Wood Badge is an advanced training course offered by the Sam Houston Area Council and by Scouting groups throughout the world.  This course was substantially revised in 2001 and is now available to adult leaders in all programs of the BSA - Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing, as well as council and district leaders, and professionals.  This new contemporary training program focuses on leadership and "people" skills, and not Scoutcraft or outdoor skills.  Participants will learn techniques to make them better leaders, and also how to lead groups at achieve objectives.  The 21st Century Wood Badge incorporates the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience in addition to drawing upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles, and successful outdoor leadership organizations throughout the country.  Skills developed from Wood Badge training will help a volunteer leader do a better job in any BSA program or at any level of involvement.

Eligibility

To attend a Wood Badge course, a Scouter must:

1. Be a registered member of the BSA (there is minimum tenure requirement).
2. Have not previously completed a 21st Century Wood Badge course.
3. Have completed the basic training courses for his/her Scouting position.
4. Have completed the outdoor skills training programs appropriate for his/her Scouting position.
5. Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment, but accommodations for physical disabilities can be made.  Class 3 medical exam is required.

Course Format

The format of the Wood Badge course is usually two 3-day weekends (Friday morning through Sunday evening, or Saturday morning through Monday evening), separated by two to four weeks.  In the Sam Houston Area Council, the first weekend is scheduled at the Camp Strake Conference Center.  All meals will be served in the Dining Hall and participants will be housed in Conference Center Dorms.  For the second weekend, the course will move to the Kuester Training Area of Camp Strake where participants will cook their own meals and sleep in wall tents.  (Courses are sometimes conducted at Camp Bovay or other locations.)  Participants will also be required to attend two interim patrol meetings during the time between the first and second weekends of the course.

Occasionally, the course is conducted in a single week.  The first three days will be at the Strake Conference Center, and then the group will shift to the Kuester Training Center for the second part of the same week.

During the course, each participant will develop a "ticket" which is a list of projects or goals to be completed after the course.  Participants have 18 months in which to finish their tickets, and then they receive their beads and other recognition items.

Schedule for Upcoming Courses and Registration form

The course schedule, registration form and additional information are on the SHAC website at the following link:
                www.samhoustonbsa.org/Home/Training/WoodBadge/

For additional information:

• Contact SHAC Training at 713-756-3304 (at the Scout Office)
• Contact the GAD training team
• See the articles in the Scouter

Golden Arrow District

The Wood Badge course is offered by a special training team for the Sam Houston Area Council, and participants and instructors come from all parts of the Council.  While not a GAD training course, the GAD training team strongly encourages GAD leaders to consider taking the Wood Badge course.

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