Wood Badge prerequisites
Russ Jones (CSRTJ@TTUHSC.EDU)
Sat, 18 Jan 1997 00:13:32 -0600
Dear Vic,
Not to be picky or anything, but unless the Wood Badge Administration of
Practical Training manual has changed since the 1992 printing, I must
respectfully disagree that tenure in Scouting is not a prerequisite for Wood
Badge. On page 1, under the heading of General Information, the manual
states "Scouters attend Boy Scout Leader Wood Badge only by invitation....
Each Scouter invited to participate in Wood Badge training must have
successfully completed Boy Scout Leader Fast Start and Scoutmastership
Fundamentals, No. 6550A, and should have at least two years of effective
tenure in active Boy Scout troop leadership or in a position directly
related to troop operation."
It is duly noted that the requirement says "should" instead of "must" with
regard to the tenure issue, and what I said in my posting on the subject was
that participants "should have already participated in the two previous
levels of training and have two or more years' tenure, either in a position
of active Boy Scout troop leadership or one directly related to troop
operation." It should also be noted that the manual does not say that the
two years be since completing Scoutmastership Fundamentals. Nevertheless,
the intent is clear, and the new Scouter will ideally receive Fast Start
training as soon as possible, take Scoutmastership Fundamentals as soon
thereafter as practical, and not be rushed into Wood Badge until he or she
has a total of at least a couple of years' experience with the patrol method
and other aspects of troop operation under his or her belt.
I fully realize that in practice, this "recommended prerequisite" is often
waived, particularly in cases where the minimum of thirty-two registered
participants is difficult to obtain from among the available tenured
Scouters. I myself was a case in point, having been in Scouting as an adult
only for slightly less than one year prior to being invited to attend Wood
Badge, although I had spent some seven years in Scouting as a youth.
Incidentally, Chris Boardman from England informs me that Scouters in the UK
are required to take their version of Wood Badge training within five years
after becoming a leader.
Yours in Scouting,
Russ Jones, Scoutmaster
Troop 575 & National Jamboree Troop 1636
South Plains Council
Lubbock, Texas
"I used to be a fox..." SC-295
"I used to be a staffer..." SC-430, SR-110, SR-???
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
