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Wood Badge (Boy Scouts of America)
Encyclopedia
Wood Badge
is the highest level of adult Scout leader training available. It was first presented in England by the founder of Scouting, Baden Powell
, and he introduced the program into the United States during a visit in 1936. The first course was held at the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
, but Americans did not fully adopt Wood Badge until 1948. The National BSA Council staff provided direct leadership to the program through 1958, when the increased demand encouraged them to permit local councils to deliver the training.
The program originally focused almost exclusively on Scoutcraft
skills, some elements of the Patrol Method, and First Class Boy Scout requirements. In a major cultural shift during the 1970s, Wood Badge was modified to train Scouters in eleven specific leadership competencies. The National Council has updated it several times since then, and during 2001-2002 implemented an overhaul that emphasized a prototypical troop as a method for teaching team leadership and problem-solving skills. This training is an element of the overall leadership training
program.
, the first camp chief of Gilwell Park
, came to the United States in 1922 at the instigation of Walter W. Head
, a member of the Boy Scouts of America National Board, and later its President. While Gidney demonstrated some of the Scoutcraft tricks from Gilwell, his ideas did not arouse interest, but were treated as entertainment by the American audience. A number of American Scouters later traveled to England and took the British Wood Badge
course. These included assistant director of Volunteer Training Gunnar Berg
and assistant director of camping William C. Wessel. Though the national training department approved a "Gillwill Training Camp" to be held at Camp Parsons in 1929 (conducted by John A. Stiles, the Chief Scout Executive of Canada), the prevailing attitude of the Boy Scouts of America was that American men would not set aside eight days from their busy lives to attend the course.
attended the eighth International Boy Scout Conference in Stockholm, Sweden. He met with James E. West
, Scouting's founder Baden Powell
, and his aide, Gilwell Park's second camp chief John Skinner Wilson. Wilson was persuaded to visit the United States during 1936 and spend three months teaching others about Wood Badge. During May 1936, he conducted two Wood Badge courses at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
. Wilson had been told to "follow the book" as it was done in England, which he faithfully did, including the English menu with dishes like boiled leg of lamb and boiled ham. Wilson had a reputation as a "dour Scot" and he brooked no discussion during his course. William Hillcourt was a participant in that first course and four days later, he was the senior patrol leader for the second course. He received his Wood Badge beads in 1939 and was appointed as the deputy camp director for Wood Badge.
Some American Scouters chafed under Wilson's authoritarian attitude. They found the course much too restrictive, demanding, and altogether too "British." They felt the course would not work in the United States and recommended to the National Council that the program should not be adopted, which was followed. Before further experimentation could be implemented, World War II interrupted any ideas of men taking time off for Scouting.
was an educator and training enthusiast. He was convinced to allow a few members of the Program Division and Volunteer Training Service to try a new National Wood Badge Course. Four national staff members were given the responsibility: Frank W. Braden (assistant director of the Program Division and national coordinator of Training), William E. Lawrence (director of the Boy Scouting Service), Joseph M Thomas (assistant director of Volunteer Training), and William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt (national director of Scoutcraft).
Hillcourt had received his Wood Badge beads in 1939, making him the only national staff member eligible to serve as course Scoutmaster. He was appointed "Deputy Camp Chief of the United States." The four men elected to include in the course all of the recently updated basic Boy Scout requirements for Tenderfoot to First Class, along with information on patrol work covered in the Handbook for Patrol Leaders (authored by Hillcourt) and troop organization and activities described in the Handbook for Scoutmasters (also written by Hillcourt).
They added American touches to the course. They used the names of American birds for patrol names; challenged patrols to make their own flags instead of using store-bought flags; introduced patrol totems and signatures; and added singing Back to Gilwell when each patrol's name was mentioned. Each member took turns as the patrol leader, and they met daily as the Patrol Leaders Council to conduct daily inspections. The staff taught course attendees basic Scout requirements and how to handle the U.S. flag. The patrols took an unsupervised patrol hike and overnight camp. Other American features included a program and a service patrol, a cracker barrel after each evening's event, a feast, and other ceremonies. The first course, begun on July 31, 1948, was attended by 29 men from 12 states. Although it rained on four of the nine days, the Scouters were excited by the experience and enthusiastic about sharing it with others.
, was a training enthusiast. He felt Wood Badge would be a great opportunity to train selected men who could return to their local councils and train others. Schuck was so enthusiastic about the Wood Badge course that he was responsible for sending invitations using his signature from his office to every participant.
