Wood Badge

Wood Badge is an advanced, national leadership course open only to Scouting volunteers and professionals. Scouters from Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, Venturing, Sea Scouts, and Explorers, and district and council Scouters all are welcome and belong here.

Wood Badge training was begun by Baden Powell in 1919 as a way to ensure that the leaders of Scout Troops were properly trained. Since then, Wood Badge training has been held worldwide providing advanced leader training to thousands of Scout Leaders.

Wood Badge is considered the premier leadership training course for Scout Leaders. Wood Badge for the 21st Century is available to registered leaders of all levels of the Scouting program – Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity, and Venturing. It concentrates on providing training on modern leadership skills needed in today’s world for Scout leaders. Wood Badge Training will not only make you a better Scout Leader, but it will also assist you in improving your personal and professional life as well.

Through Wood Badge you will gain valuable tools in listening, communicating, conflict management, project planning, and leading change. You will learn to better understand and leverage diversity and the generational differences of society. You will learn to lead with a vision. You will learn the skills that will make you a better Scout Leader to benefit the youth we serve.

Every Scout deserves a well-trained leader. Are you that leader? Get Wood Badge trained and you will be. In doing so, you will change not only your life but also the lives of all that you touch.

Tickets

Have you heard of “The Ticket” and wondered what it is? The "ticket" is a group of five goals you set for yourself to do after the course, to improve your unit. You learn more about this in the course.

Purpose of Wood Badge

The purpose of Wood Badge is to develop skilled leaders who can strengthen Scouting units in achieving the mission of the Boy Scouts of America.

When we accomplish the mission of Scouting, we do it in the units. Therefore, the short form of the purpose is, that the purpose of Wood Badge is to strengthen units.

Although the course is different today, what Baden-Powell said in 1919 still applies:

One of the purposes of Wood Badge training is to get Scouters to think about the practice of Scouting, to meet together, to exchange experiences, and to live together in the spirit of the Scout Oath.

Visit www.scouting.org/training/adult/woodbadge for more information.  Contact your area training chair for information about upcoming courses in your area.