Training Accomplished (thanks to those that make things happen!)
Cub Scout leaders were informed of the numerous changes to the Cub Scouting program that will occur on June 1, 2024 through a Zoom meeting on Thursday evening, February 22nd. Janet Griffin, a long-time Scouter in the BMC council, and a member of the National Cub Scouting Committee, provided the training. The changes are expected to lead to positive results. Thanks to Janet for her efforts to make this training happen.
Training of the Month
Leadership Training – Wood Badge and National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT).
Leadership development is one of the four aims of Scouting! Leadership is one of the eight methods.
Wood Badge and NYLT go together. Wood Badge is leadership training for adult leaders, while NYLT is leadership training for scouts. The content of these two courses is similar; the leadership principles apply to other parts of our lives besides Scouting. Scouting works best when the senior patrol leader and other youth leaders of the troop have attended NYLT and are working with a scoutmaster that has completed Wood Badge training. The same applies to crew presidents and crew adult advisors. It is great when Wood Badge-trained adult Den Leaders are able to work with NYLT-trained Den Chiefs. These leadership trainings are not only useful, but in many cases are life-changing.
NYLT will be held at Camp File (Chief Seattle Council) on June 23-28. It will be an intensive 6-day camping adventure. The course is led by older scouts that have previously taken the NYLT course. The course director and adult staff support these youth as they conduct the course. Please see the flyer in the Training Trails row of the BMC Hub.
In order to qualify to attend NYLT, the scout must:
- Be a registered member of a Scouting unit
- Have a current BSA Health and Medical Record form parts A, B, and C.
- Scouts BSA members – be at least 13 and have attained the rank of First Class. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops is also highly recommended.
- Venturers and Sea Scouts – must be at least 14 (or 13 and have completed eighth grade), as well as fall within the maximum age allowance for their program. Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews or Ships is also highly recommended and at least one year of camping experience. While NYLT is not an outdoor skills course, it is important that each participant have basic camping and outdoor cooking experience.
- Unit leader recommendation.
Wood Badge leadership training takes place over a 3-day weekend and a 2-day weekend, for a total of 5 days. Leadership skills taught include:
- How to be a better listener
- Managing conflict
- Leading change
- Stages of team development
- Coaching & mentoring
- Leadership for different stages
- Servant leadership
- Project planning
In order to qualify to attend Wood Badge, adult leaders must:
- Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America. (Youth 18 and older may attend as long as the appropriate Youth Protection guidelines are followed. They do not need to be registered in an adult leadership role.)
- Have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting position.
- Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment. All participants are required to complete the Annual Health and Medical Record form.
Your council training chair has both attended and staffed Wood Badge courses. He has also attended NYLT graduation events and seen empowered, animated scouts. Please contact him at the email listed below if you would like to discuss either or both of these leadership courses.
Council Training Calendar
April 19-20 Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) will be held in parallel with the Council Spring Camporee at Martin Scout Ranch. Scoutmasters and Asst. Scoutmasters need this training; it is useful for other adults that will be involved in camping with the troop or crew. The training will help adults have a better camping and outdoor experience, and the focus will be on how to support older scouts as they teach outdoor skills to younger scouts. Please see the flyer in the Training Trails row of the BMC Hub.
April 19-20 Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) will be held in parallel with the Council Spring Camporee at Martin Scout Ranch. At least one pack leader needs to be trained in order for pack campouts to happen. The training will help adults have a better outdoor experience, as well as support family camping as a pack and other cub scout outdoor activities. There is an on-line pre-requisite component. Please see the flyer in the Training Trails row of the BMC Hub.
In The Works (If you plan it, they will come)
Trainers in ScoutingBSA can participate in training courses to improve their training techniques:
- The Fundamentals of Training 4-hour in-person course helps trainers present effective training.
- The Trainer’s EDGE 8-hour in-person course provides training on communication, training preparation, and how to direct the conversation during training. In addition, each participant has the opportunity to receive feedback on two types of presentation.
If you are interested in one or both of these courses, please let the council training chair (see below) know.
Help Wanted (It’s fun and rewarding to get involved with training!)
We have some great trainers in the council, but they are busy and not always available. More trainers are needed. Please let the council training chair (see below) know if you are interested in getting involved. Numerous training courses will be provided by the council if we have the resources to do so.
Lies, Darn Lies, and Statistics (How are we doin’?)
- 39.3% of the adult leaders serving in the Blue Mountain Council are trained for their position.
- 55 Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters in the Blue Mountain Council need to take Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills training.
- Youth Protection Training (YPT) is at 97.8% for the Blue Mountain Council
- 32 adult leaders in the Blue Mountain Council have completed Wood Badge
Contact:
Council Training Chair: Brad Ross bluemttrain@gmail.com
Your Feedback:
Please submit your pithy comments to your council training chair (see email address above), either for his eyes only or for the readers of this publication to see. If your comments are useful (and entertaining?), you’ll see them in a future Training Trails blog. We welcome your ideas to help improve the training in our council. Many thanks!