Got A Phone Call....

[mt_goodrich]

....and I was asked if I would Staff Wood Badge Course SR-969 this summer.

It is a week long course that runs from July 20th thru July 25th and held at the Lakeview Lodge Conference Center at Sid Richardson Scout Reservation.

The course director told me to discuss with my wife first and give him a call back in a couple of days with my decision.

I didn't expect to be asked to be a staffer so soon and figured I had a couple of years to go. This is kind of all of the sudden and really do need to discuss with my wife about the time commitments.

Hopefully I will be able to come up with the right decision.

[FieldSports]

Totally go for it, if you enjoyed the course. You will really learn the material if you staff. It will be a blast

[mt_goodrich]

I am going to go ahead and accept the course director's invitation.

He told me that I was recommended by two past course directors and five other previous Wood Badge staff members. I am humbled by that.

[cballman]

At least they see that you are a BEAR and can do it.

[lifescoutforlife]

Congrats and best wishes to you.

[smtroop168]

Here's the next phone call:

We are forming a group to go around the country and "train" troop leaders using the various outrageous scenarios we've seen on the forum. The only thing you need to bring is your walking staff and a knife to put notches in it.

Who's in?

[WVBeaver05]

From some of the things that are reported here, it seems like a needed approach. At least we can dream about it.

YiS

[WVBeaver05]

I am going to go ahead and accept the course director's invitation.

He told me that I was recommended by two past course directors and five other previous Wood Badge staff members. I am humbled by that.

I am certain that you will enjoy the experience and can tell you that Staffing will drive home the things that you learned in the course.

But, be prepared to for the time required. At a guess, 50% more than attendees during the course plus about 1 to 2 times the course length in preparation.

YiS

[mt_goodrich]

The course director sent out the staff development schedule:

February 28th - Staff Orientation

March 28th - Recruitment Checkup...see where the course is with folks signing up and seeing if we need to get out and recruit more folks to attend.

April 11th - Staff Development #1

May 15th thur May 17th - Staff Development #2

June 13th - Staff Development #3

July 11th - Participant Orientation (they do a lot of stuff ahead of time with participants attending the summer course, ie. medical forms, discuss patrol projects and ticket items.

July 17th thru July 19th - Final course preparations

July 20th thru July 25th - SR 969 takes place.

[smtroop168]

The course director sent out the staff development schedule:

February 28th - Staff Orientation

March 28th - Recruitment Checkup...see where the course is with folks signing up and seeing if we need to get out and recruit more folks to attend.

April 11th - Staff Development #1

May 15th thur May 17th - Staff Development #2

June 13th - Staff Development #3

July 11th - Participant Orientation (they do a lot of stuff ahead of time with participants attending the summer course, ie. medical forms, discuss patrol projects and ticket items.

July 17th thru July 19th - Final course preparations

July 20th thru July 25th - SR 969 takes place.

Wow...I hope the participants appreciate all the work that goes into preparing for this.

[mt_goodrich]

It makes me more appreciate what all staffers go thru. I just thought they hung out and ate the wonderful meals the Friendly Quartermaster staff prepared (which was excellent during my course).

[wagionvigil]

I have done 5 courses plus one powder horn course and each is different. It is work but a lot of fun

[WVBeaver05]

It makes me more appreciate what all staffers go thru. I just thought they hung out and ate the wonderful meals the Friendly Quartermaster staff prepared (which was excellent during my course).

Yep. With all the activities, etc. that the participant is going through it is easy to miss all the things that the staff is doing.

After serving on a Council JLTC and then 2 NYLT staffs, it was pretty obvious that there was a lot of behind the scenes work going. And then I was asked be on WB staff last year. Guess what? It was more work and more intense than I was expecting even with the background that I had. Also keep in mind that the Staffers that just got the call have the training and preparation work shown, and it's impressive. But the work and planning has been going on since the end of the previous course. Before you get the call the Course Director and Assistant have attended a Course Director's conference and there have been numerous meeting planning dates and picking the Staff.

So, whatever possesses a Scouter to do all that? Well, there is the fun and camraderie - but, IMHO, it's the rewards of delivering a GREAT training that has the potential to influence other Scouters and therefore the whole Scouting system. (he says, as he signs off the forum to work on the latest assignment in preparation for the next course...)

YiS

[FieldSports]

I told my staff that we have 50 participant leaders to influence. So, lets do some simple math.

At a minimum they will each have a direct and posititve effect on no less than 20 youth in a year, because of the tickets. These leaders will be in the program a minimum of 2 years longer due to the course. Simple math says we just help 2,000 youth. But we all know that WB and staffing have a much, much larger impact.

Staff Rock