Council Training Event Themes

[Overtrained 10]

This group is really diverse and I'd like to brainstorm with you for a University of Scouting theme. It could be one you have already used, or just one you always wanted too. I'll take all questions an d suggestions.

[dsteele 20]

How about "The Doctor is IN" theme? You could have the registration desk look like Lucy's psychologist office on the Peanuts strip. Staff could wear scrubs or lab coats and generally spin it in a medical, psychological, or university type theme.

 

Just a thought.

 

DS

[Eamonn 61]

The last Pow Wow that I chaired we had "Let The Games Begin" as the theme.

This gave us the international sporting events of the Olympics, team games as well as the more thinking type games such as chess and word games. Part of the Pow Wow book was a section on Scout type games and we of course tied it all in with the Game with a purpose.

We have used "Lights- Camera- Action" Which was a movie theme. I made a really dashing 007!!

One that I really likes was "Character under Construction" Everyone wore hard hats and the patch was a little Lad with a trowel building a brick wall.

As I say these were all used for Cub Scouting events, but they could be made to fit.

Eamonn

[Overtrained 10]

These are all great ideas. Keep them coming please. If I use one, I'll send the author a patch.

[Laurie 10]

Overtrained: I just attended Powwow, and here is the greatest value I found in a theme. Everything used that day (the opening and closing ceremonies, the song book, the decorations, the games) are things that I can now use in the pack. It provided me not only with classes and great fellowship time, but also with a pack meeting or special event. We are planning either this year's Graduation Picnic or next year's Blue and Gold on Wild, Wild West! (the Powwow theme).

 

If I understand University of Scouting correctly, this is for Boy Scouts? I had a chance to visit a Camporee for our district. The Scouts had Knights as a theme. The roasted a pig in the ground, had a huge bonfire, decorations strung from the tree that looked like shields, and games that the boys of all ages were clearly enjoying. One game that appealed to me was a rope supported at each by a pole (not sure exactly how it was secured). A bike without tires was used to go across the rope, and the boy could hold a pole across his handlebars to help provide balance. This looked like fun, but as a leader, I'd love an opportunity to (1) try it out myself first, (2) see exactly how to most securely and safely set it up. Lashings were a big part of the day too as they were used in many ways--to make a tower and to make huge catapults. I got a sneak preview of these at a Boy Scout Roundtable, where the how tos of lashings were reviewed with leaders first. If I were planning a UoS, I'd look ahead to what might be coming up, then use that theme. What it would do is equip the leaders with a practical and useful theme that could be used right away.

 

Our day camp was Adventures on the Open Sea last year, all nautical and pirate crafts, games, etc. We had pirate hats, hooks to make and wear on hands, eye patches, a "treasure hunt" that was really a trash pickup, parrots crafted by the boys that could be worn on their shoulders, and boats made by the boys that they sailed on the creek in a race. This year's theme is Wild, Wild West!, but it happens to be a coincidence--a very fortunate one Covered wagons are one craft, orienteering is one "sport" (we are replacing sports with other activities as sports didn't go well last year), bandanas, hats, and all the stuff from Powwow will be put to use. This theme seems to flow naturally to Native American, and I took a class on Native American folklore and crafting that we are doing our Blue and Gold around this year. We learned the proper history (in our area, wigwams as opposed to teepees), how to make instruments, what the folklore attached to the instruments is, and so much more. There are ceremonies that are arranged around the Native American theme as well, and this seems to be ideal for Boy Scouts, particularly with the Order of Arrow. The woman who instructed the class is also active in some way in helping with the proper beading and costuming of the OA.

 

I've had little experience with themes, but those I've experiences so far are great fun and help to pull a wide variety of things together. Good luck!(This message has been edited by Laurie)

[Overtrained 10]

Laurie,

 

A University of Scouting event, for us anyway, is for Cub Scout Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, and Venturer Leaders. We hold about 192 class sessions with about 100 different classes.

 

As such, a theme needs to expand to all three groups.

 

Thanks

[Laurie 10]

Thanks Overtrained

 

Interestingly enough, of the ideas listed above, the one by the Scouts had many ideas taken from the Cub Scout How To Book. I don't know if the Scouts know that, but I recognized some of these things. Do you happen to have that book? It's a great resource, and with a little adjusting, I think many of the ideas in it could be used for Cubs through Venturing.

 

[Overtrained 10]

Thanks for the idea Laurie. I do have the how to book. Its in my Cub Scout Trainer box.

 

I used to have my own, but my little sister took it for babysitting ideas and I never saw it again.

 

There should be a lot of ideas in all the old books I have. I'll have to look through them. I need to come up with and decide a theme by this weekend if it to fit on the time schedule I fit. It doesn't appear other councils use a theme with their University, at least none that I have found on web sites.

 

More ideas, More ideas.....

 

Thanks

[Laurie 10]

How about using the Good Turn For America program as a theme? It addresses physical fitness, community service, and so much more. It would give you a lot of flexibility. If possible, having some of the classes run by or promoting the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and The American Red Cross would bring the program to life and help provide contacts for leaders taking the training. If you've a woodworking session, why not have activities/ideas that could be put to use by various age groups for Habitat for Humanity or other community service projects similar to it. If you've a class on program planning, the Salvation Army and the various activities it lists as possible ways to help could be addressed in practical terms. Games and activities to promote physical fitness that could be played/done that day that could then be taken back to the units. You could work Dave's "The doctor is in" theme into this and Eamonn's game theme in, for both address this new project just kicked off by the BSA. You could potentially get a lot of mileage from something like this, for it would introduce the program, give how-tos in a variety of areas covered by the program, get people excited about becoming involved, make it personal to your locality and therefore to the units, and help equip units to move forward and implement this new program. And it wouldn't take away from the classes you planned already because it's a BSA themed program and flexible. Still brainstorming

 

Here's the link to the program:

http://www.goodturnforamerica.org/(This message has been edited by Laurie)

[Laurie 10]

http://www.scouter.com/compass/Leaders_Resource/Large_Event_Planning/Camporees/

 

http://usscouts.org/usscouts/camporees.asp

 

I got to each of the above links from right here; I tend to overlook the resources right here at Scouter.com. These are lists of Camporees, each with themes, and maybe one of them would work for you. One thing all the programs you mention have in common is the outdoors--maybe a camporee or camping theme would work for you. In any case, looking through the titles and brief descriptions, it looks like a lot of different themes are here.(This message has been edited by Laurie)

[OldGreyEagle 5]

How about a Star Trek Theme, each Branch, Cub, Boy Scout, Venture, Varsity (if they exist) Explorer Post participant al get name tags in the Star Trek communicator shape color coded to the program area. Or at least color code them. Each secion has a space theme