What is Wood Badge?

Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience, Wood Badge draws upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles and successful organizations throughout the country.

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 has been held worldwide, providing advanced leadership training to thousands of Scout leaders.

Wood Badge builds upon the best traditions and experiences of Scouting America and draws from a wide range of courses within and beyond the bounds of Scouting to present the latest in leadership theory and team development.

Who Should Attend?

Wood Badge is designed to meet the advanced leadership needs of all Scouters, particularly unit level Scouters, such as Cub leaders, Scoutmasters and assistants, Venturing Crew Advisors, Committee Chairs and members.

Additionally, Scouters serving at the district and council levels can achieve greater effectiveness through Wood Badge.

Why Attend?

Have you ever been on a trip that you didn’t know where you were going? How did you know when you got there? How can you teach the youth in your unit if you don’t know the skills yourself?

Wood Badge is the ultimate personal and professional growth training program offered by Scouting America; it is a national course curriculum delivered locally by volunteer staff.

Wood Badge is about enhancing your leadership skills through hands-on experience, to help you take those skills back to your unit or District and put them to work to develop effective leaders and youth where you serve. Wood Badge is Designed to be taken within the first 2 years of joining the BSA.

This comprehensive training course was started by Robert Baden-Powell to help leaders hone their skills, extend their understanding of the youth they lead and the adults with whom they work, and to reach new levels of personal growth and learning as Scouters.

Wood Badge provides advanced training in leadership and teamwork for adult leaders in all Scouting programs.

Wood Badge consists of more than three dozen training sessions, complemented by real-time participation in Pack, Troop, and Crew activities where you role model as a youth, living the patrol method.

The instructional portion of the course consists of the two weekends, followed by an 18-month application phase in which each participant completes what is known as their “ticket”, a series of personal goals developed during the course.

What are the requirements to attend?

To be eligible for Wood Badge a participant must be a registered adult with Scouting America and have completed the Leader Specific Training course for their current position in Scouting.

Scoutmasters/Asst. Scoutmasters need to also have taken the Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills training for their position.

This training must be completed prior to the course.