Wood Badge is the Greater Los Angeles Area Council's ultimate adult leadership training program. Reflecting the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience and tradition, the course also draws upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles, and successful outdoor leadership organizations throughout the country.

All BSA registered adult leaders, who have completed the basic training courses and required leader specific training for their currently registered position, may attend Wood Badge. Participants must complete a BSA class 3 physical prior to attending the course. Multi-media presentations delivered by Scouting’s most dynamic trainers, hands-on activities, learning experiences, and games bring the concepts to life and demonstrate how you can bring those concepts home to your Scouting position.

Wood Badge is a 6-day course, broken into two 3-day weekends. You must attend both weekends and complete your “ticket” to finish this course.

The first weekend is based around a classroom setting, and participants will lodge in cabins. Topics will include leadership styles and techniques, conflict management, effective communications, the patrol method, and much, much more.

The second weekend is in an outdoor setting, with participants camping by patrol and more physical activities geared towards the application of skills acquired in the first weekend. Patrols will present, collaborate, and demonstrate their scouting acumen before being sent back to their units to work their tickets.

Learning skills isn’t all there is to Wood Badge. You will experience the Wood Badge magic. The magic is all of those unforgettable moments you experience with your patrol. Those moments that inspire and motivate you; that light a truly long-lasting fire of Scouting spirit that you can share with your Scouts to make the program better than you ever imagined it could be. The magic is what makes Wood Badge the life changing experience it is for hundreds of thousands of Scouters around the world.

Register now!

Spring 2020 Dates (You must attend both weekends) Registration closes March 3rd 2020 (31 of 48 spots total available) April 3-5, 2020 at Hubert Eaton Scout Reservation May 15(16)-17, 2020 at Trask Scout Reservation (this may be only a 2 day weekend) Your key staff on this course is: Dan Yrigoyen (Scoutmaster / Course Director) Tim Shank (Cubmaster / ASM Program) Click here to register for 2020! Download the Centennial Wood Badge W4-33-20 Course Flyer and share with your friends!

Qualifications

Staffers on a Wood Badge course are among the finest Scouters we have. They understand the program. They set a good example. They are among our best trainers. They are cheerful and they help each other. They must be models of Scouting character and leadership. They must be good presenters.

To be eligible, you must have gone to Wood Badge in the current version and have earned your beads.

You do not need to have been in Scouting any particular number of years. You do not need to have held any particular job in Scouting. Course Directors seek staff from the different programs (Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing, as well as district and council Scouters). Course Directors are looking for Scouters that are effective trainers and presenters as well as team players.

Each staff member is selected by the course director. Each staffer must be approved by our council and by the Area Director of Boy Scouts of America.

How To Be Invited

Course directors select their staff from a list of people that have expressed an interest in staffing a Wood Badge course. Your application will be kept on file for 3 years and your name will be put on our available staff listing. This list is shared with all course directors for their selection process.

What To Expect If You Staff

Staffing Wood Badge is a major commitment. It takes a lot of time and heart. Every single staffer is expected to do all these things, enthusiastically and at his or her best.

1. Participate enthusiastically in all the staff development sessions. These will be set by the course director and they can share those with you upon your selection.
2. Prepare your presentations. Wood Badge is the height of training for Scouters, and every session must be the best possible. There is a syllabus so you don't have to invent the presentation, and indeed you must follow the syllabus, but you still need to prepare diligently and practice.
3. Recruit participants. The more participants attend a course, the more value the Council and the community get from the course. We would like every course to be full. Staff are among the most important recruiters. Each staff member should recruit two or more participants.
4. Spend a bit. There is a staff fee. That covers food, camp insurance, and other things. If this cost would be a problem, talk to the course director about it before you agree to be on staff. Also, staff need to be in a full Troop 1 official BSA field uniform, and most staff members find they need more than one uniform on course. Staff outdoor wear is also manditory. See the staff uniform guidelines. Staffers will incur some other expenses in the preparation or on course.
5. Exemplify good behavior. In general, every staff member is expected to arrive promptly for everything, be prepared, be cheerful, wear uniforms correctly, and have the time of your life experiencing the staffing side of Wood Badge.

Click here to submit a request to staff!