairs/members, I would say you have three options if your SE or area can't provide clarification:

1. Review the Orientation Guide for Council Officers and Executive Board Members.
2. See if a council executive board orientation is offered.
3. If you've attended Wood Badge or Philmont Leadership Challenge, I personally would say you're qualified to wear it in relation to your council-level position.

Edited May 20, 2017 by 4CouncilsScouter