Wood Badge Course Changes

[dancinfox 10]

I just came back from the Course Directors Conference and thought I'd share the changes involving the course. The first day until noon is dedicated to Cub Scouting with a Blue and Gold Banquet held at lunch and crossover after that. As of 12/31/06 if you have not staffed or gone to a 21st Century Wood Badge course, the only way you can staff is to give up your beads, take a 21st Century course, work a ticket and earn your beads. A prior 21st Century course director can go back on staff before 12/31/06 by giving up the fourth bead and going through the process of becoming a course director again (ie) being a troop guide and one other position on course and having all the requirements to be a course director in 21st Century. A prior 21st Century Course Director can go back on course as a staffer if they wear three beads and there is no sufficient resourse of people to staff a course. There are some changes to the presentations, by which they have added and changed to reflect more ties to NYLT. I feel the changes are for the good and will make the course stronger for the future. There should be no additional changes for the next 5 years.

Dancin

David Harrison

Course Director

C-12-06

Lake Huron Area Council

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

Let me clarify this with a question.

 

If Bill Hillcourt were alive today, after 2006 he could not staff a WB Course?

 

Sounds like the minority (21st Century) will be the only ones eligible to staff, whilst the majority("old WB receipients) and most experienced are no longer qualified???

 

Do you have a link for this or can you tell us which publication this is from so you can site this chapter and verse?

 

Thank you.

[dancinfox 10]

First, Bill Hillcourt could staff a 21st Century course if he subsequently attend Wood Badge for the 21st Century and completed his Wood Badge for the 21st Century ticket could eventually serve as Wood Badge for the 21st Century course director if he met all of the other qualifications such as:

Be a registered member of the BSA and a strong supporter of his local council.

Was enthusiastic, open-minded, flexible, people-oriented, and committed to implementing a Wood Badge for the 21st Century course in a positive manner.

Is a role model who is well-respected by volunteers and professionals, and know and exemplify the Cub Scout Promise, Law of the Pack, Scout Oath, Scout Law, Varsity Scout Pledge, and Venturing Code.

Completed a Wood Badge for the 21st Century course and received the Wood Badge beads, or have attended or staffed a past Wood Badge course*.

*Individuals who served on the staff of a Wood Badge for the 21st Century course in a required staff position during the period between July 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006, are exempt from this qualification.

Must have extensive experience in several Scouting programs as either a volunteer Scouter or a BSA professional.

Must have served on the staff of a Wood Badge for the 21st Century course as a troop guide as well as in at least one additional required staff position on a 21st Century Wood Badge course.

Be able to demonstrate the ability to train, to counsel, and to perform the specific skills, duties, and responsibilities of an assigned position.

Be approved by the local council Scout exective, along with the council training chairman and/or Wood Badge chairman for a specific Wood Badge course.

Be approved by the area director, area Wood Badge coordinator, and the region office.

Attend an area or regional Wood Badge Course Director Conference.

Must sign and agree to strictly follow the Course Director's Pledge.

 

This if from the Administrative Guide, 2005 printing, page 2 and 3.

Dancin

[ManyIrons 10]

It would seem to me that satisfying the list of requirements in dancin's second post should be enough. Requiring people to "give up" beads, and work a new ticket strikes me as insulting (and I'm a graduate of the new course).

 

I realise the Bill Hillcourt question is a hypothetical, but asking him to take a Wood Badge course would be like asking the Pope to repeat divinity school.

 

I'd love to know the rationale behind these changes.

 

Thanks for the heads up dancin'.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

I can understand having staff who havent taken the 21rst Wood Badge take the sessions as students to understand how the course components relate to each other. But I am not sure what doing an additional ticket accomplishes.

 

 

[dancinfox 10]

This is just my thought, but by working a 21st Century ticket and creating a vision and goals and working toward meeting that vision by accomplishing the goals, a person would understand the 21st Century Wood Badge Ticket and would be a more capable Troop Guide to help future participants understand their vision and goals. I would think that anyone who staffed a course would want to give their best to the patrol they're working with and the understanding of the ticket process and the vision and goals would accomplish that. Having been a troop guide, a back-up course director and now a course director, I myself tried and do want my staff to give the participants the best possible. A total understanding of the vision and goals will do that, and helps accomplish my vision and goals for the course.

Dancin

[Greying Beaver 10]

Let me shed some light on the possible reasoning behind the exclusion of "old" WoodBadgers for being 21stCentury WB staffers. The "old" course has a different purpose, a different set of requirements for tickets, and meeting the requirements of the ticket item.

 

Too many "old" WoodBadgers who were staffers on 21stCentury courses tried to make 21stCentury tickets fit the mould of "old" tickets much to the frustration - and sometimes anger - of the patrol members.

 

On the other hand, the "old" WoodBadgers have come up with an interesting name for the 21stCentury course: "WussBadge". Oh, yeah?! Go have a look at the "old" course; they do have a point. But, . . . a look at the original (B.P.)course syllabus - that included morning physical training(!) - Gracious!

 

The 21stCentury course has been around for three years now. We were told that the "new" course was a work in progress and to look for changes in it. Here they are.

 

If you want the "war story" about what happened to Cutest BobWhite, my wife, and her patrol's "old" staffer, just ask. It is the perfect example of why "old" WoodBadgers are being asked to take the course again to be able to teach it.

[emb021 16]

Well, glad I got to staff a 21CWB course when I did. :

 

I took Boy Scout Leader WB back in 1988. After years of asking, I finally got a chance to be on staff. In 2004 on a 21CWB. I knew the courses were different, and part of wanting to be on staff was to learn what was knew. I am also involved with leadership development training in other organizations, so I was also already familiar with many of the concepts being presented in 21CWB, so I didn't have the usually 'anti-21CWB' attitude that some WBers have.

