eagle-pete

I agree madkins The BSA has diligently been working for several years puting together safe scouting policies and proceedures. I believe a review of all these policies should be included. Also, has everyone in your unit attended a Youth Protection course lately? If not, you may want to head one of those up. All the necessary information to conduct safe scouting activities is already available and easy to obtain at your Council Office. I would submit that several of these injuries and accidents would have been prevented by following these proceedures. Eagle-Pete

Currently, I am the Assistant Scout Leader for the 11 Year-old Scouts. Both myself and the Scout Leader are WB Trained in addition to many years of various other trainings. When I was Cubmaster last year, we had 90% of the cub leaders consistently trained in Cub Leader Basics. Several of them went to Wood Badge as well. I dont need to tell you what a benefit that has been to the leaders and boys. When I first came into the scouting program here at our church there was a great need for training. Most of the leaders had no training at all. The program was struggling along and the

"Scouty"? That's a new word for me. It sure doesnt pass my spell checker. Evmori -- I have heard this so much, but in my opinion kids have not really changed. Their environment has changed a bit perhaps, but a kid is still a kid. That's why after 100 years - Scouting still works. I am really enjoying one of our Scouts. He just completed his Second Class requirements so he's still a new Scout for all intents and purposes. His enthusiasm is intriguing to watch. We just went on an overnight campout and he was so eager to do everything; build a fire, setup camp, go on a hike...

Meriam-Webster defines To volunteer 1 : proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent 2 : unconstrained by interference : SELF-DETERMINING 3 : done by design or intention : INTENTIONAL 4 : of, relating to, subject to, or regulated by the will 5 : having power of free choice 6 : provided or supported by voluntary action 7 : acting or done of one's own free will without valuable consideration or legal obligation I would submit that all the adult volunteer leaders chose just how involved they wish to become at any given time in the BSA. No one is under any

No beads, no records... No Wood Badge? I seem to recall a little saying that is intended for Eagle Scout candidates, but might apply here... "Your Eagle isn't complete until all paperwork is turned in" Someone dropped the ball completing your Wood Badge. Whether that was your Troup Guide, Course Director or yourself, I don't know. By the way, why is this coming up 20 years after your course? It seems like quite a long time to go without your beads. Hey... If there are no records.. just take the course over again. It'll be fun!!! Eagle-Pete

Indy First of all, you deserve congratulations for what you have accomplished. Wood Badge is not easy. My experience was fraught with challenges, many of which seemed tailored to my growth and development. I know of no one who has gone through the course and ticket process who felt that it was either too elementary, easy, or a waste of time. Virtually all participants that I have ever known have felt the opposite; that it was difficult, exhausting, and well worth their time. So I would classify your sentiments about Wood Badge as normal. As for ceremonies, I am sure you can appr

ehcalum There is no restriction to wearing the complete regalia, only that the woggle is not to be worn with any other neckerchief than the Tartan Neckerchief. Beads may be worn alone on the Class A uniform and should be placed over any other awards or recognitions which are neck-worn. I wear my full regalia whenever I feel it is appropriate, especially when there is the potential for promoting Wood Badge to new or other leaders who have not had the opportunity or who are not aware of the training. You should not feel apprehensive about wearing the scarf, woggle, and beads. Yo

My wife just got her beads. We're now a Wood Badge Family!!! She used to be a buffalo

What's with the double topic?? Anyway... I was considering the same thing when I was planning my ceremony. At the time I was a Cubmaster. A lot depends on your particular pack. How much adult recognition have you been presenting up to this time? How many boys/adults regularly attend your pack meetings? Are your boys accustomed to a ceremony which is less flashy than the typical pack meeting ceremonies? Are the parents/leaders of your pack relatively enthusiastic about the Scouting program in general? In my case I chose not to present a Wood Badge ceremony to my pack. I fe

I was considering the same thing when I was planning my ceremony. At the time I was a Cubmaster. Alot depends on your particular pack. How much adult recognition have you been presenting up to this time? How many boys/adults regularly attend your pack meetings? Are your boys acustome to a ceremony which is less flashy than the typical pack meeting ceremonies? Are the parents/leaders of your pack relatively enthusiastic about the Scouting program in general? In my case I chose not to present a Wood Badge ceremony to my pack. I felt that neither the boys nor most of the adults wo

A little searching on the Internet led me to this page which apparently references the official BSA insignia guide regarding the Wood Badge Regalia: http://www.leaderlore.com/wear.html Pete

Card? Certificate? Woggle? Scarf? Beads? I think we ought to have a parade too! Kidding... What I came away with from the whole experience can't really be described, nor could any symbol accurately portray the experience, although I cherish my scarf, woggle, and beads dearly. All my other awards and recognitions pale in comparison. I understand the need for recognition, however, I think the point is what did I learn from Wood Badge, not necessarily what was handed to me. Just an eagle's opinion Pete(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)