Through 1958, over 6000 individuals took Wood Badge and its popularity continued to expand. Local councils agitated for the opportunity to run their own Wood Badge courses. In 1953, the first council-run program was hosted by the Cincinnati Area (later Dan Beard) Council. Qualified local councils continued to provide advanced leadership training to Scoutmasters and other Scout leaders using Wood Badge. Two or more councils are allowed to join together to present Wood Badge with regional approval.
In the 1970s, the National Council moved its headquarters from North Brunswick, New Jersey to Irving, Texas, and the national training center from Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation to the Philmont Training Center
. However, the majority of Wood Badge
courses are held throughout the country at local council camps under the auspices of each BSA region.
skills, the Patrol Method and First Class Scouting requirements.
, Chairman of the Leadership Training Committee of the Monterey Bay Area Council, formulated the idea of an experimental leadership training program. He named it White Stag Leadership Development
after the white stag
of Hungarian mythology
, the emblem of the Fourth World Scout Jamboree
, which Bela had attended when he was 14 years old. With the active interest and support of the Monterey Bay Area Council executive staff and board, Bela continually improved his experimental program. In 1963 Maury Tripp and Fran Peterson were working closely with Bela. They also served on the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America
and brought the White Stag program to their attention. In November, 1963, Dr. John W. Larson, a staff researcher for the National Council, observed the program's annual Indaba
at the Presidio of Monterey. Impressed with what he witnessed, he recommended that the national office conduct a detailed analysis of the White Stag program.
During a thorough study, the national BSA staff interviewed participants, parents, and leaders. They distributed questionnaires to program participants, reviewed the White Stag literature, and observed the program in action. They also conducted a statistical analysis of troops taking part in White Stag and compared them to non-participating units. In December 1965, Chief Scout Executive Joseph Brunton
received the White Stag Report. It stated that offering leadership development to youth was a unique opportunity for Scouting to provide a practical benefit to youth and would add substantial support to Scouting's character development goals. It recommended that Wood Badge should be used to experiment with the leadership development principles of White Stag. The program had until this time taught the adults the same Scoutcraft
skills a boy was required to learn to become a First Class Scout along with concepts of the patrol method
.
, Kenneth Wells, and Joseph W. Wyckoff. Their plan identified Wood Badge and senior patrol leader training as the best opportunities for providing leadership education within the BSA. Their report recommended that the National Council develop an experimental Wood Badge program as soon as possible to be tested at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
, to be followed by further testing in selected local councils.
In January 1967, John Larson, along with Bob Perin, Assistant National Director of Volunteer Training, were tasked with working with Dr. Bánáthy
to write a new Wood Badge staff guide focusing on the White Stag leadership competencies.
Larson later reported, "He fought us all the way... He had a vested interest in what had been and resisted every change. I just told him to settle down, everything was going to be all right." Hillcourt presented an alternative to Larson's plan to incorporate leadership into Wood Badge. Chief Scout Brunton asked Larson to look at Hillcourt's plan, and Larson reported back that it was the same camping-oriented skills content, just reordered and rewritten. Larson's plan for Wood Badge was approved and he moved ahead to begin testing the proposed changes.
in New Jersey to train to prepare the new course and follow-on courses. The first laboratory test was during June, 1967. Participants from five councils delivered the June course and follow-on council courses. The councils represented were Del-Mar-Va Council in Wilmington, Delaware
; Baltimore Area Council in Baltimore, Maryland; Valley Forge Council in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
; Onondaga Council in Syracuse, New York
; and the National Capital Area Council
in Washington, D.C.
A second experimental course was held at Philmont
in New Mexico beginning on June 17, 1967. Bob Perin was Scoutmaster, Louis Adin of the Circle Ten Council
in Dallas was senior patrol leader, and John Larson was assistant senior patrol leader. Participants were primarily from the councils who would conduct the next step in laboratory-testing the new program. One month later, on July 18, the Circle Ten Council presented its first new Wood Badge program at Philmont, while Bob Perin and John Larson watched from the sidelines.
In September 1967, after the program was revised, William E. Lawrence, director of the Volunteer Training Service, named six councils who would pilot-test the next phase of the experimental Wood Badge courses during 1968. The councils and Course Directors were: Monterey Bay Area Council, Béla H. Bánáthy
; Piedmont Council, Don Crawford; Middle Tennessee Council, Jimmy Stevens; Del-Mar-Va Council, Bill Whisler; Hiawatha Seaway Council, Carson Buck; and the Circle Ten Council, Louis Adin.
