Philmont Leadership Challenge

[jjlash]

Dates and Course Directors have been announced for next year's Philmont Leadership Challenge.   I have had the pleasure of working with both of these folks and know that their courses will raise the bar on what is already an amazing experience.  

• PTC Week 4:  June 30 - July 6.  David Broekers from Crossroads of America council (central Indiana) is course director
• PTC Week 11: Sept 15 - 21.  April Bethea from Grand Canyon council (Pheonix area) is course director

Philmont Leadership Challenge is a 6 day session where crews practice their Wood Badge leadership skills through hands-on activities in the Philmont backcountry.  Activities include challenge events, geocaching, wilderness first aid and search and rescue. 

 

Are there any other PLC alumni hanging out here?

[jjlash]

Summer PLC course is in the books.  Got to meet some truly passionate Scouters who worked to take their leadership up a notch.  For some it was a fairly natural continuation of their existing style, for others it was more challenging.  I think everyone had fun and learned something - I certainly did.  

There are still spots available for the fall course.   If you have never been - Philmont is even more beautiful in the fall than in the summer.

[Eagledad]

1 hour ago, jjlash said:

Summer PLC course is in the books.  Got to meet some truly passionate Scouters who worked to take their leadership up a notch.  For some it was a fairly natural continuation of their existing style, for others it was more challenging.  I think everyone had fun and learned something - I certainly did.  

There are still spots available for the fall course.   If you have never been - Philmont is even more beautiful in the fall than in the summer.

What is this course? I'm not familiar with it. 

Barry

[jjlash]

THe official description is

Quote

Adults learn to internalize and practice their leadership skills in this action-packed backcountry conference. The conference hones the skills taught in Wood Badge in an outdoor experiential learning environment. PLC underscores the values of Scouting and teamwork and promotes the concepts of servant leadership. Open to all programs. Participants will not have an opportunity to be with family during the week.

My description is: 

It is what comes after WB on the training continuum (yes, there is something after WB!).  It is a 6 day leadership experience in the Philmont backcountry.  The course uses activities such as search and rescue, geocaching and wilderness first aid to provide the real-world context for practicing your WB skills.  There are no lectures, it is completely hands-on - each skill session incorporates and/or is followed by an activity to use the skills.  There is lots of Philmont and Waite Phillips history woven in (including a Villa tour).  Most of the week is spent at Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp with an overnight backpacking trek to Zastrow camp.  

The equivalent course for youth is called National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE).  

 

 

[mrkstvns]

33 minutes ago, jjlash said:

...It is what comes after WB on the training continuum (yes, there is something after WB!).... 

Is Wood Badge a pre-requisite for the course, or can a scouter sign up for the PLC course regardless of prior WB participation?

Edited July 8, 2019 by mrkstvns

[Eagledad]

28 minutes ago, jjlash said:

THe official description is

My description is: 

It is what comes after WB on the training continuum (yes, there is something after WB!).  It is a 6 day leadership experience in the Philmont backcountry.  The course uses activities such as search and rescue, geocaching and wilderness first aid to provide the real-world context for practicing your WB skills.  There are no lectures, it is completely hands-on - each skill session incorporates and/or is followed by an activity to use the skills.  There is lots of Philmont and Waite Phillips history woven in (including a Villa tour).  Most of the week is spent at Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp with an overnight backpacking trek to Zastrow camp.  

The equivalent course for youth is called National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE).  

 

 

What Wood Badge skills are being practiced? 

This course sounds more like a Scouter course for adult troop leaders, or what should be for troop leaders. Very interesting.

Barry

[jjlash]

9 minutes ago, mrkstvns said:

Is Wood Badge a pre-requisite for the course, or can a scouter sign up for the PLC course regardless of prior WB participation?

WB practical portion is pre-requisite, but you do not need to have completed your ticket yet.

[jjlash]

4 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

What Wood Badge skills are being practiced? 

This course sounds more like a Scouter course for adult troop leaders, or what should be for troop leaders. Very interesting.

Barry

All of them....

You are put into a "crew" and given activities to complete so everything about communication and stages of team development applies.  All of the activities require some amount of planning to complete.  And the skills needed for the activities vary widely so using your team's diversity is critical to success. The vision, mission and legacy pieces are tied in both from a historical perspective (Waite Phillips vision and legacy re: donating the land) and from a personal perspective (your vision and legacy re: using what you have learned at the course).  

Being a week-long format in the back country, you are forced to come together as a team more so than with most WB courses.  You share tents, you prepare meals, you do everything together and there are very few "outside distractions".  You support your team and your team supports you.

The biggest surprise when I took the course is how much debrief and reflection there is.  Every session has some kind of short discussion so that the activity is not taken at face value - to ensure people understand the deeper lessons related to leadership and see how those can apply to their unit/job/family/church/community.... back home.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Scouter course for adult troop leaders".  Other than the Philmont/Waite Phillips history stuff, this would be totally appropriate as outdoor-based leadership development for any organization (church, school, business).

 

[Eagledad]

38 minutes ago, jjlash said:

All of them....

You are put into a "crew" and given activities to complete so everything about communication and stages of team development applies.  All of the activities require some amount of planning to complete.  And the skills needed for the activities vary widely so using your team's diversity is critical to success. The vision, mission and legacy pieces are tied in both from a historical perspective (Waite Phillips vision and legacy re: donating the land) and from a personal perspective (your vision and legacy re: using what you have learned at the course).  

Being a week-long format in the back country, you are forced to come together as a team more so than with most WB courses.  You share tents, you prepare meals, you do everything together and there are very few "outside distractions".  You support your team and your team supports you.

The biggest surprise when I took the course is how much debrief and reflection there is.  Every session has some kind of short discussion so that the activity is not taken at face value - to ensure people understand the deeper lessons related to leadership and see how those can apply to their unit/job/family/church/community.... back home.

I'm not sure what you mean by "Scouter course for adult troop leaders".  Other than the Philmont/Waite Phillips history stuff, this would be totally appropriate as outdoor-based leadership development for any organization (church, school, business).

 

Very good thanks.

What I meant by Scouter course is experiencing Patrol Method and understanding the intention of the process so they know why to apply it.

Barry