Re: Cubscout Leader Self Study Course
(no name) ((no email))
Thu, 6 Jun 1996 13:59:24 -0500
Paul Clemmensen wrote:
>The key to a successful Cub scout program is trained leadership. The district
>that I am in, Fort Hamilton of the Dan Beard Council, is actively looking for
>new and positive ways of increasing the number of trained leaders. No matter
>how often and flexible our training schedule is, there are always a few new
>leaders who just can't make our training. Some are single parents, others work
>evenings, week-ends, or multiple jobs. We don't want to discourage the
>volunteers, and we want to give them every opportunity to learn.
>
>We have heard that at one time, National use to have a self study course for
>new Cub scout leaders. Does any one have a self study course that they are
>using for their district or council training?
The self-study course was tried out in your Council, Paul, as part of the BSA's
attempt to see how we can improve the quantity of trained leaders. What
happened was that a Scouter in a unit would have the videotape and booklet,
write into the booklet, and either don't return the tape or lose the tape.
There was
very little person-to-person interaction being done, even though you are
supposed
to have a Coach-Counsellor to answer questions you may have had.
Most folks didn't even review the tape until they were stuck, National found
out.
The bottom line is that the National Volunteer Training Committee decided
that the
best way to train and coach new Scouters is the approach tried and true over the
years...to get them to participate in basic training courses.
Now, there's has been some rather innovative training courses. Consider
these that
were sent to me by some rather great Scouters elsewhere:
* a lunchtime "training seminar", two hours at lunchtime held at a nice
resturant.
Over a week's period, the entire Cub or Boy Scout leader basic (with the
exception
of the outdoor portions of WEBELOS and Boy Scout leader courses) were conducted
in 1.5 hour "blocks". The course was "moved" from community to community so
that
those wanting to get there at lunchtime could participate.
* a morning and evening "training tandem", with two teams of Scouters. Both
teams
cover the same amount of territory during the morning or night, allowing
those working
"split shifts" to "pick and choose" a morning and an evening session for
training.
* the Sunday afternoon session. Whereby many will want to stay home on
Saturday,
most folks are at church or resting on Sunday....a split session was held on
Sunday
afternoon to allow those that wished to do so to participate.
* a "neighborhood bring-the-training-to-the-Scouters: when a District found
that
it was almost impossible for participants living in one county to travel to
another
county (pride, I guess), they brought the training to the unit and offered
training for
two or more units in that community. The key is NOT to make it "individual
training"
but to force units to communicate with each other to provide this training.
* There are some Scouters that are looking at this "electronic medium" to
provide
that basic training as well....National's looking at optical disk, allowing
those that cannot
be trained to put the disk in and have the disk to "drive the training
train" for the
person. The BSA's Volunteer Training Division has been working on this for
some time,
after following the lead from our military and some super corporations, so I
don't think
that it won't be long before you can receive the "orientation" part of the
training course
electronically.
But training is MORE than "swallowing down" policies, procedures and
history. It's about
BEING WITH OTHERS in the same boat as you are and using each other and the
training team as resources to make your job...and your experience in
Scouting...much more
easier and a whole lot more fun.
I don't think you can get all of that from a piece of plastic...or from
videotapes and
handouts.
I'll keep looking for other ways and post them here!
Settummanque!
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (Settummanque, the blackeagle) (
co-Owner, Blackeagle Services of Kentucky (502.826.7046) __)_
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