In the Monterey Bay Area Council, Bánáthy implemented a unique approach to training both the adults and the boys. During 1967, he recruited a select group of young men and their leaders from troops in the Monterey Bay Area. The individuals were chosen to pilot-test teaching both adult leaders and their Scouts in sequence. In an application not since reproduced, all Wood Badge attendees were also asked to bring their troop to a single week of White Stag summer camp in August.
The leaders attended Wood Badge at Fort Ord
, California over four weekends during January and February 1968. Joe St. Clair served as Scoutmaster, Bánáthy was course director, and Fran Petersen was Senior Patrol Leader. John Larson, who had become National Director of Education, was also present. The following August, boys from the troops of the Scoutmasters who attended Wood Badge went to the White Stag Leadership Development Program
summer camp. Many of the Wood Badge staff were also present during summer camp so they could follow up on the Wood Badge participant's tickets and their application of the leadership skills learned at Wood Badge. During the summer camp, John Larson held a day-long leadership symposium for all of the the youth and adults.
along with the Course Directors from the pilot programs—Crawford, Stevens, Whisler and Carl Marlowe of the Hiawatha Councils—were charged with evaluating the project. They continued pilot-testing and experimenting with the program for three more years, through 1972. They also began developing an experimental junior leader training program
that utilized the White Stag competencies.
The Boy Scouts also obtained funding that year from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
to evaluate the results of the unique experiment in leadership development by design. The grant underwrote continued testing of the junior leader instructor training program at the Philmont Scout Ranch
in New Mexico and the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
in New Jersey.
The junior leader training program was developed and named Troop Leader Development when it was published in 1974. In 1991, it was revised and rechristened Troop Leader Training Conference, and then in 1994 Junior Leader Training Conference. It was substantially revised and renamed again in 2004 as National Youth Leadership Training
.
, the five test councils, and in every national region excepting Region 8. In 1972, after five long years of testing and experimentation, the official new Wood Badge Staff Guide was published. The program was mandated for nation-wide implementation and included for the first time teaching leadership skills over Scoutcraft skills.
An experimental Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge was field tested in 1976. In 1978 the National Council decided in a half-step backwards that Wood Badge needed to place greater emphasis on the practical aspects of good troop operation along with a variety of leadership exercises. Wood Badge was adopted as the official advanced training program for adult Cub Scout Leaders. The modified course blended Scoutcraft
skills and troop management practices along with scaled-down content about the leadership competencies.
. However, the Center for Leadership Studies, which owns the trademark for Situational Leadership, required the Boy Scouts to pay royalties for each Scouter attending Wood Badge nation-wide. The Wood Badge Task Force decided to describe how groups change and evolve using more generic, non-trademarked language free of royalties. The program emphasized the stages of team development based on the principles described by Bruce Tuckman
in 1965 as forming-storming-norming-performing
.
On January 1, 2002, the National Council required all councils to implement the updated Wood Badge for the 21st Century program which removed much of the Boy Scout-specific information from the program. This allowed the National Council to designate Wood Badge as the advanced leadership training program for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Venturing, council leaders, district leaders, and professional staff. It replaced both Boy Scout Leader Wood Badge and Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge. Unlike the prior Wood Badge course which was conducted entirely outdoors, participants spend the first three days in an classroom setting, and the last three days camping. Teaching aids include VCRs, laptop computers, and video projectors. Session titles include Leading Change, Problem Solving, Valuing People and Leveraging Diversity, Managing Conflict, and Coaching and Mentoring. At the conclusion of the course, the participants are presented a multimedia presentation titled "Leaving a Legacy." It includes inspirational excerpts from the movie Mr. Holland's Opus
and from a John Prine
song Hello in There, sung by Bette Midler
.
Thus Wood Badge for the 21st Century, at one time based on eleven leadership competencies adapted from White Stag Leadership Development
during the 1960s and 1970s, was 30 years later updated, given the 21st Century imprint, yet still based on generic group leadership concepts from the 1960s.
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
is the highest level of adult Scout leader training available. It was first presented in England by the founder of Scouting, Baden Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
, and he introduced the program into the United States during a visit in 1936. The first course was held at the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in central New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. It was named after Mortimer L. Schiff, the father of John M...
, but Americans did not fully adopt Wood Badge until 1948. The National BSA Council staff provided direct leadership to the program through 1958, when the increased demand encouraged them to permit local councils to deliver the training.