The best part for me was the camaraderie and brotherhood of Wood Badge. Anywhere I go in scouting, no matter if I am part of that particular council, district, or on online forums - I am part of a brotherhood. I was at a roundtable recently and we were in a room with several Woodbadgers, some from different courses and various locations. In uniform, wearing our regalia, discussion invariably went to Wood Badge topics. Even though none of us were at the same WB course, we all were very familiar with the jokes, activities, concepts, and memories of Wood Badge. Something that happened, a

Ah... I've never used the 'spin thread' feature here. Actually, it was really rather simple - I made a short questioneer with some questions obviously directed to the boy and others more or less directed to the parents. Questions for the boys were like, "What do you like most about Cub Scouts?", "Would you like to attend Cub Scout Day Camp this year?", "Do you like coming to Pack Meeting?". Questions more geared toward parents were like, "Do you know where (boy's name) is in his progress toward the (award name)?" As for getting suggestions for what we could do better, I as

I work primarily with the Cub Scouts. If National called me and asked this I would refer them to about 6 Cubs in our Pack that could give them a rundown of what they liked about Cub Scouts. Actually, one of my WB ticket items was to meet with and interview each boy and their parents in my Pack and discuss what the boys liked about Cub Scouts, how I could assist the parents, and what the boys would like to see more of in the Pack. I then implemented all the suggestions. WOW! Was that an eye opener. Eagle Pete

As I read through all the posts on this topic, I was looking for one which expressed the Cub Scout spirit and how it should apply to this situation. I believe Kalquest has the right idea. Not that we should all go out and get rubber chickens, but that he has put the Cub Scout spirit to very good use and considers how his actions and how he handles his pack will affect the boys of the pack. I recently stepped down as Cubmaster in my pack and the one thing I learned over the past 4 years is that boys like to play and be silly - so go with that. Get their attention with silliness, jokes,

The BSA has a unique methodology; demonstrate the correct method then allow the unit to function properly. This is not a very common philosophy in all organizations, but, in my opinion, it is a very effective one. And the philosophy flows down all the way to the boy. I have been to many trainings and I am a trainer myself. The most effective trainers I have seen present their material, without any B.S., and then let the leaders take that information and run their units. As far as upbeat and positive - I believe this is essential to providing interesting and engaging training cou

I think that Owl62 is really asking if there are any WB rules about making your own beads. I don't think you are breaking any cardinal laws by making your beads. Our district provides the regalia from BSA supply. I have never seen anything written up about it and I don't see anything wrong with making your own beads. I like the idea of having the course number marked on them; it kinda personalizes them. I would like to just say that the regalia needs to remain a special part of Wood Badge. I would not like to see the regalia devalued in any way. There is a potential to devalue

Greetings fellow Wood Badgers - It is with GREAT PLEASURE that I announce a new addition to our family! Emily Maria Choppin, was born on November 17, 2004 at exactly 13:34 (1:34pm). Emily weighed in at 9 lbs 5 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Both mother and baby are doing great! Dad could not be more proud. In fact, I would venture to say that I am the proudest eagle in the nest!! Eagle-Pete

Yes Dan That's exactly what I was hoping for. I think I'll use that at my next Roundtable. Can I quote you?

Just found out my wife is a Buffalo. She's at Wood Badge right now! (No "so your wife is a buffalo, eh?" comments - Be original)(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)

WOW! I will be stepping down as Cubmaster this month and taking on another job of training on the District level. This is EXACTLY the kind of information I need! Thank you! I can see both points being made here. There absolutely are very good reasons to keep to a syllabus. And there are times when adding material or varying a course might be desirable as well. A few years ago, I attended a Cub Leader Essentials. It wasn't my first, in fact I had attended this course before with the same staff and materials presented. At the time, I was attempting to get all my new leaders

Zippie Speaking of Youth Protection online... can I make a suggestion? The online course has some advantages - Convenience, easy to do, available anytime. However, in my humble opinion, new leaders especially should take the course in a face-to-face, classroom environment... at least on their first time when introduced to this topic. There are several reasons that I do this for our new leaders. First, the importance of Youth Protection cannot be stressed enough. A classroom with an instructor seems to be taken more seriously than the online course. The material is essentiall

P.S. I noticed that there are no topics on this forum discussing the specifics of the Wood Badge course. Coincidence? I think not. Pete

No one is suggesting we develop these secret "clubs" or elite organizations. There are, however, things that the Wood Badge Staff might discuss, collaborate on, and try to clarify on a web forum that may not want to be shared with Scouters who have not yet been through the course, thereby possibly tainting their experience at Wood Badge. All that the WB Staff really want is for each participant to be able to experience Wood Badge to their fullest. Anyone who has attended the practical course knows that prematurely revealing certain aspects or activities would spoil the intent of the exp