Wood Badge 2023
Chippewa Valley Council

2 Weekend Course: Aug 11-13, 2023 & Sept 9-10, 2023 

Visit https://scoutingevent.com/637-61203 to register!

Who May Attend Wood Badge?

Wood Badge for the 21st century is for all leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. It has been developed for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout and Venturing leaders, as well as council and district leaders. The course content and leadership principles introduced apply to Scouters of all leadership positions and will provide a common foundation of leadership skills to be used throughout all program areas. 

Qualifications

Each Scouter invited to participate in Wood Badge training must be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America and have completed the basic training courses for his/her Scouting position. (S)he must successfully 

Wood Badge Background

In 1911, Baden-Powell took the first steps in training Scouting’s adult leaders by organizing a series of lectures for Scouters. He made great strides in the years that followed, culminating in 1919 with the establishment of Wood Badge training. Wood Badge recipients now number more than 100,000 and can be found in all corners of the world.

A Scouter participating in Wood Badge has the opportunity to:

• Understand Scouting as a family of interrelated, values-based programs providing age-appropriate activities for youth.
• Recognize contemporary leadership concepts and discover how they are relevant to the Scouting movement.
• Apply the skills learned as a member of a successful working team.
• Revitalize his/her commitment to Scouting by sharing in an inspirational experience that provides Scouting with renewed leadership.

Many Scouters consider Wood Badge to be a peak experience of their Scouting careers. It has served as a source of training and inspiration to thousands.

The Wood Badge Experience

There are two parts to Wood Badge in the Boy Scouts of America, the practical part and the application period. Both must be completed to receive the Wood Badge – two wooden beads to be worn around the neck on a leather thong.

The practical part is a two-weekend experience to demonstrate as practically as possible the aims and methods of Scouting. The course is a multifaceted presentation of leadership skills, organizational tools, and participatory activities based on the best Scouting traditions and the latest in team development theory. In addition, participants will enjoy the fellowship of learning with many other Scouters, and along the way will have a great deal of fun.

The application part of Wood Badge is a period of up to 18 months, during which the participants practice and demonstrate a working knowledge of the leadership principles presented during the course. This is accomplished by the use of the Wood Badge “ticket”, which represents the participant’s commitment to complete a set of personal goals related to his/her Scouting position. These goals will significantly strengthen the program in which the participant is involved.

Throughout the period of application, each participant is assigned a counselor who serves as a resource, an evaluator and a Scouting friend. When the counselor and participant determine that the new skills are understood and can be applied to his/her Scouting position, a recommendation is made for the Wood Badge to be awarded.