Wood Badge

What is Wood Badge?

Wood Badge is advance leadership training especially designed for you.

Wood Badge is valuable for all leaders in Scouting—Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, IMGP0886and Venturing leaders, as well as council and district roles. The focus is on leadership, not out-of-door skills.  The object is to demonstrate the aims and methods of Scouting through the presentation of leadership skills, organizational tools, and a variety of activities based on the best of Scouting traditions and the latest in team-development theory. In addition, participants will enjoy the fellowship of sharing the experience with volunteer and professional Scouters while having a great deal of just plain fun.

Wood Badge will provide you with firsthand knowledge and experience about how teams develop and achieve excellence.  You will take part in an active learning process through involvement in the planning, development, presentation and assessment of a group project. You will enjoy a world-class learning experience that will strengthen your long-term commitment to Scouting and provide you with valuable leadership skills. Wood Badge is a series of fun and educational weekend training activities that will develop you into a better Scout leader. There is some physical challenge involved, but nothing that should keep anyone from attending this great opportunity. The time constraints are tight, but only because we jam so many great training activities into the weekends. Some of the activities covered are:

  • Camping as a patrol.
  • Putting the patrol method into practice by camping, cooking and working as a group.
  • Leadership skills development.
  • Learning games and activities that will work well in your unit.
  • Developing friendships that will last a lifetime.
  • Conduct patrol meetings (not at camp) between your first and second weekends at camp.

Why should you attend?

If you are:

  • Just starting out with your son in Cub Scouting.IMGP0765
  • An experienced Scouter who has been part of Scouting with your son from Tiger through Eagle.
  • Frustrated that Scouting feels like more work than it is worth.
  • Wondering how all this Scouting stuff is supposed to work.
  • Looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a Scout.
  • Part of the unit, district, or council committee or staff.

Then Wood Badge is for you.

Participating in Wood Badge and earning your  beads will make a significant difference in not only your Scouting experience and but in every other aspect of your life.

More about why you should attend Wood Badge

Who can attend?

To attend a Wood Badge course, you must:
1. Be registered members 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.)
2. Have completed the basic training courses for your Scouting position.  Required Training by position.
3. Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment. All participants are required to complete the Annual Health and Medical Record form (available at www.scouting.org). Parts A, B, and C are required. Based on the stresses of the course, part C should always be used.

When and where is the next Wood Badge course?

Wood Badge is a six day action based training program presented over two extended weekends.

We will start each Friday morning with participant arrival at 7:00 AM and finish each Sunday evening at 5:00 PM.

  • Weekend #1  Sep 16-18, 2016 at Camp Tamarack you will be staying in cabins
  • Weekend #2  Oct 6-9, 2016 at Camp Topenebee you will be tent camping and cooking your meals as a patrol

What are these tickets and beads all about?

The small wooden beads on a leather thong were given by Baden-Powell to the participants of the first Scouting adult leader training in 1917. These beads continue to be a badge of recognition for any Scouter who has completed Wood Badge.IMGP0885

You will complete two learning opportunities on your way to earning your beads.

Opportunity 1: The experiential course, which takes place over two three-day weekends and includes leadership classes, games, activities and plenty of meaningful conversations.  Each lesson is actively applied and reinforced in multiple ways through the functioning of a Boy Scout Troop and Patrols as they prepare for the outdoor experience during weekend #2.

Opportunity 2: The Wood Badge ticket, a series of five projects (completed after Opportunity 1) that benefit a Scouter’s home unit, district or council. These ticket items extend the reach of Wood Badge well beyond the six-day course.  They allow you the opportunity to apply what you have experienced and to make a difference; to multiply your impact on the youth in Scouting.  The ticket is what links each one of us to helping achieve the vision that Baden-Powell had for Scouting over 100 years ago.

How much does it cost?

Fees for the six days of training is $245.00.

Early Bird Special $220.00 if paid in full before July 1, 2016

This includes camp fees, meals, course materials and Wood Badge recognition items.

How do I register?

Click here for online registration and payment using your credit card.

Click here to download a registration form to send with your check to the LaSalle Council office.

Where can I get more information?

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