Issues with Wood badge

[Basementdweller]

After a month or so after my last weekend of woodbadge I think that I have the reasons I didn't care for the course.

 

1. The Stuffed animals, So why does your stave need to weigh 20 pounds with all the stuff on it. Stuffed animals, please, don't like it.

 

2. What is the purpose of the stave??? In the new course it doesn't serve a purpose other than decoration. then pestering the participants for not carrying them around. Please I am 50 but my legs are good as is my balance and I am not carrying around a 50 pound pack.

 

3. Staff recognition. I am on staff for another course and we do not do it in front of the participants. They spent an hour and a half congratulating each other.

 

4. Soliciting donations, I am in scouting and pretty well tapped out enough said.

 

5. Same material again, covered in the other courses I have attended and staff.

 

 

I will say that my patrol was great and my troop guide was fantastic as well. I enjoyed pushing his buttons both weekends. My spoof ticket made the course director come for a visit to see if I was serious.

[moosetracker]

Didn't have any stuffed animals, or a staff at ours.. We did have Patrol flags, we started with ones they hand each patrol, between weekends you can make your own... or not.

 

I will recognize my staff at the beginning & end of a district training course. I will also recognize the participants.. (Not for a hour & 1/2)

1) Introductions at beginning.

2) You as a director/ organizer want the staff to feel appreciated, so they will help you out next time you ask. Same with participants, you want them to know they did something great, so they will continue to take training (or be on your staff in the future.)

 

No one Solicited donations at our Woodbadge Weekends.

 

The only reason I was at all familure with the materials was that my husband took it the year before and talked about it, I also went to the Woodbadge dinner in march, and watched the slide show of his weekend.. But, I know others say that other management courses have used similar training excercises.

[VigilEagle04]

"But, I know others say that other management courses have used similar training excercises."

 

From what I've gathered from snippets here and there about Wood Badge, it sounds like it's very similar to NLS these days. I saw mention of the "Win All You Can" game which brought back memories from my NLS experiences for sure.

[Basementdweller]

When I say recognize, I don't mean thanks for helping out. I mean a minute or two with a gift or gag gift of some sort.

 

I understand and appreciate staff happiness and satisfaction, it was just excessive is all.

 

The stuffed animal thing was too much, the stuffed animal kidnapping and everything that went along with it was distracting and added to the delays at Gilwell.

[click23]

This is from my course,

 

1. Nothing of the sort

2. Just one patrol flag per per patrol, participates were not required to carry a stave at all times.

3. Only at the closing ceremony, very brief

4. Only at the chapel service for the world friendship fund, again very brief and no pressure to donate.

5. Yes it is a lot of the same material that is covered in professional leadership courses, but at a fraction of the cost.

[dg98adams]

Hmm, if those were the only issues (#1 - 5, and especially #5) you don't sound like they were show-stoppers.

 

Now, #5, I can agree that portions of it was a rehash of some corporate/military stuff I was paid to go thru.

 

But I know for some in the course, it was an eye-opener, you could see if from my TG position this go round.

 

Oh yeah, I never carried my stave around, and left it out against the split-rail on GilWell field and only used it as we walked in/out.

 

(This message has been edited by dg98adams)(This message has been edited by dg98adams)

[evmori]

1. My patrol's choice and stayed on a table in our campsite.

2. Only used one on our hike. None were required.

3. Only at the closing dinner.

4. For what? We took up a collection at a chapel service but nothing more.

5. Yep but a lot cheaper and in a really neat venue!

[SR540Beaver]

basementdweller,

 

The things you mention are local traditions, not part of the course syllabus. As long as the syllabus is being delivered as written, a council can include many different local traditions. So, that being said, how did you like the course......minus the extra trappings?

[AvidSM]

1 & 2. No stave with stuffed animals attached at the courses I have participated in and staffed. Sounds a little silly to me.

 

3. Staff should spend less time patting themselves on the back and more on teaching the course.

 

4. What donations were solicited? We had a collection for the World Fund at our Scouts Own Service, but that was it.

 

5. My Council Commissioner mentioned that the Wood Badge Course was going to be changing - again. He did not give any specific details. Has anyone heard anyting similar?

[Eagle92]

Staves may be a hold over from the older WB course. i knwo staves were used in BA22 back in the day.

[jhankins]

This is where we have many issues as an organization.

 

***Stick to the Syllabus you've been given, and don't deviate***

 

1. Where in the syllabus does it say you have to carry a 20 pound, critter covered walking stick?

 

2.The stave is a hold over from the "Old" Wood Badge. Councils have lost the right to hold a WB course for not moving on.

 

3. Where in the syllabus does it say the staff should waste the participants' time patting them selves on the back?? It doesn't.

 

4. The only thing we solicit is for pocket change for the World Friendship Fund. That's it.

 

5. It's the exact same material I've covered in my Bachelors and Masters Degree programs. But ya know what? It was a lot more fun.

 

 

[Basementdweller]

Not show stoppers, but general dislikes.

 

 

 

 

[Pack212Scouter]

My Woodbadge experience was like the others, not yours. The only thing like a stave that we had was the Service Patrol and the Program Patrol lantern and beads. Only donation request was the World Scouting Fund at service. Not much in the way of staff recognition...after two weekends, the staff should be pretty well known to everyone already! Mine was an excellent course, more leadership training than Scout training, but that is what alot of leaders need anyway. Not everyone gets the corporate training unless they are in management at a fairly sizable corporation. I'd like to see a little more "Scouting" specific training, but then thats what Boy Scout Leader training should be for.

[UCEagle72]

Not sure where the stave came from, we sure did not have those when I attended in '83.

 

As for stuffed animals - none of those, nor, women, or cubbers either.

 

No computers, no cell phones, no DVDs, no VCRs, no projectors (well, we did see "Follow me Boys" and "Mr Scoutmaster" on a movie projector) -- just magic markers that kept drying up by the end of the week, and an audio cassette address from Bill Hillcourt.

 

Of course, that *was* 27 years ago.

 

 

I used to be a Beaver ('83),

But I'll always be an Eagle ('72).

[Basementdweller]

I forgot the nearly mandatory computer for ticket writing. Yes is was borderline tragic because there was no cell phone signal.

 

I am thinking this particular course could have used a huge dose of testosterone.