To:   All new Boy Scout Leaders or experienced Scout Leaders, Pack/ Troop Committee Members,

                                             Webelo’s Leaders encouraged

Sessions:                           1.)   New Leader Essentials

                                             2.)   Scout Master and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training

                                             3.)   Committee Member Training

Date:                                   November 5th

Place:                                  King College

Time:                                   During Merit Badge College Sessions

Dear Scouters,

Please come and join us!  You will discover how helpful it is to meet others in Scouting who have experience and can share information with you.  These valuable people are a wealth of knowledge and are willing to provide support when needed.  They look forward to sharing experiences and stories with you.  You may contact me if you have any questions.  Please let me know if you are interested.  It is also helpful to send me a little information about yourself such as the position you hold and your Scouting experience.  Troop Committee and training for the Chartered Organizations is available at your facility upon request.   Please pass this information on to others within your units.  On behalf of the Training Committee, we look forward working with you in Scouting!

Sincerely,

Nancy Berry,

BS Training Chairman

                                              The Following information was obtained from Boy Scouts of America National Council:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Every Boy Deserves a Trained Leader

Fast Start Orientation | New Leader Essentials | Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training
Varsity Coach Leader Specific Training | Troop Committee Training | Wood Badge for the 21st Century
Supplemental Training | Boy Scout Leader Assessment Tool | Training Awards

The journey from Fast Start to Wood Badge is a seamless progression for adults and an unending benefit for BSA youth. Fast Start Orientation and New Leader Essentials—the first two steps in new-leader training—introduce new leaders to the Boy Scouting program. Leader Specific Training, as the name implies, focuses on specific leader roles and will require several days to complete, depending on an individual's previous outdoor skills experience. Wood Badge has evolved into the premier leadership course of the BSA, strengthening a leader's ability to effectively work with groups of youth and adults.

Fast Start Orientation

Welcome to Scouting! As a new Scout leader, you are joining our Scouting family, and we want you to understand how the program works. The Fast Start Orientation video and guide will help explain it. These materials present a quick introduction to get new leaders ready for your first Boy Scout meeting.

You will learn in Fast Start Orientation that Scouting employs eight fundamental methods to deliver its three aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. The eight methods are the ideals, the patrol method, the outdoors, advancement, association with adults, personal growth, leadership development, and the uniform. A troop functions best when all eight methods are employed. As a leader progresses through the levels of training, the eight methods are continually emphasized.

Part One—Introduction

The first thing new leaders should know is that many resources are available to help them. The video's introduction lays out the basics to help new volunteers get started as Scouting leaders.

Part Two—The Troop Meeting

Part Two of the video explains how troop meetings are important in preparing the troop for its monthly outdoor adventure. Each 90-minute meeting should be fun and meaningful for the Scouts. A troop meeting has seven essential parts, each of which is explained in the video.

Part Three—The Outdoor Program

This section of the video explains the importance of the outdoor program to Scouting. Boys are attracted to Scouting by its offer of outdoor fun and adventure. Through exciting outdoor activities like camping and hiking, studying nature, and watching wildlife, Scouts learn to care for the environment and master outdoor skills. At the same time, the outdoor program helps them develop leadership and teamwork.

Part Four—The Troop Committee

This segment of the video illustrates the role of the troop committee, a group of adult volunteers that work behind the scenes to support the Scoutmaster. Troop committee members do a wide variety of tasks, from repairing tents to maintaining troop records. The troop committee's most important responsibility is to make sure that the very best adult leaders are selected, recruited, and trained to work with their boys.

New Leader Essentials

As the first section of Basic Leader Training, New Leader Essentials is a 90-minute introductory session that highlights the values, aims, history, funding, and methods of Scouting and provides new leaders with a look at the resources available to them. New Leader Essentials often is offered as the first part of Leader Specific Training.

Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training

Leader Specific Training is divided into four parts. The first three parts are designed to teach troop operations and can be completed in one full day or three evenings. The fourth part is completing "Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills," which are the skills required for the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks. Because emphasis is placed on a leader's previous knowledge of the skill rather than course attendance, a new leader can complete this course at an accelerated pace.

Varsity Coach Leader Specific Training

Varsity Coaches and assistant Coaches have similar training requirements to Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters. Requirements for trained Varsity leaders are Varsity Fast Start Orientation, New Leader Essentials, Varsity Coach Leader Specific Training, and Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills.

Troop Committee Training

For troop committee members, Leader Specific Training includes Troop Committee Challenge. Upon completion of the three-hour challenge, a troop committee member is considered trained.

