btphelps
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Posts posted by btphelps
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That is the word for it, "coracle." Thanks for the reminder!
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I saw it done a couple of times when I was much younger: Take a sheet of canvas, wrap it around a doughnut-shaped pile of branches, and make a boat that would float one or two persons across a small pond or pool. I've searched the 'net for a few minutes and cannot find a reference to this challenging activity. It's pretty simple, but I'm wondering how big the canvas (or these days, a waterproof tarp) would have to be. Anyone recall this activity and /or have any instructions? Thanks!
Brian Phelps
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Came across this info, written by Bela Banathy in his 1963 master's thesis, Parameters of a New Design in Leadership Development, which I thought I'd share.
"In his book Scouting for Boys, Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, established the principles of training junior leaders when he suggested that the Scoutmaster should select 'a party of six to eight youth or bright boys, and carefully instruct them in the details of peace-Scouting.' These boys, he then says, could act as patrol leaders in training each five to six more boys in Scouting.(1)
"Based on this philosophy, the Boy Scouts of America has consistently defined as the number-one job for the Scoutmaster to 'train and guide boy leaders to run their troop.'"(2)
(1) Baden-Powell, Robert (1908/1957). Scouting For Boys. London: C. Arthur Pearson LTD, 342-343.
(2) (1959) Scoutmaster's Handbook. New Brunswick, N.J.: Boy Scouts of America, 31.
Brian Phelps
Co-director, White Stag Leadership Development
Venture Crew 122
Monterey Bay Area Council
The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans, or women and men, but between talkers and doers. Thomas Sowell
(not affiliated with White Stag in Indiana)
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Kudu, you are obviously a man of seasoned opinion. I would love to hear what you've learned from writing a leadership development curriculum and then recruiting adults and youth, funding, designing, developing, planning, and implementing a leadership development experience for youth based on the principles you advocate.
Forward, upward, onward,
Brian Phelps
Co-director, White Stag Leadership Development
Monterey Bay Area, California
"The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans, or women and men, but between talkers and doers." Thomas Sowell
(not affiliated with White Stag in Indiana)
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Kudu, I'm not sure where to you have gained your expertise on
"White Stag's academic "Telling-Selling-Consulting-Delegating-Joining"
but your derisive comments are out of bounds. I do not feel compelled to necessarily explain the program to you specifically. You do not seem to ever alter your opinion. But for all those who read your words and would like to be acquainted with a few facts, let me elaborate.
You cannot lump the White Stag program in with NYLT and by a broad swipe of your hand accuse it likewise of abandoning the patrol method and outdoors leadership education based on camp craft skills.
I have just returned from leading most of an intensive 26 hour-long adult leadership development conference for the White Stag adult staff.
The program is now entering its 51st year. We have been privileged to have had about 20,000 youth attend our camps in that time. This past year we attracted two participants from Virginia and nine from Los Angeles. Looking forward to the next 50 years, we asked ourselves what are our aims, or the outcomes we hope that individuals will take away 20 years after having attended our camps. There was lengthy discussion about the place of the outdoors experience in our program. We concluded that putting participants in the outdoors, providing physical experiences that cause the individual to stretch themselves mentally, to exceed their own self-imposed limitations, were absolutely essential.
We asked ourselves whether our approach, methods, and content in presenting a leadership development program are still valid, or are they in need of updating. We concluded that while technology advances, people's basic psychology remains pretty much the same, and that Manager of Learning is still an excellent way to provide leadership education. Is the definition of sharing leadership as expressed by the rubric "Telling-Selling-Consulting-Delegating-Joining" still valid? Given its alignment with million-dollar programs like Situational Leadership, we believe it does. Especially in conjunction with everything else we do.
Six of our best youth staff also attended this adult staff conference. One of them described how so many of her 11-12 year-old candidates during summer camp were convinced they could not complete the 5 mile hike, but who went on to do it anyway, and the increased self-esteem, enthusiasm, and excitement they experienced as a result.
