Wood Badge Tickets

[Eagle76]

I only know a little about Wood Badge, and I've heard the term "working your ticket", and that conjurs certain images in my mind. However, it occurs to me that facts are better than guesses.

 

Please post examples of ticket items, especially your own actual projects.

 

Thanks in advance.

[EagleInKY]

When you take Woodbadge, you are encouraged to look inward and develop your own ticket. (The ticket is a set of objectives that you have 18 months to complete.) Since each ticket is personal and tailored to your individual needs, it is encouraged to keep your ticket somewhat private and to allow each participant to go through the process of developing their ticket.

 

The Woodbadge site has some good information, for specifics about tickets, go here:

http://www.woodbadge.org/WB21/wb21ticket.htm

[cajuncody]

I agree that ticket items are personal, however, that being said I must admit to borrowing an idea from this site to be a ticket item and it went over very well (Thanks Eamonn, even thought you didn't know it). The ticket item was for diversity and in a thread ethnic diversity in food was mentioned. I put a pack level spin on it as our pack doesn an annual "cook off" and wanted to prepare a cook book to go with it and my ticket item was to hold an "Ethnic Cook Off" with Russian, Arabic, Scottish, and Hispanic food and to print a pack cook book from the submitted dishes. The troop guides thought I was very creative and it opened up a good discussion on thinking out side of the box for diversity items (my stand by diversity item was "A Month of Sundays" where my pack would visit a different type of church every Sunday for a month).

Since this ticket item really came from here I don't see a problem sharing it, again, Thanks Eamonn.

Kristi

I used to be an Eagle . . .

SR-725

[SR540Beaver]

While I don't diasagree with EagleinKY, I've never quite understood the "privacy" of the ticket. The ticket should for the most part be geared towards your current position in scouting. In other words, don't design a ticket to build a derby track for a pack if you are the committee chairman for a troop. Some troop guides are very strict about tickets, others are not. I've seen ticket items such as, "attend 6 roundtables over the next year". What? That is something you should be doing anyway! I went thru WB when I was the Pack Committee chairman. One of my tickets was to present Emergency Prep to each den and work with the Den Leaders to track and record the requirements dome by the boys at each rank level to earn the award. Care should be taken to write a ticket that is attainable. Your troop guide will turn down a ticket where you want to do something like recruit 10 scouts in the month of February. What if you only recruit 8? Your ticket should be something you can control and not be at the mercy of others. Bottom line is, don't sweat it. Your troop guide at WB will explain the whole process to you and help you design your ticket.

[Lisabob]

Agreed, tickets vary widely and what might be accepted by one CD and troop guide might not be by another. I think it depends a little on the unit's circumstances too though, to a certain extent.

 

One of my tickets was to develop a leader's resource book with information on places and programs within a 30 mile radius of our town, related to 20 beltloops and 10 webelos pins. It just seemed to me that because turnover among leaders is fairly high in cubs, that people were spending way too much time re-inventing the wheel on this kind of thing. The resource book is now being provided to all new leaders in at least three local packs so I'd like to think it is useful.

 

I don't quite understand the secrecy that shrouds WB either. Before I took it, there were people who acted like it was some kind of secret club - which it is not - and would only tell me that I'd "understand more when I'd been through it." This was not a good sales strategy in my view. Even less effective if the goal is to get a whole lot of leaders to attend WB, as seems to be the case these days. When prospective WB'ers ask me, I'm happy to share a fair amount of detail with them, if that's what they're looking for. I figure if they know what they're signing up for, they might be more likely to do it. I don't think that this diminishes the experience in any way.

 

Lisa'bob

 

 

[cajuncody]

The privacy in ticket items comes from some people's lack of imagination. What works for one person may nor work for another yet some might be tempted to just copy ticket items so they don't have to come up with their own. My Cook Off idea came from here but was only based on a fantastic idea that was presented by someone else, the rest was related to my pack and our current status. It wouldn't be "Your Ticket" if you just turned in 5 ticket items someone else came up with. That makes some people reluctant to share.

Kristi

[Greying Beaver]

It's not that ticket items are kept private. It's that they are geared to help your unit from your position in the unit at the time when the ticket is written. I did mine as a member of the troop committee attempting to get parents more active in the troop. Why? The troop was having a problem getting more/enough parents to be more active. Simple. Anybody who goes through WB/21st Century will be given the same assignment for their ticket. Cutest BobWhite, my wife, did the same thing for the Venture crew that we were also working with at the time.

 

Three years after the fact, the troop has active parents thanks to the annual influx of New Boy Patrol boys and their parents. Some are more active than others. And as far as the crew is concerned, that group of youngsters from three years ago have all gone off to college save for our son, but enough boys in the troop are trying to gather the "critical mass" needed to get the crew rechartered and going again. Both the troop and the crew are sponsored by the same church, as well as the feeder pack.

 

Scout units are dynamic and cyclical things. They change all the time, sometimes so slowly that we the adults do not realize that change is occuring.

 

But you never stop earning those beads. You use them all of the time. Those beads give you credence when you speak. They make you "M.O.C." so to speak.

 

Your Troop Guide will give you all of the direction and guidance that you will need to fill out a ticket that will be both challenging and rewarding. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

-G.B.

[orennoah]

I don't see (or feel) any need for ticket secrecy, as each ticket should be based upon what the unit needs and the Scouter's need for a challenge and personal growth. I've seen some ticket items that I could do in my sleep. It wouldn't be a challenge for me and I wouldn't grow. Some of mine might seem that way for someone else.

 

For example, I've never done any work creating a website, so that was a huge challenge for me. If I were a professional web designer, I would not have designated that as a ticket item. (I would have just done it, anyway.)

 

Please use other people's ticket items merely as an indication of the great variety of possible goals.

 

Mine were:

 

- Create a website for the my troop (www.scouttroop14.org)

- Prepare and give a presentation on use of GPS in Scout Outings for Round Table

- Create a manual for adult leaders going on troop outings

- Upon becoming Scoutmaster (which was unexpected!), bring back the Scoutmaster Minute

- Upon being asked to QM the next course (which was even MORE unexpected!), plan menus and introductions for participant meals from various countries to show Scouting's diversity, history and future.

 

As you can see, two of my items came about AFTER the course, as the result of unanticipated changes in my Scouting responsibilities. Your ticket is a living thing; it can change with you.

 

- Oren

WE3-41-03

Bear

WE3-41-05

QM

[SR540Beaver]

When I was being recruited for WB, my son was a Webelos. I almost didn't sign up as I was concerned that my responsibilities would change when we left the pack and joined a troop and I didn't see how I could design and work a ticket. I was assured it would not be a problem and it was not. I designed my ticket for my role in the pack and worked two of my items before we crossed over. My Troop Guide was very understanding and allowed me to modify or totally change the remaining three tickets. In fact, she let me change them on the fly. There were some major hidden issues at the troop we joined and the new boy patrol and parents found that they were not really welcome there. We decided to start a brand new troop. One of my new ticket items was to find a charter organization. Talk about a tough ticket. You'd be surprised how many churches will turn you down flat. But I got it done. Then I was selected as an ASM for our Jamboree contingent. The council basically left it to each boy to find his funding and was not interested in doing any kind of fundraising. Again, my TG allowed me to create a ticket of running a fundraiser for the 108 boys spread across 24 counties who were going to Jambo. So, those of you who are Cubbers and might be holding off until you cross over, don't let it stop you.

[eagle-pete]

Eagle 76

 

Your Wood Badge ticket is a very personal thing, as you will see when you take the course. In my opinion, the best tickets are those which the participant develops from personal experiences, a desire to make a difference, and a high level of commitment to the scouting program.

 

I won't go into my entire ticket, but one experience that I remember well was working with the parents and the youth to bridge the gap between the aims and methods of scouting and the perception and expectations the parents had. The ticket item was something like - build better relationship and familiarity with parents in order to encourage more parent participation with their boys. To do this I needed to meet personally with each parent and discuss with them their concerns and expectations they had with the program, their boys, and how to bring it together.

 

The results were very interesting and I was able to accomplish quite a bit with bringing the parents and the scouting program together. I discovered as I was working with the parents that my perceptions were somewhat in error with regards to how parents viewed scouting and what they wanted for their boys. I found that there is a common misconception among our leaders, at least in our unit, that the parents don't care about scouting. My ticket revealed that this simply was not the case.

 

This is one example of a challenging, but rewarding ticket item.

 

I recommend looking at the ticket as an opportunity to make a difference in your sphere of influence. For me, that was the purpose of my entire ticket.

