This is the book that will contain all the training information related to the Troop and to the BSA.
I am going to include an article each month which highlights some adult or Scout training opportunity.
This month my focus is on the training that is available online from the BSA. The http://olc.scouting.org/ website has several training courses that can be taken while in the comfort of your own home. I listed the trainings below in the order I believe is most important to take them.
First, every parent, whether involved with the BSA or not, should take Youth Protection for their own education and the safety of their children. Next, all adults should have at least a basic understanding of how a Troop operates, and the Fast Start training provides that. The next step after Fast Start is New Leader Essentials and Leader Specific Training, which I will cover next month. The last three courses are supplemental courses that provide additional safety training and education.
The courses provide every adult an opportunity to get valuable information about general safety practices and knowledge about the way a troop operates. They are available to you without cost and at any time it is convenient for you to take them. Each course only takes about an hour to complete, but if it is difficult to come up with a free hour, you can start a course and complete it at a later time, and for as many times as is necessary to complete it.
The training courses are (with the descriptions from the BSA website):
The BSA places the greatest importance on creating the most secure environment possible for our youth members. All Cub Scout and Boy Scout adult volunteers should take this course. It covers the BSA's Youth Protection policies, kinds of abuse, signs of abuse, how to respond to disclosure of abuse, and proper reporting procedures. It does so by taking you through situations that require choices and produce consequences. Successful completion of this course requires an 80 percent or higher score.
This is the first step to take for any volunteer new to Boy Scouting. This course should be taken before beginning youth activities. You'll learn the aims and purposes of the Boy Scouts of America's core program, then zero in on the job. You'll cover the seven parts of the troop meeting, the troop committee, outdoor program, and other basic concepts of Scouting, all in one short online experience. It's the best way for someone new to the program to quickly grasp how troop Scouting works and where additional resources can be found.
Before a BSA group may engage in swimming activities of any kind, a minimum of one adult leader must complete Safe Swim Defense training, have a commitment card (No. 34243) with them, and agree to use the eight defenses in this plan.
Safety Afloat has been developed to promote boating and boating safety and to set standards for safe unit activity afloat. Before a BSA group may engage in an excursion, expedition, or trip on the water (canoe, raft, sailboat, motorboat, rowboat, tube, or other craft), adult leaders for such activity must complete Safety Afloat Training, have a commitment card with them, and be dedicated to full compliance with all nine points of Safety Afloat.
This fun and interactive training serves as a vital tool for new troop committee members as well as for veterans. The mission of the Troop Committee Challenge training is to help each troop committee work as a team to improve the Scouting experience for adult and youth members. It helps build the commitment of individual members as well as cultivates a better troop committee team.
After Youth Protection Training and Fast Start, all adult leaders are encouraged to take New Leader Essentials. It is an approximately 90 minute class that is usually taught by a district representative in a class room or auditorium type setting and is usually taught along with the Leader Specific Training courses (covered next time). It teaches the fundamental basics of what Scouting is all about.
From scouting.org, here is a description of what is taught:
New Leader Essentials:
New Leader Essentials is an introductory session that highlights the values, aims, history, funding, and methods of Scouting. It addresses how these aims and methods are reached in an age-appropriate style within Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing. Videos, discussions, and hands-on reinforcement are presented during the 90-minute training session. Ideally, all unit-based volunteers—Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, and Venturing leaders—take this session at the same time, so they understand that they are all striving for the same results with the youth they serve. Each leader completes New Leader Essentials training only once.
Benefits of New Leader Essentials:
In the Boy Scout world, Leader Specific training can be thought of as being synonymous with High School education. This training is usually held in two phases. The first phase is a three part, day long, class room type setting (along with and right after New Leader Essentials) where much of the core ideals of the Boy Scouts, including the Patrol Method, are presented and discussed. The adults are broken up into patrols, and they go through the lessons together much as the Scouts will in their quest to First Class.
The second phase, called Outdoor Skills Training, is where many of the things the Scouts must master to advance in rank are taught to the adults. This phase is usually an overnight event, starting on a Friday evening and finishing Saturday afternoon or evening. The Outdoor Skills Training phase includes things like knife safety, orienteering, fire safety, cooking and basic service and program duties. It is not intended to give a deep understanding of all aspects, but a broad overview with the important parts highlighted. During this phase the adults will be operating in patrols, including the preparation of and participation in a campfire program and a flag ceremony.
A quote from the BSA website about Leader Specific training:
For Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters, this training is divided into four parts. The first three parts concentrate on troop operation and can be completed in one full day or three evenings. The fourth part, which focuses on outdoor skills, lasts approximately a day and a half, depending on the skill level of the new leader. The leader is considered trained upon completion of New Leader Essentials, Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training, and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.
This course puts youth leaders "on the same page" as the adult leaders who have successfully completed Wood Badge. It is designed for youth leaders who want to be the best they can be and who wish to serve their fellow Scouts. It is for any Scout who is from age 13 to age 17, First Class or above and holds a leadership position in his Troop.
What the Scouts will learn:
The conference instruction employs both multimedia and hands-on techniques.
This course is designed to teach trainers what they need to know in order to effectively train other people.
Some of the things trainers will learn are:
If you think it would be fun or interesting to train other people and/or are planning or wanting to be involved in helping others train more effectively, this is the course to take to help you on your way.
Wood Badge is the height of Boy Scout training for adult leaders. It's primary purpose is to strengthen Scouting in the units, districts & local councils, and it focuses on strengthening the adults' ability to work with and lead groups of youth and adults.
From Scouting.org:
As a result of attending Wood Badge, participants will be able to
The Wood Badge course is conducted in either a week long session or in two weekend sessions with a break of about three weeks between. Whether done as a week session or two weekend sessions, there are two basic parts to it: the first part uses unit meetings as the delivery method, while the second part uses a troop camping activity as the delivery method. During the short time of about six days, the adults go through the same process that a boy might go through from Cub Scout to Venture, going through some of the same rituals the boys go through, while learning about effective leadership. Most of the time, however, is spent at the Boy Scout level, with the focus being on the Patrol Method and the process of helping the boys become leaders in their own right.
As the adult is taught various aspects on leading and working with others during the trainings and exercises, he or she will be working on creating a list of personal goals (referred to as the Wood Badge ticket) to complete after the Wood Badge course is over.
From Scouting.org:
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.
While it is a great opportunity to learn and internalize the BSA's ideals and methods for delivering those ideals, adult leaders cannot take advantage of it until they have completed Fast Start: Boy Scouting, New Leader Essentials, and Boy Scout Leader Specific Training with Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.
After successfully completing the Wood Badge ticket, the adult leader is entitled to receive and wear the Wood Badge regalia, which consists of 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. In addition to that, the adult will receive a parchment certificate of completion of the Wood Badge course.