LeCastor

Duckfoot, yes, I would definitely take Wood Badge again knowing what I know now. In fact, I would be interested to serve on the next Wood Badge staff in my council. While I don't care too much for PowerPoint presentations, I did think that the course information was useful in my Troop and in my work life. During Wood Badge, I got to live and interact for a whole week with my Beaver patrol and see what it's like to work as a team in a camping environment. Sure, I did that every summer as a Scout, but it's been a while since I was a Patrol Leader or Scribe in a Patrol context. For outdoor skills, I enjoy staffing IOLS and learning more and more by teaching different sessions. It's fun to help get new Scouters enthused about LNT, lashings and backpacking. Do I wish Wood Badge still had a Scoutcraft component? Sure. Am I upset about it? No. As many have already said in countless Wood Badge threads, it's what you make of it. So were my undergrad and grad school experiences. Did I enjoy Wood Badge? Absolutely. Was it informative? Yes. I would do it again. LeCastor

Thanks, Kahuna! Yeah, while GBB wrote so many of our handbooks, etc. and helped keep the outdoors in Scouting, there is hardly and scholarly work out there about him. Of course, we have Nelson Block's essay and some shorter essays on various websites. And then there's always Men of Schiff...:-)

I am doing quite a bit of research on Green Bar Bill lately and discovered that he may have lived with Buck and Martha Carson in the Syracuse area later in life. Can anyone tell me more about Buck Carson? This photo is particularly striking to me but the whole set is great: Does anyone know where these photos we taken? Was this an international Scouter event? The photo with Hillcourt and the buffalo statue is famous for being on the inside cover of the ninth edition of the Boy Scout Handbook. I remember buying that book at a shop in Estill Springs, TN in 1989 and reading it cover to cover. That photo of Green Bar Bill is etched in my brain.

an assistant Scoutmaster. So I found a Troop in the area and they asked me to be their Scoutmaster seven months later. I immediately took all the training courses I could and signed up for Wood Badge, too, because I had read about it and had known those Scouters in Atlanta who had sported the beads. SM-Specific and IOLS were good at pumping me up and getting me excited about learning and engaging the Scouts in my Troop. Wood Badge for the 21st Century was more PowerPoint than I would have wanted. It would have been much cooler to have hands-on Scoutcraft training but, alas, we don't have that opportunity now. What I did enjoy about WB21C was living and working with my Beaver Patrol for a week (as opposed to two separate weekends). We experienced camping and cooking together just as a Scout Patrol would at summer camp. We had PLC meetings and shared the responsibility of Patrol Leader over the course of the week. We met loads of new people from around the council and out-of-council. So, networking. My ticket was aimed as helping grow my Troop and make Scouting possible for as many young men as possible, despite economic hardships that exist in our area. Sure, I had these ideas going into WB21C but the ticket-writing forced me to sit down and formulate it. All in all, my week was a great experience from the point of view of a Patrol outing with like-minded people who are united by the movement of Scouting. Still, I see William Hillcourt and Buck Carson in this photo and think about how Wood Badge would have been if they were my Scoutmaster/Course Directors: Wood Badge was $210 and a week of vacation--for me not a be big deal. Did I take away some valuable things for my Troop? Absolutely. Was it lashing skills or how to tie a bowline? No. I gladly supplement my Scouting training by reading William Hillcourt's writings and studing B-P's Aids to Scoutmastership. I read this forum and try to tune out the bickering in order to get to the meat of the posts. I read Clarke Green's blog at scoutmastercg,com. I go to Roundtable and meet new people and get new ideas. I volunteer to teach IOLS and SM-Specific because it helps me learn the concepts a little better. Teaching is an excellent way to learn something! A long post that I've been meaning to write for several months...Train yourself or go to Wood Badge like any other training course...OR...do both. It's up to you, Packsaddle. No one training course is going to satisfy everyone's needs. JBlake, keep being awesome. Basementdweller, (you could try being a little less pessimistic :-)) continue to be awesome. EVERYONE who contributes to this forum is awesome in that they are Scouters who want to give back to the youth.