The program originally focused almost exclusively on Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and knowledge which are felt to be a core part of the...
skills, some elements of the Patrol Method, and First Class Boy Scout requirements. In a major cultural shift during the 1970s, Wood Badge was modified to train Scouters in eleven specific leadership competencies. The National Council has updated it several times since then, and during 2001-2002 implemented an overhaul that emphasized a prototypical troop as a method for teaching team leadership and problem-solving skills. This training is an element of the overall leadership training
Leadership training (Boy Scouts of America)
Leadership training in the Boy Scouts of America includes training on how to administer the Scouting program, outdoor skills training for adults and youth, and leadership development courses for adults and youth. Some of these courses like Youth Protection Training are mandatory...
program.
Course slowly adopted by U.S. Scouters
Francis GidneyFrancis Gidney
Francis "Skipper" Gidney was an early leader of the Scouting movement in the United Kingdom and organized the first Wood Badge adult leader training course at Gilwell Park in September 1919. He became the first Gilwell Camp Chief in May 1919 and served until 1923. The Gidney Cabin at Gilwell was...
, the first camp chief of Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre for Scouting groups, as well as a training and conference centre for Scout Leaders. The 44 hectare site is in Sewardstonebury, Epping Forest, close to Chingford, London....
, came to the United States in 1922 at the instigation of Walter W. Head
Walter W. Head
Walter William Head was an American banker and insurance executive. He was president and founder of the General American Life Insurance Company, now a part of MetLife, and president of the American Bankers Association...
, a member of the Boy Scouts of America National Board, and later its President. While Gidney demonstrated some of the Scoutcraft tricks from Gilwell, his ideas did not arouse interest, but were treated as entertainment by the American audience. A number of American Scouters later traveled to England and took the British Wood Badge
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
course. These included assistant director of Volunteer Training Gunnar Berg
Gunnar Berg (Scouting)
Gunnar H. Berg was a national director of the Boy Scouts of America.-Biography:Berg was born in Oslo and came to the United States at age 13. He was a graduate of Columbia University, and received a doctorate in education in 1946. Berg was associated with Scouting for 42 years, retiring in 1962....
and assistant director of camping William C. Wessel. Though the national training department approved a "Gillwill Training Camp" to be held at Camp Parsons in 1929 (conducted by John A. Stiles, the Chief Scout Executive of Canada), the prevailing attitude of the Boy Scouts of America was that American men would not set aside eight days from their busy lives to attend the course.
Shift away from the British course
In 1935, BSA President Walter W. HeadWalter W. Head
Walter William Head was an American banker and insurance executive. He was president and founder of the General American Life Insurance Company, now a part of MetLife, and president of the American Bankers Association...
attended the eighth International Boy Scout Conference in Stockholm, Sweden. He met with James E. West
James E. West (Scouting)
Dr. James E. West was a lawyer and an advocate of children's rights, who became the first professional Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America , serving from 1911–1943. Upon his retirement from the BSA, West was given the title of Chief Scout.-Personal life:His father died around the...
, Scouting's founder Baden Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
, and his aide, Gilwell Park's second camp chief John Skinner Wilson. Wilson was persuaded to visit the United States during 1936 and spend three months teaching others about Wood Badge. During May 1936, he conducted two Wood Badge courses at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in central New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. It was named after Mortimer L. Schiff, the father of John M...
. Wilson had been told to "follow the book" as it was done in England, which he faithfully did, including the English menu with dishes like boiled leg of lamb and boiled ham. Wilson had a reputation as a "dour Scot" and he brooked no discussion during his course. William Hillcourt was a participant in that first course and four days later, he was the senior patrol leader for the second course. He received his Wood Badge beads in 1939 and was appointed as the deputy camp director for Wood Badge.
Some American Scouters chafed under Wilson's authoritarian attitude. They found the course much too restrictive, demanding, and altogether too "British." They felt the course would not work in the United States and recommended to the National Council that the program should not be adopted, which was followed. Before further experimentation could be implemented, World War II interrupted any ideas of men taking time off for Scouting.
Adapted for American training
After the war ended, new Gilwell Park camp chief John Thurman was interested in persuading the Boy Scouts of America to adapt Wood Badge. The new Chief Scout Executive Elbert K. FretwellElbert K. Fretwell
Professor Elbert K. Fretwell, PhD,[1878-1962) was an American academic and early leader in the field of youth development through recreation and extracurricular activity. He served as the second Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America , serving from 1943 to 1948. Upon his retirement...
was an educator and training enthusiast. He was convinced to allow a few members of the Program Division and Volunteer Training Service to try a new National Wood Badge Course. Four national staff members were given the responsibility: Frank W. Braden (assistant director of the Program Division and national coordinator of Training), William E. Lawrence (director of the Boy Scouting Service), Joseph M Thomas (assistant director of Volunteer Training), and William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt (national director of Scoutcraft).
