Scouter Article October 2010
New Best Friends
I had the honor to serve on the staff of the recently completed Wood Badge course, and returned home with nearly 50 new best friends I never realized I had. That’s 50 people I never met before, or perhaps saw in passing at a Roundtable or a Camporee, but never got to spend any time with. But during 6 days of Wood Badge, I was able to talk with my best friends about Scouting and Life and the Cosmos, and Scouting, and more Scouting, during meals, after campfires, during breaks.
That’s the great thing about participating in a training course - any training course – you get to meet lots of very dedicated and highly motivated Scouters and recharge your own Scout Spirit at the same time.
Don’t get me wrong: Online training is very important to the future success of our Movement. All of us are so, so busy and online training is great at helping us learn what we need to know to run our units, and keep out Scouts happy, healthy, safe. But a hands on training program gives each one of us the opportunity to network, ask questions, learn something new that might not be “in the book”, plus meet other Scouters like ourselves who simply want to deliver the best program they possibly can. During every training course I ever took I learned something new, even when I had the syllabus memorized. I always learned new things from the staff AND participants.
So why not promise yourself to take at least in person Scouting training program this year. You will come away better prepared and more motivated. You WILL learn some new things and you WILL teach some new things, no matter whether you are a participant or a member of the staff.
Yes, every Scout deserved a Trained Leader. Really. So become a Trained Leader. It WILL help you deliver the promise. And it WILL help you make a difference in the lives of our Scouts. And isn’t that our job?
Jay Lubin
Council Training Chair
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead