Congratulations! Making the decision to accept the invitation to go to Wood Badge is the first step in the experience of a lifetime. There are a few things you need to do to make sure you are up-to-speed and ready to go when you step "on the hill" for the very first time.
First Things First
They might seem like no-brainers, but it's pretty important to make sure you have three things under your belt prior to attending Wood Badge:
- Register with the BSA - especially if you are just beginning your Scouting experience, or if you've been in semi-retirement for a while, it's important to make sure you are currently a registered adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America.
If you're a new leader, grab an application at the local Scout Service Center, fill it out, and give it to your Chartered Organization Representative. It's not a bad idea to check in with them to make sure it's been signed and submitted to the local Council for approval. (Speaking from experience here...for some inexplicable reason, I had to submit that app three times before I was officially registered!)
If it's been awhile since you've been actively involved in Scouting, you can call your local Scout Service Center to check your registration status. If they've got you on the books, you're good to go! If not...it's time to re-apply. - Youth Protection Training - BSA requires ALL adult leaders to do Youth Protection Training every two years. The training is pretty simple: go to www.my.scouting.org, set up a profile (or log in to the one you set up two years ago), click on the "Home" link which will bring up a dropdown list, click on "My Dashboard". If it doesn't take you directly to "My Youth Protection Training", click on "YPT" from the sub-menu at the top of the page. Click on "Take Course" and off you go! The training consists of video segments with periodic quizzes and takes approximately 35 minutes to complete. Print two copies of your certificate of completion: one for you and one for the Scout Office.
Now, here's the kicker: your Council needs to connect your Member ID to your training profile so they can verify that you are current on your training. It sounds complicated, but it can be accomplished in one of two ways:
Take a copy of your certificate of completion in to the Scout Office & they'll update your training status manually. -or- If you know your Member ID (you can call the office for it), go into your profile on my.scouting.org (click on the little person icon in the upper right corner of the website), click on "My Account" and enter your Member ID in "Account Details". Done! - Leader-Specific Training - Training...it kind of sounds like a big, bad, and maybe even boring word. But the reality is, there's a lot to know if you're going to do things right...and the training available through the BSA makes it so you don't have to re-invent the wheel and figure everything out from the ground up. The programs, for the most part, are laid out very clearly, but knowing how they work requires investing some time up-front to learn the ropes.
So, which Leader-Specific Training do you need? Go back to my.scouting.org, click on 'My Dashboard", select "Training Center" from the top sub-menu, click on the program you're registered in (i.e. Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Venturing and Varsity, Other) , and take the "Fast Start Orientation Training" and any "Leader-Specific Training" listed there. Check with your Scout Office for other trainings that may be required but are not offered online.