Hillcourt had received his Wood Badge beads in 1939, making him the only national staff member eligible to serve as course Scoutmaster. He was appointed "Deputy Camp Chief of the United States." The four men elected to include in the course all of the recently updated basic Boy Scout requirements for Tenderfoot to First Class, along with information on patrol work covered in the Handbook for Patrol Leaders (authored by Hillcourt) and troop organization and activities described in the Handbook for Scoutmasters (also written by Hillcourt).
They added American touches to the course. They used the names of American birds for patrol names; challenged patrols to make their own flags instead of using store-bought flags; introduced patrol totems and signatures; and added singing Back to Gilwell when each patrol's name was mentioned. Each member took turns as the patrol leader, and they met daily as the Patrol Leaders Council to conduct daily inspections. The staff taught course attendees basic Scout requirements and how to handle the U.S. flag. The patrols took an unsupervised patrol hike and overnight camp. Other American features included a program and a service patrol, a cracker barrel after each evening's event, a feast, and other ceremonies. The first course, begun on July 31, 1948, was attended by 29 men from 12 states. Although it rained on four of the nine days, the Scouters were excited by the experience and enthusiastic about sharing it with others.
New course tested
Later in 1948, six courses were led by members of the national BSA staff, with one at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation and another at Philmont Scout Ranch. Scouters were enthusiastic about the new course. "Perhaps the finest experience we have had in 35 years of Scouting was attending the Wood Badge course in New Mexico... Any man who lived nine days in a Gilwell Troop would know how a troop is operated." The new Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America, Arthur A. SchuckArthur A. Schuck
Arthur Aloys Schuck was a long time professional Scouter of the Boy Scouts of America who served as the Chief Scout Executive for twelve years from 1948 to 1960.-Early career:...
, was a training enthusiast. He felt Wood Badge would be a great opportunity to train selected men who could return to their local councils and train others. Schuck was so enthusiastic about the Wood Badge course that he was responsible for sending invitations using his signature from his office to every participant.
National council presents program
From 1948 through 1958, Wood Badge was presented exclusively by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 1955, John Thurman, the Camp Chief of Gilwell, toured a number of U.S. Wood Badge courses. His assessment and comments helped to continue to improve the program on both the national and local council levels. Attendees from local councils were carefully screened, needing the "unqualified endorsement of the Council's Leadership Training Committee and the Scout Executive." The first Cub Scout Wood Badge beads awarded to a woman were given to Rebekeh T. Weir in 1957. Her husband, Rev. Thomas E. Weir, had already received his beads, which made them the first American couple to both receive Wood Badge beads.Through 1958, over 6000 individuals took Wood Badge and its popularity continued to expand. Local councils agitated for the opportunity to run their own Wood Badge courses. In 1953, the first council-run program was hosted by the Cincinnati Area (later Dan Beard) Council. Qualified local councils continued to provide advanced leadership training to Scoutmasters and other Scout leaders using Wood Badge. Two or more councils are allowed to join together to present Wood Badge with regional approval.
In the 1970s, the National Council moved its headquarters from North Brunswick, New Jersey to Irving, Texas, and the national training center from Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation to the Philmont Training Center
Philmont Training Center
The Philmont Training Center , located at the Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, New Mexico, has been the National Training Center of the Boy Scouts of America since 1950. The PTC offers week-long training conferences from June through September for council, district, and unit volunteers, BSA...
. However, the majority of Wood Badge
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
courses are held throughout the country at local council camps under the auspices of each BSA region.
Change from camping to leadership
The Wood Badge program originally focused exclusively on teaching ScoutcraftScoutcraft
Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and knowledge which are felt to be a core part of the...
skills, the Patrol Method and First Class Scouting requirements.
White Stag program draws national attention
Beginning in the 1950s, Béla H. BánáthyBéla H. Bánáthy
Béla Heinrich Bánáthy was a Hungarian linguist, systems scientist and a professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. Bánáthy was the founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program whose leadership model was adopted across the United States...
