chipmunk

Finished my ticket end of last year and got my beads last Thursday at Roundtable. Got it done but did not think the beading was going to be a big deal. I have been pleasantly suprized at the outpouring of congratulations from Wood Badgers and non Wood Badgers alike. Scouters are really great bunch of caring people!

Proud to be an Antelope!

It is fast paced... but all our patrol was pretty bushed by the time we got there the first weekend but still got through it. One of the guys who own a transmission shop was up till 3am before showing up bright and early the next morning to get far enough ahead to go. It is really well done and interesting and once engaged, no one complained of how tired they were. You will sleep well the night after the first full day. If you are like me you will also think that there is no way you are absorbing anything as fast as it comes at you but after 6 months I "flash back" to those ever important lessons.

4 1/2 down and 1/2 to go! Looking for those beads!

Used to be an ANTALOPE.

It is fast paced... but all our patrol was pretty bushed by the time we got there the first weekend but still got through it. One of the guys who own a transmission shop was up till 3am before showing up bright and early the next morning to get far enough ahead to go. It is really well done and interesting and once engaged, no one complained of how tired they were. You will sleep well the night after the first full day. If you are like me you will also think that there is no way you are absorbing anything as fast as it comes at you but after 6 months I "flash back" to those ever important lessons.

4 1/2 down and 1/2 to go! Looking for those beads!

Used to be an ANTALOPE.

I had posted earlier of a bad experience a friend of mine had at the fist session we attended together. Unfortunately he did not return because of this.

It did not happen directly to me so I tried to put it behind me and go on. Was I ever glad I did. In the end, it was truly a life changing experience. There is a bond between my fellow Antelope patrol members that I would not have believed could have formed in such a short time with such a divers group. I have had lots of management and team building training in my professional life but nothing made the impression this did. I attribute this mostly to the intensity of the program. It was like drinking from a fire hose but later I was amazed at what I retained. It also force a bond between participants that has to be experienced to truly understand.

My fellow scout leaders, my co worker and my wife now think I am a little nuts. I walk around singing some song about some far-off land, refer to myself as a hoofed African animal and keep asking if what we are doing is SMART. I hope it never wares off.

I am more relaxed and confident in my Scouting and work leadership and it shows. Since returning from the last weekend I launched into my first ticket item with passion, and in addition have recruited 3 more adult leaders into our pack and we have everyone excited about what is coming up next.

If you have not gone to Wood Badge dont wait. Sign up today.

Loping along, one ticket down and 4 to go

I just got back from my first weekend. Had a great time learned a lot and thought it was excellent training.

But (there is always a but) something has come to light since then that has me very concerned about the whole program. A friend of mine also attended the course. He is a great Scouter who has given a lot to our program and district. He is currently serving as our Unit Commissioner, helping reorganize our OA Chapter, and stepped in briefly as our Cubmaster when ours left to tide us over while we searched out another. And has all in all gone above and beyond.

He has also fallen on hard times in the last couple of years. Divorced, he was down sized from a highly technical job and has had a very difficult time finding a job. He has recently been substitute teaching math at an inner city school he calls the combat zone. (Again giving back to troubled youth). Prior to going to Wood Badge he had applied for a District Executive position in another District but the same Council. The perfect job for him.

During Wood Badge an incident occurred that we both laughed of at the time. Part of the patrol responsibilities was for the designated patrol to carry for a day a symbol of service, in this case a small shovel, to represent their responsibility for that day. They were instructed to keep it with them at all time and keep it warm and safe and dry. My friends patrol had had custody of the shovel the day before and had with great ceremonial flair passed it on to another acquaintance of his in a different patrol that morning at Flag Ceremony. At lunch he noticed that the shovel had been carelessly left on a side table some distance from them. He barrowed the shovel, walked around the room a few times with and when no one noticed ask his buddy to who it was charged where his shovel was. After as few seconds of melodramatic panic he return the shove to its caretaker. This was all done in somewhat childish good fun by those directly involved.

However, (there is always a however too) the Troop Guide for the offended patrol and the SPL seemed to blow this all out of proportion and counseled my friend on the first scout law over the matter. That evening we played Win All You Can and this incident seemed to pail in light of this bit of organized manipulation. It got intense but we got the point and I thought it was a very innovative and impressive exercise.

When we got home my friend got a call saying he had the DE job, and all that was left to do was to complete a final interview with the Council Executive and that was just a formally. He was ecstatic and we were all very happy for him.

He got another call last night and was told that because of the Shovel Incident at Wood Badge he was not to bother coming in for the CE interview and that he could forget about ever having a paid job in our council. He was crushed and his friends are all flabbergasted. He is not going to finish Wood Badge and will most likely drop out of scouting all together.

My only concern before starting Wood Badge was the impression by, many non Wood Badgers, that those with beads are an arrogant and stuck-up click. I may be nave but could not image this to be so in Boy Scouts. It is looking to be true of at lest some.

Is this what we want to teach as leadership? Is this the example the Wood Badge Staff and Council wants to set?

I am sure there are two sides to this story as there always are but I am confused and frustrated. In this day when BSA is constantly under fire, they have succeeded in running off a very valuable asset. They have kicked a dedicated committed volunteer when he was down in a most cruel manor. I am having trouble seeing how this is living the Scout Oath and Law or does this just not apply to those of us who volunteer.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for letting me vent!

Your local OA Lodge is Owasippe Lodge #7. At least one of the chapters should have a ceremonial team that can do this in full native dress. This is a service project for lodges and there should be no charge unless to cover the cost of some type of totem is given to the boys.

How and where can we send letters and care packages to that they get to those in need?

We use ScoutTrack. (http://www.scouttrack.com) This is one of many programs to track advancements available. We like it because it is reasonably priced ($35/yr) and since it is internet based so each leader or parent can keep track of their boys advancements. Everyone family in the pack has access to their boys info. The Advancement Chair can then print out the advancement forms direct form the website. It also has a 30 day free trial.

The only web based source of Scout Uniforms know of is http://www.basicsclothing.com. I have also been told you can phone order from http://www.scoutstuff.org/

This site has some stuff on "traditonal" scouting but I cannot tell if it is BSA or not.

http://www.inquiry.net/