 

Eagle Pete

[Eamonn]

Eagle76,

I'm hoping that EagleDad will jump in here sometime soon??

I think that it's important that you understand the entire ticket idea, before you start worrying about actual projects.

The how you arrive at your ticket is a very important part of the course and is covered in the course.

The ticket is just six goals that you set that will enable you to reach your vision and your mission.

Your vision and your mission should be based on your primary registered position in the BSA.

I don't see it as being a private thing, but if someone only wants to share it with their Troop Guide and Ticket Counselor, that's up to them.

While hopefully we all share in the Vision and Mission of the BSA. Your vision and Mission is just that "YOUR".

If you were to take two Scoutmasters from Troops that were very much alike. One Scoutmaster might look at the methods of Scouting and see that he needs to work on Advancement. His entire Ticket might only deal with different ways of helping the Scouts advance.

The other might look at the Patrol Method and base his entire Ticket on improving that area in the Troop that he serves.

Even just looking at these two areas there are so many different things that might become the individual goal, that no two tickets will ever be the same.

There is a requirement that at least on Ticket item will deal with diversity, but again this should fall in with the participants vision and mission.

The Ticket thing isn't that hard!!

You need to really give some thought to what your vision and mission is.

Where do you see you in X amount of time?

Where do you see the unit you serve in X amount of time?

What areas do you think need worked on?

Before you attend the course you should receive a sheet with 20 questions. You need to take the time to really take a long hard look at your answers. No one will ever ask to see or want to know your answers.

I'm guessing that by the end of the course or when you go to write your ticket some of your answers will have changed. But I'm almost 99.9999% your values will remain the same. Your vision and your mission will be based on your values.

Again while many of us share the same values, many of us have them in a different order. You might have a different take on the Scout Oath and Law than I have. That doesn't mean that I'm right and your wrong. Again it comes down to "On MY honor", "I will","MY best", "To do MY duty".

Just as the Oath you take is yours, the same goes for the ticket.

Eamonn.

Thanks cajuncody, I'm happy that it isn't all twaddle!!

 

 

[theysawyoucomin']

Everbody touched on it here.

 

You ticket items should be what's important to you. What's in your gut?

If everything was determined before the course it wouldn't be the same.

 

Best advice is GO. I would be very surprised if you didn't think it was a positive experience that helped you change your little part of the world.

Please give it a try.

[SueM]

The best description IMO that I've heard for what a "ticket" is, is a Contract that you make with yourself because that's exactly what it is. It a set of goals that you set for yourself, so that's why people tend to keep them private because their ticket item choices may also involve addressing deep personal things..like fear of public speaking, overcoming shyness, etc. When you set up your ticket, for each goal you have to answer Who, What, When, Where, How & Why.. If you have a strong Course..whomever approves your tickets should really challenge you with your choices..

 

sue m.

[EagleInKY]

I agree that some treat it with a level of "secrecy" that doesn't make sense. IMHO, I consider it more of a private, personal subject than some top secret mission.

 

The first reason I see it as personal is that may not make sense to others. For example, I had a ticket item similar to Eagle-pete's. It was focused on helping the committee better understand their role. It included several things, the highlight being getting them trained. This has had a dramatic impact on the troop and the committee is much more effective now. But if I just said that a ticket item was to get our troop committee trained, some may look at that as a pretty insignificant accomplishment.

 

The second reason that I consider it private is that I have worked my ticket without telling them what I was doing. For example, on this item related to the troop committee, I didn't tell them that I needed them to do this because "it's for my Woodbadge Ticket". I took the time to sell them on the need to better understand their role as the Troop Committee. This led to several discussions and a series of steps that we put together as a committee. As it turned out, the steps of that plan closely mirrored my ticket item (imagine that!). The committee members have much more embraced the idea because they were part of formulating the plan, not just participating so I can check off a ticket item.

[NeilLup]

Part of the reason for the privacy/secrecy of WB tickets was caused by some of the excesses of the past. Some councils and even some regions had almost standard tickets. They were handed out and represented a detailed roadmap for the participants.

 

A ticket should result from a personal reflection of what one's Scouting job is, what would represent a good job and what tasks would lead to that good job. It should be the case that if one does one's ticket well, one is doing a good job in Scouting. Conversely, the items that lead to a good job should be the tasks of a ticket.

 

Some places, Wood Badge has become a supersecret organization. That shouldn't be.