, Chairman of the Leadership Training Committee of the Monterey Bay Area Council, formulated the idea of an experimental leadership training program. He named it White Stag Leadership Development
White Stag Leadership Development Program
The White Stag Leadership Development Program is a non-profit organization that sponsors youth leadership development activities. Founded on the Monterey Peninsula, California, in 1958 by Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy, it traces its history to the 1933 World Jamboree in Gödöllő, Hungary, which took as its...
after the white stag
White stag
A white stag or white deer is a red deer with a condition known as leucism that causes its hair and skin to lose its natural colour. The white stag has played a prominent role in many cultures' mythology.-Biology:...
of Hungarian mythology
Hungarian mythology
Hungarian mythology includes the myths, legends, folk tales, fairy tales and gods of the Hungarians. Many parts of it are thought to be lost, i.e. only some texts remained which can be classified as a myth. However, a significant amount of Hungarian mythology was successfully recovered in the last...
, the emblem of the Fourth World Scout Jamboree
4th World Scout Jamboree
The 4th World Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Boy Scouts from all over the world, was hosted by Hungary and held from August 2 to August 13, 1933. It was attended by 25,792 Scouts, representing 46 different nations and additional territories...
, which Bela had attended when he was 14 years old. With the active interest and support of the Monterey Bay Area Council executive staff and board, Bela continually improved his experimental program. In 1963 Maury Tripp and Fran Peterson were working closely with Bela. They also served on the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and brought the White Stag program to their attention. In November, 1963, Dr. John W. Larson, a staff researcher for the National Council, observed the program's annual Indaba
Indaba
An indaba is an important conference held by the izinDuna of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. These indabas may include only the izinDuna of a particular community or may be held with representatives of other communities.The term comes from a Zulu...
at the Presidio of Monterey. Impressed with what he witnessed, he recommended that the national office conduct a detailed analysis of the White Stag program.
During a thorough study, the national BSA staff interviewed participants, parents, and leaders. They distributed questionnaires to program participants, reviewed the White Stag literature, and observed the program in action. They also conducted a statistical analysis of troops taking part in White Stag and compared them to non-participating units. In December 1965, Chief Scout Executive Joseph Brunton
Joseph Brunton
Joseph A. Brunton, Jr. was a career professional for the Boy Scouts of America, and served the BSA National Council as the fourth Chief Scout Executive from 1960 to 1966.-BSA career:...
received the White Stag Report. It stated that offering leadership development to youth was a unique opportunity for Scouting to provide a practical benefit to youth and would add substantial support to Scouting's character development goals. It recommended that Wood Badge should be used to experiment with the leadership development principles of White Stag. The program had until this time taught the adults the same Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and knowledge which are felt to be a core part of the...
skills a boy was required to learn to become a First Class Scout along with concepts of the patrol method
Scout method
The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful,and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citizens"....
.
Focus shifts to leadership skills
In February 1966, Brunton appointed seven men to a National task force to lead the effort: Robert L. Calvert, head of the BSA Education Division, was chair of the committee composed of A. Warren Holm, John Larson, William E. Lawrence, Ben H. LoveBen H. Love
Ben H. Love was the eighth Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America serving from 1985 to 1993.-Scouting professional:...
, Kenneth Wells, and Joseph W. Wyckoff. Their plan identified Wood Badge and senior patrol leader training as the best opportunities for providing leadership education within the BSA. Their report recommended that the National Council develop an experimental Wood Badge program as soon as possible to be tested at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in central New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. It was named after Mortimer L. Schiff, the father of John M...
, to be followed by further testing in selected local councils.
In January 1967, John Larson, along with Bob Perin, Assistant National Director of Volunteer Training, were tasked with working with Dr. Bánáthy
Béla H. Bánáthy
Béla Heinrich Bánáthy was a Hungarian linguist, systems scientist and a professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. Bánáthy was the founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program whose leadership model was adopted across the United States...
to write a new Wood Badge staff guide focusing on the White Stag leadership competencies.
Resistance to change
Shifting from teaching primarily camping skills to leadership competencies was a paradigm shift. It required rethinking the underlying assumptions, concepts, practices, and values guiding how adults were trained as Scout leaders. Some individuals on the national staff and many volunteers across the nation resisted the idea of changing the focus of Wood Badge from training leaders in Scout craft to leadership skills. Among them was Bill Hillcourt, who had been the first United States Wood Badge Course Director in 1948. He remained loyal to the idea that Wood Badge should teach Scoutcraft skills. Although he had officially retired on August 1, 1965, his opinion was still sought after and respected.Larson later reported, "He fought us all the way... He had a vested interest in what had been and resisted every change. I just told him to settle down, everything was going to be all right." Hillcourt presented an alternative to Larson's plan to incorporate leadership into Wood Badge. Chief Scout Brunton asked Larson to look at Hillcourt's plan, and Larson reported back that it was the same camping-oriented skills content, just reordered and rewritten. Larson's plan for Wood Badge was approved and he moved ahead to begin testing the proposed changes.
