Wood Badge

2008 Wood Badge Course SR-892

Congratulations to the participants and staff who made SR-892 one of the finest Wood Badge Courses in GRC history.  Now, the real work begins...

Gilwell Homecoming, April 19, 2008

This event is for those who have completed Wood Badge during any course in any council 

The cost is $10 payable to the council by 10 days prior to the event on 4/19/08. There are no refunds after 4/9/08.
Walk-ins are welcome at $12.50.  Click here for the Gillwell Homecoming Flyer.

The location is the Masonic Youth Park We will be gathering from Noon to 1:00 and events run through 5:00 P.M.

Patrol meetings follow as we prepare for dinner at 6. Our dinner will be catered from Hog Wild BBQ. A campfire will follow at sunset.

Events include all things Wood Badge including continuing education in leadership, consideration for future staffing of our two courses next year, staff alumni meeting, singing, crafting, and a discussion on understanding generational differences.

This event is only for Scouters that have earned their beads.  So, if you have your beads and $10 you can enjoy a fun filled afternoon with co-Wood Badgers.  If you'd like to come out and camp Friday night, we'll be meeting at 6:00 PM to setup and then head out for dinner at 7:00. We'll use Friday night and Saturday morning to make the final preparations for the event.

I hope to see you at Gilwell Homecoming.

Rick Wyatt

For even more information, check out the Gulf Ridge Council Wood Badge web site.

What is Wood Badge?

Welcome to Wood Badge, the advanced leadership training program for adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America. Established in 1919 by Robert Baden-Powell, Scouting’s founder, Wood Badge has been the training ground for hundreds of thousands of Scouters around the world. As the challenges in the world have changed, Wood Badge has also evolved to give leaders the skills they need to strengthen Scouting in meaningful ways. Building on the past, understanding the present, and looking to the future, Wood Badge for the 21st Century stands ready to provide leadership for Scouting and leadership for America.

The Wood Badge for the 21st Century course brings together leaders from all areas of Scouting--Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing--and all levels of Boy Scouts of America professional staff. Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience, the course also draws upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles, and successful outdoor leadership organizations throughout the country.

Participants in the Wood Badge for the 21st Century attend a six-day course offered in the Gulf Ridge Council as two sessions of three days each (most often scheduled over two weekends). Course attendees begin their Wood Badge experience as Cub Scouts, then bridge into Boy Scouting and form patrols for the remainder of the program. Representing a month in the life of a Scout unit, Wood Badge participants assume leadership roles to plan and carry out an extended outdoor experience.

Within this framework, participants take part in numerous presentations, discussions, and activities that explore and advance a wide range of leadership philosophies and tools. A key area of exploration is the process of team development. By recognizing the stages through which developing teams must pass, participants will learn to apply appropriate leadership strategies that enable teams to reach their highest levels of performance.

All course participants will become familiar, both in theory and in practice, with the points of view of Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing. The Wood Badge staff will expand upon that shared vision by guiding participants through three days of presentations and activities that parallel three weeks of a Scout unit’s meetings and activities. The final three days of the course parallel the experiences of a Scout unit setting out on the fourth week of a month for an exciting and challenging outdoor experience.

WHO MAY ATTEND WOOD BADGE?

To attend a Wood Badge course, Scouters must

1. Be registered members of the Boy Scouts of America. (There are no minimum tenure requirements).

2. Have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting positions.

• New Leader Essentials
• Leader specific training for
• Tiger Cub Leaders
• Den Leaders
• Webelos Den Leaders
• Cubmasters
• Pack committee members
• Troop committee members
• Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters
• Varsity Scout Coaches and Assistant Coaches
• Venturing leaders
• Commissioner basic training for commissioners
• District committee training for district committee members
• Council committee training or executive board orientation for council volunteers

Previous versions of leader training courses are acceptable prerequisites.

3. Have completed the outdoor skills training programs appropriate for their Scouting positions Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (required for Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmaster, and Varsity Scout Coaches and Assistants). All participants are encouraged to complete the Introduction to Outdoor Leader
Skills training before attending a Wood Badge course, but it is not required.

4. Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment. Successful completion of the BSA class 3 physical is required for all participants.