In the late 1980s as a Cub Scout in the Atlanta Area Council, I would go to day camps and "Cuborees" with my Dens. It may sound hokey, but I was always intrigued by the Scouters in their red jac-shirts and wooden beads. I looked up to those guys/gals because they were SO good with the Cubs. They were "boy-men" as B-P would say. I felt comfortable approaching them and talking to them because they spoke my language and looked like they were having as much fun as I was. Just this past weekend, I was on staff at a joint SM-Specific/IOLS course (someone's Wood Badge ticket item) at our local council camp property. During a break, I went for a hike with another fellow staffer and we came across a Patrol of young Scouts. They approached me immediately and starting showing me the cool things they had found on their hike: broken arrows from the archery range, broken clay pigeons from the shotgun range, and plastic coins with the face of Abraham Lincoln engraved upon them. They didn't think twice before approaching me and sharing their excitement with me. It was at that moment that I realized I had become one of those Scouters I looked up to when I was even younger than they are now. I was wearing my Wood Badge regalia but that had nothing to do with why the Scouts engaged me in excited conversation. The truth is, having the right attitude as a Scouter is what attracts the Scouts. If you are a boy-man and provide positive guidance with a great attitude, I believe you can have a lasting influence on countless young men. In April 2011, I came back to Scouting after a 15-year period where I was in school and starting a career. It dawned on me that I could/should give back to local youth by serving as

Kahuna, our Troop typically goes in-council, too, but next year the Scouts voted on my suggestion that we attend Woodruff Scout Reservation in Blairsville, GA as a change of pace. We have nothing against Ed Bryant Scout Reservation. On the contrary! We love going to EBSR but I thought it would be a nice variation to see a different "culture", as you say. Woodruff offers the whitewater rafting and many other things that EBSR does not. (I have to admit that I'm interested in seeing Woodruff after 20 years! I went there as a Scout when in the Atlanta Area Council.)

Like some have mentioned, my Scouting and non-Scouting friends have been sending me links to the video and the follow-up news videos related to this story. I camped at Gobin Valley State Park several years ago and walked around among the "goblins" and felt very guilty about it. Though, It is allowed and encouraged, from what I could tell. However, it is simply against common sense and basic LNT training to push over a rock formations like this IN A STATE PARK. On the other hand, as I was teaching the LNT portion of IOLS this weekend, it gave me an excellent lead-in! Most Scouters at the course had not yet heard of the story since they were rushing to our council camp for the training. I find it incredibly hard to believe that "long-time" or "veteran" Scouters--as they've been called in various media accounts--would find it acceptable behavior to destroy natural features like this. Have they looked at a handbook? BSA has encouraged conservation since the beginning! I would say I'm "speechless" but obviously I'm not...Just irritated and ready to teach more LNT!

My Troop is fairly small at 14 Scouts and part of my Wood Badge ticket has been to step up recruiting and grow the Troop. So far we've gone from 10 to 14 with the Webelos' crossing over last month. I agree that the smaller group feels more closely-knit and the Scouts tend to have each other's backs as someone said earlier. But I have to also echo the fact that smaller Troops have a harder time with the patrol method. I'd ideally like to have another 6-11 boys join the Troop. The good news is that now, with 14 Scouts, we can have two patrols with 7 in each. That's not a bad number.

In August, when it was warm out, the Scouts in my Troop planned to do tent-camping this December at our local Council camp. However, the closer we got to December the boys started dropping like flies. My compromise was to reserve a cabin so that we would get them to agree to the outing. I'm bringing my tent and down bag anyway...(Our Troop is in Southern Wisconsin) Do any of you do winter camping? How do you prepare the youth for it?

This summer I invented an award to recognize one adult who has gone above and beyond to help our Troop's outdoor program. I called it the Silver Sierra Cup Award and it was simply the cup with the person's name on the bottom. This really made an impact on the adult leader who received the award. Then, I thought it would be a good idea to recongize those boys we sent to NYLT by presenting them with their own military surplus campaign hats. That one was a huge hit.

Hi Duckfoot! Yeah, I lurked for several months before I decided to become an proper member of the forum. Welcome to the gang!