Pilot tests conducted
In May, 1967, participants from six councils met at Mortimer L. Schiff Scout ReservationMortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in central New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. It was named after Mortimer L. Schiff, the father of John M...
in New Jersey to train to prepare the new course and follow-on courses. The first laboratory test was during June, 1967. Participants from five councils delivered the June course and follow-on council courses. The councils represented were Del-Mar-Va Council in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
; Baltimore Area Council in Baltimore, Maryland; Valley Forge Council in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; Onondaga Council in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
; and the National Capital Area Council
National Capital Area Council
The National Capital Area Council is part of the Boy Scouts of America and serves Scouts in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
A second experimental course was held at Philmont
Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...
in New Mexico beginning on June 17, 1967. Bob Perin was Scoutmaster, Louis Adin of the Circle Ten Council
Circle Ten Council
Circle Ten Council is the main Boy Scouts of America chartered council in central north Texas and a portion of Oklahoma. It encompasses all or parts of: Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rains, Rockwall and Van Zandt counties in Texas as well as Bryan...
in Dallas was senior patrol leader, and John Larson was assistant senior patrol leader. Participants were primarily from the councils who would conduct the next step in laboratory-testing the new program. One month later, on July 18, the Circle Ten Council presented its first new Wood Badge program at Philmont, while Bob Perin and John Larson watched from the sidelines.
In September 1967, after the program was revised, William E. Lawrence, director of the Volunteer Training Service, named six councils who would pilot-test the next phase of the experimental Wood Badge courses during 1968. The councils and Course Directors were: Monterey Bay Area Council, Béla H. Bánáthy
Béla H. Bánáthy
Béla Heinrich Bánáthy was a Hungarian linguist, systems scientist and a professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. Bánáthy was the founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program whose leadership model was adopted across the United States...
; Piedmont Council, Don Crawford; Middle Tennessee Council, Jimmy Stevens; Del-Mar-Va Council, Bill Whisler; Hiawatha Seaway Council, Carson Buck; and the Circle Ten Council, Louis Adin.
Leaders and boys both trained
The leaders attended Wood Badge at Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
, California over four weekends during January and February 1968. Joe St. Clair served as Scoutmaster, Bánáthy was course director, and Fran Petersen was Senior Patrol Leader. John Larson, who had become National Director of Education, was also present. The following August, boys from the troops of the Scoutmasters who attended Wood Badge went to the White Stag Leadership Development Program
White Stag Leadership Development Program
The White Stag Leadership Development Program is a non-profit organization that sponsors youth leadership development activities. Founded on the Monterey Peninsula, California, in 1958 by Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy, it traces its history to the 1933 World Jamboree in Gödöllő, Hungary, which took as its...
summer camp. Many of the Wood Badge staff were also present during summer camp so they could follow up on the Wood Badge participant's tickets and their application of the leadership skills learned at Wood Badge. During the summer camp, John Larson held a day-long leadership symposium for all of the the youth and adults.
Experiment includes junior leader training
The results were promising and John Larson was appointed Director of Leadership Development. He was charged with continuing support for the experiment. During 1969, Gene Rutherford of the Circle Ten CouncilCircle Ten Council
Circle Ten Council is the main Boy Scouts of America chartered council in central north Texas and a portion of Oklahoma. It encompasses all or parts of: Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, Rains, Rockwall and Van Zandt counties in Texas as well as Bryan...
along with the Course Directors from the pilot programs—Crawford, Stevens, Whisler and Carl Marlowe of the Hiawatha Councils—were charged with evaluating the project. They continued pilot-testing and experimenting with the program for three more years, through 1972. They also began developing an experimental junior leader training program
National Youth Leadership Training
National Youth Leadership Training is the current incarnation of youth leadership development training offered by the Boy Scouts of America . The program is conducted at the council level over a week or over two weekends. It is intended to provide standardized, in-depth training covering a number...
that utilized the White Stag competencies.
