If you had a magic wand, would you use it to make the Scouting program better and more fun for youth so they stayed in Scouting longer, so it had a larger impact on their lives? What if the same magic wand made leadership roles easier, more rewarding, and led to better retention among adult leaders? Would using that magic wand be a top priority?
Well, such a magic wand does exist—in the form of the learning programs for leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.
Youth Protection Training is required to be registered in the BSA as an adult volunteer. In the Mount Baker Council, you must renew this training every 365 days. Because ALL adults in a unit are required to be YPT compliant for re-charter it is often a good tracking plan to simply be sure your YPT date is in the current calendar year.
Specific Training is the “how to” for your role as an adult leader in Scouting. There is a specific training for every registration role in the BSA. Using the My.Scouting online portal you will notice that leaders in the same program will share serval modules with some content being specific for the position they are filling.
Outdoor training doesn’t just cover skills, more importantly it instructs leaders on how to teach and develop outdoor program for or with youth. Scouts BSA scoutmasters are required to have Intro to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) while Cub Packs are required to have at least one adult on every Pack Overnighter that has completed Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO).
While Wood Badge in the 21stCentury looks very different in some regards to the original training offered by Baden-Powell this training still helps any adult lucky enough to complete the training see the full vision of what Scouting offers. Though some may see it as “advanced” the reality is that Wood Badge is the capstone to any adult Scouter’s basic training.
University of Scouting is a day of training full of courses that help scouters answer questions not traditionally covered as part of the BSA basic training models such as “how to run a pinewood derby” or “what is a Dutch Oven?” U of S is also a great time to laser target critical parts of your program you may want to work on such as membership or engaging older scouts.
Roundtable is a monthly meeting where the District offers targeted program normally to help units on a timely topic such as re-charter or Webelos Crossover. These meetings are also a great social time to see other adult leaders and talk Scouting outside of the bubble of your own unit.
My.Scouting is of the principal online portal used by unit scouts and scouters with tracking information and rosters. But did you know that the online training portal also has a whole host of additional training beyond just the specific and YPT trainings? If you’re looking for a quick boost to your Scouting knowledge don’t hesitate to log in and check out the online training center.
Unit leaders are encouraged to regularly check the training status of all the adult leaders registered in their unit. The Mount Baker Council is committed to the belief that EVERY scout deserves a trained leader and that furthermore EVERY adult will enjoy Scouting more by knowing how to do the role they have volunteered in the Scouting program. To this end only units with 100% of its adult leaders fully trained are allowed to re-charter each year. To make the re-charter process less stressful for all concerned unit leaders can check the training status anytime year-round. To find out how to check this status using My.Scouitng CLICK HERE!
With adventure, fun and discovery at every turn, Scouting makes the most of right now.
OUR OFFICE
Everett Service Center
1715 100th Pl SE, Suite B
Everett, WA 98208
Phone: 425.338.0380
OUR CAMP
Fire Mountain Scout Camp
26027 Walker Valley Road
Mount Vernon, WA 98274
