Wood Badge Training
Who do we work for? We work for the youth that we serve. Youth at every level of scouting deserve a well trained leader. If our goal as leaders of the largest youth organization is to offer the best possible program, we must be properly trained to implement that program.
Interest Applications 2010 Courses Three courses are being offered in the Atlanta Area Council this year. You may contact the course directors listed below, call the AAC Program Center at (770)989-8820, or visit the AAC Wood Badge website at www.aacwoodbadge.com/ for more information. Registration for 2010 courses is online, see note below. Spring 2010, March 26 - 28 & April 16 - 18, Two Weekend Format
John keeshen, Course Director - jkeeshen@comcast.net Summer 2010, Aug. 6 - 8 & Aug. 27 - 29, Two Weekend Format
Vinny Ferguson, Course Director - fergusonenterprises@yahoo.com Fall 2010, Oct 1 - 3 & Oct. 29 - 31, Two Weekend Format
Sam Harris, Course Director - samwharris@bellsouth.net
Course Registration: To register for a course, please click on the course date above to be linked to the council calendar. From that point choose the "Register" button at the bottom. History of Wood Badge  On the morning of September 8, 1919, a 61 year-old retired general of the British Army stepped out into the center of a clearing at Gilwell Park, in Epping Forest, outside London, England. He raised to his lips the horn of a Greater Kudu, one of the largest of African antelopes. He blew a long sharp blast.Nineteen men dressed in short pants and knee socks, their shirt-sleeves rolled up, assembled by patrols for the first Scoutmasters' training camp held at Gilwell. The camp was designed and guided by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the World Scouting Movement.
When they had finished their training together, Baden-Powell gave each man a simple wooden bead from a necklace he had found in a Zulu chieftain's deserted hut when on campaign in South Africa in 1888. The Scoutmasters' training course was a great success and continued to be held year-after-year. At the end of each course the wooden beads were used to recognize the completion of training. When the original beads ran out, new ones were whittled to maintain the tradition established by Baden-Powell. Because of these beads, the course came to be known as the Wood Badge Course. It continues to this day in England and around the world as the advanced training course for leaders in Scouting. Wood Badge in the United States The course first came to the United States in 1936. Held at the Schiff Scout Reservation in New Jersey, it still had a strong British flavor, complete with menus heavy on foods that had been boiled for several hours. The Americans were less than enthusiastic, and a war intervened. In 1948, a revised American course was offered for the first time at Schiff. It was a major success, in spite of rain on 4 of the 9 days. The first four patrol names, which are animals found all over the US, were introduced--Eagle, Bob White, Fox and Beaver, and the course featured a kudu horn. As the years went by, the course focused on scoutcraft, how to teach it to boys, and/or how to run training courses. There have been courses for each of the major program areas - Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity and Exploring. Wood Badge in the Atlanta Area Council The Atlanta Area Council hosted several National and Regional Wood Badge Course in the 1950's. Beginning in 1960 with course # 92-1, the Atlanta Area Council began to sponsor Wood Badge Courses on an annual basis. This continues today, but with an increase of two to three courses yearly. In the fall of 2003, we celebrated our 50th council conducted course 92-45/SR-544. Since 1960, nearly 3,000 Scouters have attended Wood Badge in the Atlanta Area Council. Wood Badge for the 21st Century The 21st Century Wood Badge course, revised in 2001, brings together leaders from all areas of Scouting - Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, Venturing, and the professional area. 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 through the country. You will live the magic of Scout leadership training as envisioned by the founder of Scouting, Lord Baden-Powell. There are two parts to Wood Badge training: practical - experiential learning during two 3-day weekend sessions, and then application of the leadership skills in your Scouting position. This combination of practicing the skills with fellow participants and applying the skills in your Scouting position is incredibly effective. A key area of the process is team development and learning to recognize the stages through which developing teams must pass. Participants learn to apply appropriate leadership strategies that enable teams to reach their highest levels of performance. This course will help you understand the full values-based family of Scouting programs as well as discover ways to use the leadership skills to improve your personal and professional life. Wood Badge gives leaders the skills they need to strengthen Scouting in meaningful ways and deliver a quality program to our youth. |