The Boy Scouts also obtained funding that year from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D...
to evaluate the results of the unique experiment in leadership development by design. The grant underwrote continued testing of the junior leader instructor training program at the Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...
in New Mexico and the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation
The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in central New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. It was named after Mortimer L. Schiff, the father of John M...
in New Jersey.
The junior leader training program was developed and named Troop Leader Development when it was published in 1974. In 1991, it was revised and rechristened Troop Leader Training Conference, and then in 1994 Junior Leader Training Conference. It was substantially revised and renamed again in 2004 as National Youth Leadership Training
National Youth Leadership Training
National Youth Leadership Training is the current incarnation of youth leadership development training offered by the Boy Scouts of America . The program is conducted at the council level over a week or over two weekends. It is intended to provide standardized, in-depth training covering a number...
.
National pilot-tests begun
The Wood Badge course was pilot-tested still further in 1971 at PhilmontPhilmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...
, the five test councils, and in every national region excepting Region 8. In 1972, after five long years of testing and experimentation, the official new Wood Badge Staff Guide was published. The program was mandated for nation-wide implementation and included for the first time teaching leadership skills over Scoutcraft skills.
An experimental Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge was field tested in 1976. In 1978 the National Council decided in a half-step backwards that Wood Badge needed to place greater emphasis on the practical aspects of good troop operation along with a variety of leadership exercises. Wood Badge was adopted as the official advanced training program for adult Cub Scout Leaders. The modified course blended Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft
Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and knowledge which are felt to be a core part of the...
skills and troop management practices along with scaled-down content about the leadership competencies.
More recent modifications
In 1994, the National Council revised the course content again to add key concepts based on Ethics in Action which had been added to Boy Scout training and literature. The leadership competencies remained an essential part of Wood Badge until 1998, when the National Council revised it again to use the unit meeting and a troop camping activity as a delivery model. This new version, re-titled Wood Badge for the 21st Century, was initially revised to include principles of Situational LeadershipSituational leadership theory
The Hersey–Blanchard situational leadership theory, is a leadership theory conceived by Paul Hersey, a professor who wrote a well known book Situational Leader and Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager, while working on the first edition of Management of Organizational Behavior...
. However, the Center for Leadership Studies, which owns the trademark for Situational Leadership, required the Boy Scouts to pay royalties for each Scouter attending Wood Badge nation-wide. The Wood Badge Task Force decided to describe how groups change and evolve using more generic, non-trademarked language free of royalties. The program emphasized the stages of team development based on the principles described by Bruce Tuckman
Bruce Tuckman
Bruce Wayne Tuckman is an American Psychologist, who has carried out research into the theory of group dynamics. In 1965, he published one of his theories called "Tuckman's Stages". In 1977, he added a fifth stage named Adjourning....
in 1965 as forming-storming-norming-performing
Forming-storming-norming-performing
The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for the team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and...
.
On January 1, 2002, the National Council required all councils to implement the updated Wood Badge for the 21st Century program which removed much of the Boy Scout-specific information from the program. This allowed the National Council to designate Wood Badge as the advanced leadership training program for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, Venturing, council leaders, district leaders, and professional staff. It replaced both Boy Scout Leader Wood Badge and Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge. Unlike the prior Wood Badge course which was conducted entirely outdoors, participants spend the first three days in an classroom setting, and the last three days camping. Teaching aids include VCRs, laptop computers, and video projectors. Session titles include Leading Change, Problem Solving, Valuing People and Leveraging Diversity, Managing Conflict, and Coaching and Mentoring. At the conclusion of the course, the participants are presented a multimedia presentation titled "Leaving a Legacy." It includes inspirational excerpts from the movie Mr. Holland's Opus
Mr. Holland's Opus
Mr. Holland's Opus is a 1995 American drama film directed by Stephen Herek, produced by Ted Field, Robert W. Cort, and Michael Nolin, and Executive Produced by Patrick Sheane Duncan. It stars Richard Dreyfuss in the title role, and the cast includes Glenne Headly, Olympia Dukakis, William H. Macy...
and from a John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
song Hello in There, sung by Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
.
Thus Wood Badge for the 21st Century, at one time based on eleven leadership competencies adapted from White Stag Leadership Development
White Stag Leadership Development Program
The White Stag Leadership Development Program is a non-profit organization that sponsors youth leadership development activities. Founded on the Monterey Peninsula, California, in 1958 by Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy, it traces its history to the 1933 World Jamboree in Gödöllő, Hungary, which took as its...
during the 1960s and 1970s, was 30 years later updated, given the 21st Century imprint, yet still based on generic group leadership concepts from the 1960s.