"Honor Bright" certainly looks like an attractive book with lots of color photographs. I'll to find that one. TwoCub, I realize that not everyone is going to care about the history of the council and a history book needn't be as elaborate at the above-mentioned one. However, keeping a record of a council's history, including photographs, is important. I agree that Troops, too, should keep a good record of their own, indiviudal histories. Our Troop has been around since 1925 and, unfortunately, there isn't much left in terms of historical data that I can find. In today's world of self-publishing, it can be as easy as writing the book and using an on-line, publish-on-demand service. There's no need to have stacks and stacks of unsold books at the Scout Shop. This has all got me eager to do more research of my Troop and perhaps writing the books myself...

Thanks, Info Scouter! This is a great resource you've shared with us. Your names says it all!

I recently came across a well-researched history of the Four Lakes Council (The First 90 years: 1912-2002). And it got me thinking about other councils and whether or not similar books existed in other parts of the country. As a Scout I lived in Georgia and Louisiana and, thus, experiencing Scouting in the Atlanta Area Council and the New Orleans Area Council, which as been the Southeast Louisiana Council. The Four Lakes Council merged with the Sinissippi Council in 2006, I think, and both became the Glacier's Edge Council. But it is certainly fun and intersting to read about and see photos of the early days of the council where I am currently a Scouter. So do your councils have history committees or anything in place to write, produce and publish history books?

Thanks, Skip! I think the co-ed thing would be great for the BSA, too. Everyone in the photos seemed to be getting along quite well and they were all participating and helping each other. I like cooperation. As for Republica, I loved that song! Hadn't heard it since the mid-90s, though, as you mentioned. At least that song made it to the States.

Thanks for the update, CA Scouter! I'm glad to hear it went well and that you didn't have any negative vibes along the way. I missed this thread for some reason. If I had seen it I would have said that you should go into it with a positive attitude and go prepared to have some nay-sayers. Just keep in line with the Scout Oath and Law and you'll be fine. My thoughts are with you and your Scoutmaster in his time of need.

Sometimes I tend to get caught up in the normal, day-to-day interactions with the boys. However, one of the committee members--who is very observant--occasionally comes to me and points out something that I thought was fairly mundane. But she makes me see how that one little gesture or action changed a boy in a profound way. Just when I am on the cusp of becoming discouraged, she is able to bring me back with just a few words of encouragement like that.

During our annual planning session a few weeks back, the Scouts in my Troop indicated that they wanted to try their hands at winter camping here in Wisconsin. Then, last night when I brought it up with the committee they were pretty surprised that I wasn't planning to rent a cabin for the weekend. "But what if they aren't prepared for the cold?" My reply was that the SPL has plenty of time to educate them between now and December so that they don't arrive at camp in December with no coat, etc. Winter camping doesn't mean sleeping in a cabin.

As an update, we had a successful annual planning session last weekend. It took about three hours and the SPL ran the show. He brought small pieces of paper so that the Scouts could do a stop-start-continue exercise with outings we've either done before or ones they'd like to add. (I was a little surprised that he asked the adults to participate, too.) It took a while and the process wasn't terribly smooth. The SPL had all council and school district dates handy but he didn't bring any presentation materials other than the pieces of paper. Since I had anticipated that, I brought some Sharpies and large poster board for him to write one. At the end of the session, we had a full yearly calendar with places and ideas for activities. All in all, I thought it was a success. However, an adult in our Troop who was present sent me a follow-up email suggesting that he assist in developing some more high-tech ways of gauging Scouts' interests, etc. And he thinks the job of leading this session should be taken off the shoulders of the SPL... I was/am at a loss for words...The SPL should be running the show and the adults shouldn't be making so many suggestions...At least he told me and not the SPL, right?

Our Troop is having one this Sunday for a few hours in a local city park. Ultimately, it's the boys who decide what they want to do and the SPL should run the session. The Scoutmaster should be on-hand to give advice when asked and to provide input where safely is a concern. As I understand it, the Scoutmaster submits the boys' plan to the Committee for final approval. However, since it's the boys' Troop there should not be much influence by the SM or the Committee.