One of the next questions I asked of the 25 individuals present is, "What values are absolutely essential to the program, without which the program could not be called White Stag?" Their answers included
-- the patrol method
-- hands-on learning
-- the outdoors, which we have previously defined as:
---- "Use the outdoor setting extensively in all phases of the program. Do nothing indoors that can be done outdoors. Provide many hands-on experiences that require outdoors knowledge. Encourage physical fitness with physical activities."
---- "Demonstrate, explain, and apply elements of adventure in all phases of camp life and in all activities, with the intent to equip participants with skills that will make their patrols, troops, units and other groups capable of enjoying and experiencing adventure in their programs."
---- "Exposure to well conducted waterfront activities, games, instructional activities, and campfire programs. Explain the need for planning and the leadership skills needed for the above activities. Create opportunities for using these skills in actual situations."
---- "Impart reliable efficiency in all camping skills, specifically those required for the particular program phase. Teach how to demonstrate the same in front of a group. Help and encourage them to acquire additional outdoor skills."
-- the hurdle method (requiring hands-on application of the leadership competencies)
-- the infinity principle (that learning never stops)
We certainly do not claim to have cornered the market on what comprises effective junior leader training. We gratefully recognize we have much to learn.
So let it be recognized that we strive very hard to provide participants an outdoors experience utilizing the patrol method requiring them to use camp craft skills and live together outdoors for an entire week.
Forward, upward, onward...
Brian Phelps
Co-director, 2008-9 White Stag Leadership Development Program
Monterey Bay Area, California
www.whitestag.org
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The concept of Be * Know * Do has been well defined in the book "Be * Know * Do: Leadership the Army Way, Adapted from the Official Army Leadership Manual," available here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0787970832/techpros/
Here are a few more links to sites with information on leadership that I have found interesting:
Air Force Strategic Leadership Studies Competencies and Skills
http://leadership.au.af.mil/sls-skil.htm
Air Force Strategic Leadership Studies Humility as a Leadership Attribute (PDF)
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/doty.pdf
Educational Materials from NDSU Agriculture and University Extension Business, Community, Leadership
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/leaddev.html
Book and Videos on Leadership
http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/publications.aspx
Coast Guard Leadership Competencies
http://www.uscg.mil/leadership/lead/comp.htm
National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs
Serving Student Leadership Educators
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Due to continued interest, I've reopened the JLT needs assessment to continued voting:
http://www.phelpstek.com/jltsurvey.html
I've temporarily blocked access to the results until the survey closes again at the end of August.
YIS,
Brian
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Due to continued interest, I've reopened the JLT needs assessment to continued voting:
http://www.phelpstek.com/jltsurvey.html
I've temporarily blocked
YIS,
Brian
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My apologies to all who did not get to take part in the survey. If there is enough interest, I will consider paying for an additional month and reopen the survey. Let me know!
To see the questions asked and results, see the link in my previous post.
Brian
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Sorry about the closed survey. I didn't realize my month subscription was up.
A total of 28 people responded. You might like to see the results:
I think the most interesting finding is--
75% think their boys are not adequately trained for their position
41% send 1-3 boys to junior leader training each year; another 50% send 3+ boys
52% say JLT did NOT meet their needs and expectations
What's missing from this picture? I am interested to know what you think.
Brian Phelps
as in "Michael Phelps"
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I posted an invitation to a JLT survey a week or two ago. A total of 28 people responded. You might like to see the results:
I think the most interesting finding is--
75% think their boys are not adequately trained for their position
41% send 1-3 boys to junior leader training each year; another 50% send 3+ boys
52% say JLT did NOT meet their needs and expectations
What's missing from this picture? I am interested to know what you think.
Brian Phelps
as in "Michael Phelps"
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John-in-KC, emb021, thank you for the clarification. I did plow through many of the posts, but the brotherly chit chat between BW and K gets a bit tedious and redundant. I absolutely did not pick up on the subtle parody embodied in the "White Stag is evil" comment. Thanks for educating me.
As to the two books you mention emb021, I am grateful that you find them useful enough to keep around. I am embarking on slowly updating the two books, enlightened perhaps with a more mature and practical understanding of boy leadership, and will re-publish them in hard copy, as the cost of small volume self publishing has become more affordable.
