Training

The Troop Committee strongly supports training of both its youth and adult members. The Troop has a long history of well-trained Scoutmasters and encourages all Assistant Scoutmasters and Committee Members to take Boy Scout Leader Basic Training for a better understanding of the Aims and Methods of the Scouting program. The Troop supports the training of all Scouts who are, or will be, leaders whenever training is available. Well-trained Scouts and Leaders present more effective and interesting programs that encourage a high level of activity and enthusiasm.

The Boy Scouts of America has created a number of programs to ensure that Scouts have well-trained Adult Leaders. Fast Start Orientation and New Leader Essentials — the first two steps in new-leader training — introduce new leaders to the Boy Scouting program. Leader Specific Training, as the name implies, focuses on specific leader roles and will require several days to complete, depending on an individual's previous outdoor skills experience. Wood Badge has evolved into the premier leadership course of the BSA, strengthening a leader's ability to effectively work with groups of youth and adults.

Training programs created by the BSA and conducted by the Bill Hart District Training Committee include:

• Fast Start Training. This is the first step for any new volunteer and is to be delivered immediately after a new leader registers and before he or she meets with any youth member. Participants learn about the eight fundamental methods the BSA employs to deliver its three aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness; how Troop Meetings are important in preparing the Troop for its outdoor adventures; the importance of the Outdoor Program to Scouting; and the role that the Troop Committee plays in supporting the Scoutmaster.

• New Leader Essentials. This program for all Troop leaders, including Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, and Committee Members. This training session highlights the values, aims, history, funding, and methods of Scouting and provides new leaders with a look at the resources available to them.

• Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training.. This training is divided into four parts. The first three parts are designed to teach troop operations and can be completed in one full day or three evenings. The fourth part is completing "Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills," which are the skills required for the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks. Because emphasis is placed on a leader's previous knowledge of the skill rather than course attendance, a new leader can complete this course at an accelerated pace.

• Troop Committee Challenge. This three-hour session is the Leader Specific Training for Committee Members.

• Woodbadge for the 21st Century. Upon 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. 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.

Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters are considered trained when they have completed New Leader Essentials, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training, and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.

Troop Committee members are considered trained when they have completed New Leader Essentials and the Troop Committee Challenge as their Leader Specific training.

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 and developed to 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 with a focus on leadership skills, not outdoor skills. The first part of the new Wood Badge course reflects Troop Meetings, while the second part of the course uses a Troop camping activity.

After attending Wood Badge, participants will be able to:

• View Scouting globally, as a family of interrelated, values-based programs that provide age-appropriate activities for youth.
• Recognize the contemporary leadership concepts utilized in corporate America and leading government organizations that are relevant to our values-based movement.
• Apply the skills they learn from their participation as a member of a successful working team.
• Revitalize their commitment by sharing in an overall inspirational experience that helps provide Scouting with the leadership it needs to accomplish its mission on an ongoing basis.

Each Adult Leader 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.

Supplemental Training

There is always something new to learn and experience in BSA training. A number of supplemental training modules are available on the BSA website. They are designed to be downloaded for one-hour course outlines or viewed as self-study courses.

The Bill Hart District offers additional training for Scout leaders, focusing on outdoor skills, Youth Protection, and youth leadership development. At the national level, a number of training courses are conducted each summer at the Philmont Training Center in northern New Mexico. Courses focus on everything from teaching outdoor skills to working with the Troop Committee.

Another supplemental training opportunity is the monthly Bill Hart District Roundtable — meetings that bring together Scout leaders from a number of Troops to share ideas and teach skills. Each meeting is an opportunity for enjoying fellowship and fun with others who are committed to Scouting's aims and ideals.

See Also

• Outdoor Safety
• Philmont Training Center
• Youth Protection
• Committee Responsibilities
• Parent Involvement
• Adult Leader Training Web Links