Boy Scout Leader Training
Chief Old Ox District
Every Boy Deserves a Trained Leader
Boy Scout Leader TrainingEvery Boy Deserves a Trained Leader
Wood Badge for the 21st CenturyUpon completion of Leader Specific Training, an adult is eligible to attend Wood Badge for the 21st Century. As the core leadership skills training course for the BSA, Wood Badge focuses on strengthening every volunteer's ability to work with groups of youth and adults and is less focused on outdoor skills, which are more effectively addressed in other training courses.
The task force that developed Wood Badge for the 21st Century was charged with developing an adult training course that was on the cutting edge of training for the 21st century. They created a highly user-friendly course that would encourage BSA local councils to offer more courses and, ultimately, train more Scouters. The Wood Badge course has made significant accomplishments in both areas.
Incorporating leadership concepts that are used in corporate America, the course teaches participants the basics of listening, communicating, valuing people, team development, situational leadership, problem solving, and managing conflict. Once the skill is learned, each member is given the opportunity to use the skill as a member of a successful working team. At the conclusion of the course, each participant develops a set of personal goals related to his or her Scouting role. Working toward these goals allows each participant to practice and demonstrate new skills.
Nationwide over the past two years, Wood Badge courses have increased more than 30 percent. The course is for all Scouters—Boy Scout leaders, Cub Scout leaders, Venturing leaders, and district and council leaders. This has increased communication to allow for a more seamless connection among all BSA programs.
Wood Badge is the most advanced adult leader training available. A Scouter participating in Wood Badge has the opportunity to understand Scouting as a family of interrelated, values-based programs providing age-appropriate activities for youth; recognize contemporary leadership concepts and discover how they are relevant to the Scouting movement; apply the skills learned as a member of a successful working team; and revitalize their commitment to Scouting by sharing in an inspirational experience that provides Scouting with renewed leadership. Many Scouters consider Wood Badge to be a peak experience of their Scouting careers.
Wood Badge for the 21st century is for all leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. It has been developed for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varisty Scout and Venturing leaders, as well as council and district leaders. The course content and leadership principles introduced apply to Scouters of all leadership positions and will provide a common foundation of leadership skills to be used throughout all program areas.
Each Scouter invited to particpate in Wood Badge training must be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America and have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting position. They must successfullly complete a BSA Class III medical form. The course size is limited. To request an invitation, please sign up below.
Upcoming Wood Badge Training Dates
| Date | View Details and Sign Up |
| 2008 | View Details and Sign Up |
In 1911, four years after Scouting began in Great Britain, Lord Baden-Powell began training Scouters through a series of lectures. This led to the first Wood Badge training course for Scoutmasters, held eight years later at Gilwell Park near London. In 1936, an experimental Wood Badge course was conducted in the United States at the Schiff Scout Reservation. Then, in 1948, the first American Wood Badge course was introduced in the United States as advanced training for trainers of Boy Scout leaders. Later, the program was extended to include troop committee members, commissioners, and Explorer leaders.
Experiments began in the late 1960s with a leadership development Wood Badge course emphasizing 11 leadership skills or "competencies." This program was launched in 1972 in support of a major revision of the Boy Scout phase of the program. In 1978, an evaluation of the Boy Scout Leader Wood Badge course revealed a need for greater emphasis on the practical aspects of good troop operation. The result was the development of a course that would provide a blend of Scoutcraft skills and practical troop operation, mixed with a variety of leadership exercises..
In 2001, the new Wood Badge for the 21st Century was introduced. It was developed for all Scouters: Cub Scout leaders, Boy Scout leaders, Venturing leaders, and council and district leaders. The focus is on leadership skills, not outdoor skills. The first part of the new Wood Badge course reflects unit meetings, while the second part of the course uses a troop camping activity as its delivery model.
The new Wood Badge course is administered nationally by the Boy Scout Division.
As a result of attending Wood Badge, participants will be able to
Wood Badge courses may be conducted as a weeklong experience, or over two weekends with patrol meetings between each session. Experience has shown that either format produces satisfactory results. A staff guide is provided with a conversion guide for a weekend or weeklong course. An administrative guidebook outlines the procedures for administering the program.
Each Scouter invited to participate in Wood Badge training must have completed the basic training courses for their Scout position and completed the outdoor skills training programs appropriate for their Scouting position.
Wood Badge courses are authorized by regional service centers. When a local council feels it can guarantee enough participants from its own ranks, it may apply to the region to conduct a local council Wood Badge course. In a local council course, all participants, staff, and support come from the local council.
Two or more local councils may cooperate in conducting a cluster-council Wood Badge course. With regional approval, one of the participating councils acts as the host council. The host council normally coordinates the advance preparation, invitation procedure, and staff selection, and provides a site and basic equipment. The course director will participate in the selection of staff from the participating councils.
A minimum of 30 course members must be registered, with full fees paid, 30 days before the opening day of the course. This will ensure good patrol operation, full participation, and financial success. For efficiency of operation, there should not be more than eight patrols.
The primary purpose of the Wood Badge experience is to strengthen Scouting in our units, districts, and local councils. The Wood Badge ticket represents the participant's commitment to complete a set of personal goals relating to that individual's Scouting position. These goals will significantly strengthen the program in which the participant is involved. In addition, the ticket gives participants an opportunity to practice and demonstrate a working knowledge of the leadership skills presented during the course. Participants should complete their Wood Badge ticket no later than 18 months after the course.
Upon successful completion of the ticket, the participant is entitled to receive the Wood Badge recognition. This consists of a parchment certificate, the Wood Badge beads (two wooden beads on a leather thong), a tan neckerchief with a swatch of MacLaren tartan, and a leather woggle or neckerchief slide.
The Wood Badge recognition not only identifies a Scouter who has completed advanced training, but also reminds the wearer of an ongoing commitment to continued service to Scouting.
Since 1948, the Wood Badge course has served as a source of training and inspiration to thousands of leaders. These Scouters have affected the lives of millions of America's youth in a quality Boy Scout program of citizenship training, character development, and fitness.