Three of my sons attended White Stag at Camp Cutter in the Santa Cruz Mountains as candidates this year, and I have volunteered to serve in the program once again, having taken many years off to concentrate on my business, raise children, nurture my (third) marriage, and allow for rotation of leadership and new blood.
Ironically, I was also called earlier this spring as Scoutmaster of my ward's on-a-good-day six-member Troop. I grew up in "traditional" (why do I have to put that in quotes?) or non-LDS Scouting, and I find the LDS/SM experience challenging. But that's a whole 'nother thread.
John, I am somewhat thankful that with the recent success of Olympian Michael Phelps, I can shift from introducing myself as "Phelps, like in Mission Impossible" -- which fewer and fewer get -- to "Phelps, like Michael Phelps." Is it KC - Kansas or Missouri? My mother grew up in KC Missouri.
I have not lurked on these forums at all, though I will check in more frequently from time to time, as I do find some of the topics interesting.
Brian
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Wadahoot, I'm sorry your son had a terrible experience at White Stag in the Crossroads Council. However, you have confused the web site for "White Stag" in California with the CrossRoads Council's web site:
White Stag in Monterey, California
and in the San Francisco Bay Area
http://www.whitestagcrew122.com
The Cross Roads council program currently utilizes the standardized nationally-mandated NYLT program. The White Stag programs in California utilize their own curriculum which they have developed over 50 years. There is NO classroom time and a LOT of hands-on learning.
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Ever new idea is to be used to insult people. White Stag is evil. -- emb021
Whoa! Where did this come from in the midst of thread about Situational Leadership? White Stag has nothing to do with Situational Leadership, nor the rest of this thread. If you want to be informed about White Stag, see their web site www.whitestag.org. You will see their Sharing Leadership is based on Telling-Selling-Consulting-Delegating-Joining.
So watch those careless, un-thought comments.
Brian
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Can anyone figure out based on the org chart figure out where either adult or youth training belongs? It looks like it might belong under Innovation and Strategy, which is "responsible for the ongoing evolution of the Scouting program."
Brian Phelps
White Stag Leadership Development
www.whitestag.org
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NYLT does not refer to Situational Leadership. The revised NYLT syllabus originally included Situational Leadership, but the national council found that the Center for Leadership Studies wanted a royalty fee for every Scouter who attended. The BSA opted to use more generic language to describe the stages of group development based on the principles described by Bruce Tuckman in 1965 as "forming-storming-norming-performing." (Situational Leadership is based in part on this same research.) For details, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Badge_(Boy_Scouts_of_America).
Thus, "Wood Badge for the Twenty-first Century," at one time based on leadership competencies defined by Bela Banathy and adapted from White Stag Leadership Development during the 1960s and 1970s, is now based in part on leadership theories from the 1960s.
Brian Phelps
Assistant Director
White Stag Leadership Development
www.whitestag.org
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According to the NYLT Staff Guide, page Staff-Guide 5:
"To avoid confusion among councils, every NYLT program will be called National Youth Leadership Training. Councils may devise ther [sic] own names for NYLT courses, but the name should include the National Youth Leadership Training."
Brian Phelps
Assistant Director
White Stag Leadership Development
www.whitestag.org
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Are you getting what you want from junior leader training? Is it everything it could be? What would you like to improve?
I invite you to participate in a survey of junior leadership training. All participants who provide an email address will get a copy of the results. This survey has 33 questions and takes about 12 minutes to complete. All answers are confidential.
Feel free to share this invitation with other Scouters you know.
To take part, go to--
http://www.phelpstek.com/jltsurvey.html
YIS,
Brian Phelps
Make a boat of canvas and branches
in Camping & High Adventure
Posted
While the sites you gave me links to show pretty complicated, well-built versions, I've seen a simple version built with a U.S. Army shelter-half and a bunch of brush in an hour or so. But I suppose I better test it before I inflict it on my program participants.
Thanks again.
Brian