Wood Badge for the 21st Century

Upon completion of Leader Specific Training, an adult is eligible to attend Wood Badge for the 21st Century. As the core leadership skills training course for the BSA, Wood Badge focuses on strengthening every volunteer's ability to work with groups of youth and adults and is less focused on outdoor skills, which are more effectively addressed in other training courses.

The task force that developed Wood Badge for the 21st Century was charged with developing an adult training course that was on the cutting edge of training for the 21st century. They created a highly user-friendly course that would encourage BSA local councils to offer more courses and, ultimately, train more Scouters. The Wood Badge course has made significant accomplishments in both areas.

Incorporating leadership concepts that are used in corporate America, the course teaches participants the basics of listening, communicating, valuing people, team development, situational leadership, problem solving, and managing conflict. Once the skill is learned, each member is given the opportunity to use the skill as a member of a successful working team. At the conclusion of the course, each participant develops a set of personal goals related to his or her Scouting role. Working toward these goals allows each participant to practice and demonstrate new skills.

Nationwide over the past two years, Wood Badge courses have increased more than 30 percent. The course is for all Scouters—Boy Scout leaders, Cub Scout leaders, Venturing leaders, and district and council leaders. This has increased communication to allow for a more seamless connection among all BSA programs.

Supplemental Training

There is always something new to learn and experience in BSA training.

Most BSA local councils offer additional training for Scout leaders, focusing on outdoor skills, Youth Protection, and youth leadership development. At the national level, a number of training courses are conducted each summer at the Philmont Training Center in northern New Mexico. Courses focus on everything from teaching outdoor skills to working with the troop committee.

Another supplemental training opportunity is the monthly district roundtable—meetings that bring together Scout leaders from a number of troops to share ideas and teach skills. Each meeting is an opportunity for enjoying fellowship and fun with others who are committed to Scouting's aims and ideals.

Boy Scout Leader Assessment Tool

Whether you have been in Scouting for many years or are just starting out, the Boy Scout Leader Assessment Tool is for you. The online assessment will help Scouters of all experience levels discover opportunities to refresh their understanding of Scouting and determine how to update their skills. Specifically, the Boy Scout Leader Assessment Tool will

• Identify which BSA training courses would be most beneficial to the individual Scouter.
• Allow local council trainer chairpersons to know and understand which courses should be offered.
• Remind long-term Scouters that there are new and interesting skills for them to learn.
• Allow adult leaders to determine their strengths and weaknesses regarding Boy Scout training.
• Help our adult leaders to have the latest and greatest skills to support and mentor our Scouts.

This assessment tool is available at www.scouting.org/boyscouts/training/start.jsp

Training Awards

The Boy Scout Leader's Training Award and the Scoutmaster's Key are training awards that recognize training, tenure, and performance.

Boy Scout Leader's Training Award

• Complete Fast Start Orientation training.
• Complete New Leader Essentials.
• Complete Basic Leader Training for your position.

Tenure

Complete a total of two years as a registered adult Boy Scout leader.

Performance

Do five of the following:

• Participate in a support role for five overnight campouts.
• Help with two annual unit and/or district Friends of Scouting campaigns.
• Serve on the staff of a council or district training event.
• Participate in a supplemental training course at either the local council or national level.
• Participate actively in three troop parents' nights or courts of honor.
• Help supervise and support a troop money-earning project.
• Serve as a merit badge counselor for at least five Scouts.
• Successfully complete Wood Badge training.
• Fulfill requirements of a troop committee function as described in the Troop Committee Guidebook.
• Assist actively in a Webelos den for six months.
• Participate in six Boy Scout leader roundtables.
• Help organize or reorganize a Scout troop.

Scoutmaster's Key Requirements

Training

• Complete Fast Start Orientation training.
• Complete New Leader Essentials.
• Complete Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training.
• Complete Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.
• Participate in one supplemental training course either at a local council or national level.
• Participate in at least six Boy Scout leader roundtables a year.
• Conduct troop junior leader training at least three times, as outlined in the Scoutmaster's Junior Leader Training Kit.
• Participate as an adult in youth leader training by either serving on the staff or attending the Scoutmaster orientation session of the council youth leader training conference.
• Earn the Boy Scout Leader's Training Award.

Tenure

Complete three years of registered tenure as a Scoutmaster within a five-year period (can include the tenure used to earn the Scouter's Award).

Performance

At least twice during the three-year period, serve as Scoutmaster of a troop that earns the national Quality Unit Award.