Wood Badge for the 21 Century - Western Massachusetts Council

Wood Badge for the 21 st Century
The Western Massachusetts Council, BSA will be hosting a Wood Badge for the 21 st Century
course in the fall of 2011. This is the ultimate leadership training program for adult leaders of
the Boy Scouts of America. This course emphasizes leadership skills, not outdoor skills, and is
the culmination of your training experience in our program.
Who May Attend?
To attend a Wood Badge course, individuals must:
1. Be registered members of the Boy Scouts of America. (Youth older than 18 may attend
and do not need to be registered in an adult leadership role.)
2. Have completed the basic training courses for their Scouting position.
3. Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment. All participants are required
to complete the Annual Health and Medical Record form.
Because of the advanced nature of this training, these requirements may not be waived.
Why Attend?
Cub Scout packs rely exclusively on the adult leaders to provide a successful
program for the scouts. One key to a smooth pack operation is ensuring that the
adults communicate effectively and operate as a “high‐performance team”.
Scouters attending Wood Badge will learn about both of these concepts along
with many other high‐level management techniques.
Boy Scout troops not only rely on their adult leaders but also begin to include the
youth in determining the operation of the unit. For the adult leaders, attending
Wood Badge has two benefits. Firstly, they will learn about effective
communication, how to operate as a “high‐performance team” and other
management techniques. Secondly, when the youth leadership attends NYLT, they are
introduced to these very same concepts. Thus, the adult leadership will be able to “speak the
same leadership language” as the youth leadership, providing for a smoother operation.

Venture crews are essentially operated by the youth membership. The adult leaders
serve as advisors and consultants but it is still important that they communicate
effectively and operate as a “high‐performance team” in order to support the
efforts of the youth. If the 18 ‐ 20 year old youth in a crew attend Wood Badge,
then it is even more important that the adults do so as well. Having all the leadership in the
crew “speaking the same leadership language” will allow the crew to operate at the highest
level. (I may add a line about Venturing youth attending NYLT which is suggested by National
but we may not be offering it yet this year due to the issues with female course members. I
have an email to Jim Burke to see if a final decision has been reached on this.)
Cost
The fee for Wood Badge will be $250 if paid in full by June 30, 2011. After that date, the fee will
increase to $275. A $50 deposit will be due at the time of registration. This fee will be
nonrefundable unless there is a waiting list at the time of cancellation of your registration.
A limited number of scholarships may be available to assist with payment for this course.
Contact either council office for information. It may also be possible to get assistance from your
place of employment. The council web site has a sheet entitled “Wood Badge for Employers”
that you can take to your employer to provide justification for getting either time off or possibly
financial assistance for the course.
When?
Friday, 8:00 AM, September 9 – Sunday, 6:00 PM, September 11
Saturday, 8:00 AM, October 8 – Monday, 6:00 PM, October 10
Also, patrol meetings may be scheduled by patrols between weekend dates.
NOTE: ALL meeting dates and times are mandatory for successful completion of the course.
Where?
The course will be held at the Chesterfield Scout Reservation in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.
Questions?
Contact the course director, John Willemain, at johnwillemain@comcast.net.

Basic Training Courses
For all leaders, you will need to have taken the appropriate Youth Protection Training, Fast Start
and This is Scouting (or New Leader Essentials). All of these courses are available online through
the MyScouting portal. In addition, you will need to have completed the appropriate basic
training course indicated below.
Cub Scouts:
Cub Scout Leader Position Specific Training (This includes two introductory sessions
followed by the specific sessions for Tiger Cub den leader, Wolf & Bear den leaders and
assistants, Webelos den leaders and assistants, Cubmaster and assistants, Pack Committee
members and Pack Trainers.)
Boy Scouts:
Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training
Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills
Troop Committee Members:
Troop Committee Challenge
Venturing:
Venturing Leader Specific Training (adult)
Venturing Leadership Skills Course (youth)