 

I made sure to learn how the course went. Our staff development work here was important. I worked to understand the new ticketing process. I'd like to think I did a good job on staff. I don't know if I'm too keen on this attitude of making WBers who haven't staffed a course by the end of next have to go thru it all again. But I would think that those who are activily involved in staffing would have already done so. I know that our council's most recent Course Director was on the previous course with me as a troop guide to met some of these new requirements.

 

[eagle-pete 11]

Would it not serve the same purpose if there could be a special "preparation" training for those Wood Badgers who took the course prior to a 21st Century Wood Badge Course which provided all the new concepts, aims, and goals of the 21st Century Wood Badge Course. That prep-training could even go through the process of working a new ticket.

 

Would it then be possible for a staffer who has successfully completed his prep-training, to qualify to be on staff for a 21st Century Wood Badge Course and forego the insulting de-beading?

 

Just a thought. Comments welcome.

 

Eagle Pete

[Eamonn 61]

So lets see if I have this right -???

 

I took the old Wood Badge Courses (Boy Scout in the UK and Cub Scout over here)

I staffed both old Cub Scout and Boy Scout courses.

I staffed the new course as as Guide and as an ASM.

I served as a course director for the 21st Century Course and I'm done. I can't return to the happy land?

While I can see that we never want to go back to the good old boys again, somehow only allowing someone to serve as a director and putting him (Me!!) out to pasture seems like a waste.

I'm interested to know what has become of the day one Troop meeting now that Lunch is a Cub Scout event?

Eamonn.

 

[dancinfox 10]

E,

I don't know if you read my first post correctly! You can go back on staff, even though you have been a course director for the 21st Century Wood Badge. If in your council or cluster, there is not a sufficient number of qualified people to staff a course, you can be asked to work a course. For that course, you would wear three beads until the course was over. Most likely, you wouldn't be a troop guide as you can't serve as a course director again, but can serve as an optional staffer (ie) Asst. QM, ASPL, Asst. Scribe, etc. If a council or cluster has enough qualified people to staff a course you would most likely not be used as the object is to have as many people as possible able to serve and develop the future leadership of qualified staffers.

Dancin

[emb021 16]

"Would it not serve the same purpose if there could be a special "preparation" training for those Wood Badgers who took the course prior to a 21st Century Wood Badge Course which provided all the new concepts, aims, and goals of the 21st Century Wood Badge Course. That prep-training could even go through the process of working a new ticket. "

 

Actually, I had heard talk several years ago of a weekend 'WB refresher' course that would present the new WB concepts to those who had been thru the old WB and wanted to learn them without having to redo it (which wasn't allowed at the time) or be on staff just to learn the new stuff. I kept hearing that it was going to be a new National event coming out 'real soon now', then later was hearing that it WASN'T a new National event, but instead something that a local council had done (with National approval), but didn't hear more then that. Eventually I gave up on it when I finally got on staff myself. Also, at this time they were not allowing old WBers to participate on the new course. Since they dropped this restriction recently, I guess some felt the need for such a course had also gone away.

 

Also, as to CDs coming back on staff. My understanding is that with 21CWB, Powder Horn, and NYLT, once you have been a CD, that's it. You 'move on' and allow others the chance. This is one of the big chances from the 'old WB' in which CDs would repeatedly be CDs, preventing others from getting a chance (along with the near impossibility of getting on staff). The idea with the 21CWB is you get new people on board as staff, and once you become CD, you step aside for newer people to be staffers and CDs. I won't claim to be an expert on WB staffing, but I haven't heard of any exceptions to allowing a CD to come back as a staffer. I think that what 'dancifox' says is reasonable, just don't know if policy allows for this.

 

 

[Eamonn 61]

Thanks ,

That's how I read it yesterday. But today the little gray cells are not doing so good.

It has been hinted that I will be asked to help out as a QM at a course our council is hosting in 2007.

I'm not sure if I will accept or not. I hope to be at the World Jambo in 2007 and hopefully by then the Ship will be ready to charter a boat and we can sail off into the sun set, or at least one of the Caribbean Islands.

Staffing a course is a lot of time and hard work. Where I used to big just a lazy toad, now I'm finding that I'm a REAL Lazy Toad.

Eamonn.

Did they move the Diversity presentation to the first part of the course?(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[rpushies 10]

Hi emb021,

 

You wrote, "Also, as to CDs coming back on staff. My understanding is that with 21CWB, Powder Horn, and NYLT, once you have been a CD, that's it." Do you have a reference for this information?

 

I was course director for our council's NYLT course this year and have been asked to serve again for the 2006 course. I just looked into my course syllabus and I do not see any reference to the course director serving for only one course. I know Wood Badge has different guidelines on course directors. I have no knowledge of how the Powder Horn program is handled. I expect it in not a big issue since so few Powder Horn course have been conducted to date.

 

Yours Truly in Scouting,

Rick Pushies

 

 

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

Thank you for the reference.

 

Wow, I worked 18 months less 7 days for a pair of WUSS badge beads.

This old course, new Course BS is just that.

Sounds like a bunch of old Veterans cussin' about today's armed forces.

 

I took the only wood Badge course that was offered. I'll not listen to those who say I got off easy.

 

I just seems to me that there might be a shortage of course staffers. By the effective date we'll have had about 110 attendees and 40 some staff. Considering all WB's are not fit to be staff and all staff cannot be expected to serve as staff over and over. I looks as though it could be a tough future.