A mountain-top experience. An adult training opportunity. A couple cool weekends of Scouting WITHOUT the youth. Lifelong learning. Your chance to do something for yourself. A way to meet new friends from all over the Council. All these are ways we’ve heard Wood Badge described and all of them are true. 

Never heard of Wood Badge? Here’s the quick and dirty:  Wood Badge is an advanced, national leadership course open only to Scouting volunteers and professionals. You’ll learn about yourself. You’ll learn about how to take that knowledge – the answer to WHY you invest so much time in this program – and use it to make this program for our nation’s youth better than ever. Wood Badge teaches concepts you’ve heard both inside and outside of scouting – coaching and mentoring, effective communication, stages of team development, servant leadership, and many more – and uses them to walk you through the entire Scouting program in a very experiential and meaningful way.

Who should take Wood Badge? EVERYONE! New cub volunteer? Absolutely! Seasoned Scoutmaster? Of course you should come! Eighteen-year-old camp staff looking for a new challenge? Welcome. Took Wood Badge 20 years ago (or last year) and could use a Scouting boost? Definitely welcome. If you’re a registered adult leader anywhere in the Scouting program, we want you to join us!

Is two weekends of your time worth it? We think so. Here are some of the benefits:

• Stronger units. You will make your Scouting unit — and your sons’ and daughters’ units — stronger.
• What and why of Scouting. You will have a deeper understanding of what Scouting is and why we do it.
• Experience. You will learn and experience things that will stay with you in Scouting and the rest of your life.
• Fun. You will have fun and you will meet interesting people.
• Other groups. You will make your other groups, like work, church, even family, stronger.

Scouting America says this: Every Scout deserves a trained leader. No matter how old we are and what we’re doing, learning keeps us on the job, in top form, cutting edge. We evo

lve as humans and have a thirst to know more every day. Join us this September and October for Virginia Headwaters Council’s Wood Badge Course. We can’t wait to see you there!