I returned home from a week-long Wood Badge course this past Saturday evening feeling energized and inspired. In the weeks approaching the course I made a conscious effort NOT to think about it so that I didnt build it up too much and risk being disappointed. So if someone were to ask me how to prepare for WB, this would be the way I would suggest s/he approach it. There was so much stuff crammed into such a short span of time. However, I never felt overwhelmed. On the other hand, there was a constant sense of urgency to keep on task and get it all done. I feel confident that my ticket will ultimately help my Troop overcome some fairly large problems. And, on a slightly humorous note, I wound up in the Beaver Patrol. Those of you who speak/read French should figure out why thats interesting

When I was a Scout my Troop had a tradition of giving out special awards that were specific to a particular Scout or Scouter. And now as Scoutmaster of my new Troop, I have decided to bring this tradition to our Scouts. Last night, I recognized a Scouter and two Scouts. I wanted to create some kind of award for outstanding Scouter--someone who has helped me a great deal--and, since my name is Beaver, I wanted to come up with an award using that name. Alas, that prestigious award is already taken. So instead I decided to award this Scouter with the Silver Sierra Cup award. (This particular cup belonged to my grandfather and was something he always had on him when hiking the AT.) Then, I recognized a Scout for pursing his Native American roots and helping to bring awareness in our Troop. He received some nice framed prints of Native Americans on the Plains. Then, to recognize the SPL for his outstanding leadership and for attending NYLT I awarded him his very own campaign hat. All three awards were associated with the Scouting movement while not being official BSA awards. These weren't ranks, merit badges or 50 miler patches. But somehow I feel like these three individuals got a little more excitement for recognizing the "little things" that they do over the course of the year. Do you do special awards at courts of honor?

As far as I know I don't know any of you but I sure do appreciate the discussion and advice. I've only been a Scouter for 1 year and a Scoutmaster for 7 months. There's so much to learn and you all have helped me a great deal. It would be nice to meet you in person at an event somewhere... LeCastor

I gathered the adult leaders from our Troop a few weeks ago and asked if they wanted to form an "adult patrol" to set the example for the boys. We all agreed it was a good, fun idea and came up with a name, a yell and a flag. Also, we have purchased patches to put on our uniforms. I think if it helps the boys then it's fine.

This is a rambling post where I am just spitting out ideas: I admire the BPSA-US for sticking to the principles of "Tradional Scouting". But as many of us have said, we have quite a bit of leeway in terms of guiding our Troops in the right direction. As members of the BSA, adult Scouters must fit their program within the framework provided by the organization but that doesn't mean we can't have an outstanding outdoor program. "Scouting for Boys" is an interesting read and we can still use many portions of it today in our Troop programs; but I think we must all evolve as we grow. Safety is an important issue and a lot of parents would be hesitant to let their children go off on a 14-mile hike alone... And, Kudu, before you say it, I would love to have our Patrols camp 100 yards apart but there's hardly ever enough Scouts on our outings to make up more than one Patrol. We have a new(er) Scout Patrol and and older boy Patrol but participation on outings has been hit-or-miss in the past year. I think there's just been a feeling of malaise lately in the Troop and a move to too much adult intervention. This makes it less exciting for the Scouts on trips when the adults outnumber the boys and tend to hover. But for 2012 I intend to steer our Scouts to the basics of woodcraft while staying safe, yet having a blast. Already, I have made an effort to keep the adults to one side and have the patrol(s) camp relatively far off from the Scouters. It's a continual battle, though..."I want to be able to see them," says one leader... Also, we Scouters can take the initiative and make Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills an exciting, valuable training tool for adults. I took my course last October and left camp all fired up and ready to go into the woods! It doesn't have to be worthless training and I don't think it's fair to blame the trainers if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Like so many things, it's what you do to make it good that counts. You get out of it what you put into it. In my opinion, we should be thankful we have the "infrastructure" and support from BSA. Sure, we might not always agree with one policy or another but that doesn't mean we have to throw in the towel and find another organization. I think we can all agree that we're here for the youth. Our job is to provide a quality program to young men and women and keep the promise of Scouting. We can still do that within the framework of the BSA. Right?