People come to Wood Badge for different reasons. They are in different places in life, come from diferent places in Scouting and have kids that run the gamut of ages. Here is why one Wood Badger chose to attend.
I joined UK Scouting as a Wolf Cub in 1962 and forgot to leave! Here in UK it is expected that all adult appointment holders complete Wood Badge. I did the Scout / Venture Scout Advanced Course at Gilwell Park in 1978. As it was a Venture Scout course we didn’t have patrols, just tutor groups. I went on and did Cub Scout and Commissioner WBs in the UK program, then in 1990 I got involved with Transatlantic Council BSA, and decided I ought to learn how the BSA program works.
I did my BSA Wood Badge with Last Frontier Council OK, who ran the course at Philmont. SC-405 That time around I was a Beaver. They were a great group of leaders. and Philmont was amazing,
The following year I went to visit my patrol in Oklahoma City. As I already had my beads I was invited to present beads to members of the Beaver patrol who had completed their ticket. In public, in a restaurant ! I was wearing my BSA uniform. but spoke with a British accent, which confused the young lady who took my food order. I got the impression that they didn’t get a lot of international tourists.
Here in UK the tradition is that the person presenting the beads wears his own beads and the beads that are to be presented. This represents the ” handing on ” of the Wood Badge tradition to the “next generation.*
Ian Ford
District Committee Member, Mayflower District, Transatlantic Council BSA (UK)
If you would like to share your story, use the form at the bottom of the Our Reasons page.
